Four or Dead by G O A

Four or Dead

Emma

I wake up with a groan as I try to come back to my body from the darkness of forced sleep. What happened? My head is pounding and my mouth is dry but I try to lick my lips anyway

"Emma?" A deep male voice sends my heart into a panicked gallop

making my eyes fly open

I glance around and sit up quickly, shuffling back against the headboard of the bed while at the same time trying to remember where I am

When my eyes rest on Zane sitting on the bed not far from me my

memories come rushing back

"What happened?" I ask, my voice sounding a little horse

"A little precaution of bringing you here is planting a small device to help keep track of you." Did he just say he implanted a tracking device in me? 4)

I let out a breath running my fingers through my hair while I let the fog in my head clear a little. My body feels sore, so I try to adjust myself to sit more comfortably and that's when I feel a shot of pain in my hip. I wince and throw my hand up to cover the area that is throbbing only to make it hurt more. [)

"Careful, you don't want to break open your stitches do you?” Zane says

offering me a unreadable glance

"Zane, I don't understand? What is this?" I ask lifting my shirt to find a white bandage taped to my hip

"Well, my dear. I wanted to be sure that if anything happened to you or if someone had the very bad idea of taking you from me that I could find you anywhere." He says standing and fixing his suit. "Now I have to go. I have a meeting in half an hour." \°)

He turns and strides toward the door with a walk like he is the master of the whole world, which I guess in this town he is. \'

I throw back the covers and try to rush after him. He doesn't even seem to notice me stumbling behind him until he is standing in front of the suite door

He turns to me and offers me a smile. "There's a party tonight in honor of a recent deal I closed, and I want to take you as my date. It will be

good for my friends to meet my fiancé. Don't you think?"

My heart is racing and not in a good way. His fiancé? I mean I know that technically that is true, but it sounds wrong when he says it. There is no way I would ever marry this guy, and on the first day, I have to pretend in front of a room full of people that I was happy about this?

At this moment I wished I had spent more time preparing for this because it was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever do to stand in a room full of people on the arm of the man who bought me

"I'll have one of my people bring you something appropriate to wear. So get dolled up darling, it's going to be fun." He says winking at me and pulling the door open

When the door opens I take a quick glance and see two men standing beside the door and a few men stationed further down the hall as well. I needed to know what I was dealing with if I planned on escaping at some point. \*)

Zane steps out of the room but turns again to say, "My men will be standing guard at all times to keep you safe Emma, and this door can only be opened by me or my men. You are completely safe. See you tonight." ")

Before I can fully under his words the door closes and I hear the chiming sound of it locking. Realization hits me and I rush toward the door, pulling on the handle in a panic. \*

"Zane wait! Please isn't lock me in here!" I cry out as I slap my hand against the door. .*)

I was so stupid to think I was ready for this. How could I be when something as small as being locked inside a room was enough to send me into a spiral of fear and panic. A sob escapes me that sounds weak and broken, but as the memories of my small closet room come flashing through my mind I can't help myself. \*)

I turn and slide down the door until my body is slumped against it. Hot tears are falling from my eyes and I pull my legs closer to me and bury

my head in my arms

It's too soon. I'm not ready for this. Maybe I never would have been. All this time I thought I was healing when what I was really doing was pushing my past away and trying to bury it far away. I haven't been pretending that I am better but I'm not. Far from it

I don't know how long I cry for but when I finally calm myself I pull myself up and scan the room for my backpack. Jayden ad. Leo had encrypted a old phone for me, and right now I needed to hear my guy's voices. II)

At first glance, I don't see my stuff anywhere, so I stumble around the unfamiliar room and search for it once again. I finally find it resting against one of the sofas. It looks intact, but I carry to the bedroom I had left and start to do a quick inventory of my stuff, and as far as I can see nothing is gone

When I'm satisfied that nothing was taken I feel along the hem on the inside for the invisible pocket sewn inside my bag. I had bought a backpack that has a thick back so that a small phone could be hidden inside. My finger pushed through the Velcro hold and I reached for my secret phone. It's old, and hard to trace so it was perfect to use to contact the boys

I hold it tight in my hand and walk into my attached bathroom

Hopefully from here none of my guards would be able to hear me. Once the bathroom door is closed and locked I turn on the bath to add some

extra noise. It's not ideal to go through all this but there was no other

choice. Obviously, I couldn't hope to be able to contact the boys regularly but today I needed them

There is only one name in the contacts

A

A for my Angels

I press the small phone icon and put the phone to my ear. Even the sound of the ringing sounds different from newer phones which has me

wondering just how old this thing is

"Talk." I laugh at Logan's attempt at not giving himself away

"Hey!" I say a little too weakly

"Emma! Oh man baby you had us worried. Are you okay?" I smile

"Yeah, I'm fine. Locked in an fancy suite but fine." I admit but I try to

keep my sadness hidden

It's only been a couple of houses and I hate to admit I'm missing the guys like crazy. They have become my home and my crutch, and now

I'm completely on my own. \°)

"He locked you inside your room?" Logan asks wiht a hint of anger in his words. \*

"Yeah, there are two men guarding my room and at least six in the

hallway leading to the elevator. This place is crazy big, and the floor I'm on has a hidden button to get to it." I explain

It isn't much for them to go on when the time comes for me to get out

of here, but hopefully, that will change the longer I'm here

"Did you see where he took you?" He asks

"It's some kind of hotel, but I didn't see the name of it or the street name. I have never really spent much time downtown so it's hard for me to recognize anything. He's taking me to a party tonight though, I can try to get a better look at thing: when we leave." I assure him

"That's okay, whatever you can give us is something to work with. Do you have a plan for the party?" He asks

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"Since it's so early on I don't think he will be comfortable enough to speak openly about anything yet, but maybe one of his friends will

They may think I am already included in everything and slip up. I'll feel things out when I get there." Talking to Logan now has calmed my nerves a little and I finally feel like my head is clear again..*)

"Great. Wait hang on Leo wants to talk to you." Logan says and i hear some hushed voices before Leo answers

"Em?" God I love his warm voice

"Hey. I miss you." I admit to him

"I miss you too. I am going crazy worrying about you. The others too

We had to drag Jayden out to calm him down." He lets out a low chuckle

"Is he okay?" I ask feeling worried for my broody boy

"Yeah, nothing a little mayhem couldn't fix." I had to laugh now too

"T hope you boys don't get into too. Much trouble while I'm gone. I just whipped you boys into shape." I tease. \*)

He laughs too, and the sound makes tingles run down my arms. I don't hear Leo laugh often so when I do it does something to me

"I cant promise you that we won't get into trouble, but I promise not to shed too much blood." I should be shocked by his words, but in a way I'm relieved

He wasn't pretending anymore or holding things back from me. He was being honest about what they are doing, and that's what I have wanted all along

"Do what you have to, i trust you guys. You know that." I remind him

"I know. We all know, and we are going to try and be more open with you. So tell me how much you miss me?" He says teasingly and I laugh a real laugh this time

Leo has changed a lot since the summer we were friends, and even

though there is a new darkness inside him there is still some of that Leo I used to know. I don't care what he is now or what any of the other boys are, I'm just glad they're mine