Elle pulled the pick up truck into the Flynn family drive way. Noah was around back, waiting for her signal. The plan was for Elle to go inside and pretend that Noah had died from a gunshot wound. The only problem was, she was going to have to hide her excitement for beating Richard to a bloody pulp and having him arrested. She rubbed her eyes until they looked like they had been red from crying, and scratched her cheeks until they look like they were puffy. She heaved a big sigh and stepped out of the car. She walked down the driveway, to the garage, up the white steps, to the front door. She closed her eyes for a second. Remembering the times she'd ridden here on the back of Noah's bike. The time she'd jumped off the balcony onto a trampoline to avoid Lee finding them out. She sighed and opened her eyes. It was time to get her life back. She rang the door bell. She waited for a moment. She could hear shuffling inside. Some guns being loaded. She crossed her arms. She was impatient. More shuffling and muffled shouting. Then the door opened, making Elle jump. Richard opened the door.

"Elle, where's Noah?" Elle fake sniffed.

"He's dead." She said. Making sure to waver her voice. Richard clicked his tongue.

"Well that's just too bad. Why don't you come inside?" Elle nodded. Richard took her by the arm and lead her to the living room. Elle's heart fell into her stomach when she saw Lee and his parents on the couch held at gunpoint. She made eye contact with Lee. His eyes widened when he saw her.

"Elle!" He exclaimed. The man next to him bumped in the shoulder with the butt of a gun.

"Be quiet!"

"Hey! I am here you will not treat him like that!" She shouted at the guard. He raised an eyebrow at Richard.

"Miss Elle is here. Do not unnecessarily hurt the hostages." The guard gave Richard a nod. Elle went to her family.

"Are you alright?" Noah's mom asked.

"Where'd you go?" Noah's father asked.

"Where's Noah?" Elle's breath hitched. She turned to Lee. She knew Noah was outside. And she knew that he was very much alive. But she had to convince the Flynn's, that their beautiful son, was dead. She fake sniffed again.

"He's dead. He was shot." She whimpered. The shock, sadness, and pain on their faces was too much. She wanted so desperately to tell them that she was lying. That he was alive and well and about to come to their rescue. But she knew couldn't.

"Oh how unfortunate!" Richard said in mock sympathy. She glared up at him. She swallowed back to sea of insults that were writhing on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes, how unfortunate. Now why don't you tell me why I'm here?" She faked sniffed again, for emphasis.

"You haven't finished your sentence. You took Noah's place. He had two more years left of service, you only served a month. Why do you think I want you here?" Elle looked at him for a moment.

"I-I thought you wanted me dead?" She asked, trying to mask her curiosity with a grimace.

"Elle, although it'd be much easier to kill you, I'm a couple men short. Thanks to your dead boyfriend, you're wanted alive." Anger rose in Elle's throat.

"Don't talk about him like that!" She shouted. This wasn't fake, or following the "script". Richard pissed her off more than Noah could, and that was saying something. Richard smirked.

"You're right I shouldn't speak so ill of the recently deceased." He rolled his eyes.

"What will you do with them?" Elle said, gesturing to the Flynn's. Richard smiled.

"Well we can't very well leave them in peace, them knowing what they know." Elle's eyes widened.

"No! They don't know shit! Richard you can't!" He took off his sunglasses and place them in his blazer pocket. This was the first time Elle saw his eyes. There were burns all around the sockets and his eyes were pale blue.

"Elle, I'm going to be honest with you. They've seen some things in their days of being here. It's because of you they had to wait so long. If you hadn't of taken your sweet time getting here, maybe they could live." He drawled, lazily. Elle had had enough. It was time for the signal. She swept her leg at the guard next to her's ankles. Knocking him over. She quickly rolled over him and snatched his gun. Pointing it at the ceiling, she shot out the light. Richard's screamed and burst into action. She kicked Richard in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The shouts and screams of men continued as she saw Noah's moonlit silhouette swinging at them. She quickly switched on a lamp and shot three bullets into the ground.

"Hey hey hey!" She shouted. The men froze, seeing Elle's gun trained on Richards fear filled face. Once satisfied that Noah had her back covered she knelt done by Richard.

"Noah for a dead man, you're very active." Richard rasped.

"Heya Dick." Noah said from behind her. Elle rolled her eyes.

"Elle, you don't know what you're doing child. You're in way over your head." Richard grunted.

"Oh but thing is Richard, I'm holding the gun now." He let out a pained chuckle.

"And here I thought rape victims were afraid of being near dangerous men after their ordeal." Elle's eyes widened.

"How do you know about that!" She spat. She heard Noah backwoods step closer to her.

"Let's just say... I have many ways of punishing those who disobey me. And you're the most important thing to Noah, besides his family. So I'm of the thinking, something happens to you, he comes begging to me to help you." Elle's expression darkened as she rose her gun.

"Elle no!" She heard Lee shout. She whipped her head around.

"What?" She asks. Lee looked at her with a worried expression.

"You can't kill him!" Elle sighed.

"I know, I was just gonna hit him over the head with my gun." Elle smiled a humorless smile. Lee looked to Richard then back to Elle. He smiled wryly.

"Proceed." Elle smiled and smashed Richard's head with the butt of her gun. He cried out in pain and she could hear his men wince as he did.

"That's for taking Noah!" She hit him in the head again.

"That's for holding my family hostage!" She hit him again.

"And that's for me you sick bastard!" In a blink he suddenly head butted her. Elle heard Noah scream her name as darkness clouded her vision. She was out.

🙄❤️❤️