Paul's POV

I peek out the curtains as I watch the guards outside. "Let's move." I mumble as I walk to the door quickly. Latoya gently grabs my arm gripping the arm of my jacket as she stares at me. 

"Paul, I'm scared." she softly her voice trembling softly. I stare at her as she looks down, before I gently put my hand over hers. 

"Do you trust me?" I ask softly as she looks up at me slowly, with just her eyes as she nods slowly. 

"I promise you--I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I stare in her eyes. "I know your trust in people right now have been fucked up, but I need you to put your trust in me." I murmur staring at her. "I'm not walking out that door without you."

She begins to smile slowly as I look down chuckling. 

"And uhm--I just wanted to thank you. For everything--like keeping me sane...I probably would have snapped without you." I smile as she gently squeezes my arm. 

"No...thank you." she whispers. "For being a good friend." 

I grin slowly before gently grabbing her hand. "Now let's get outta here.' I smile as we make our way out the bedroom door. 

The hallway was eerily quiet and completely dark as we quietly make our way down them, pressing our bodies against the walls. I've seen darkness before, the kind that makes our street like an old fashioned photograph, everything a shade of grey. This isn't like that. This is the darkness that robs you of your best sense and replaces it with a paralyzing fear. 

The fear of never being out of Jack's command. 

The fear of Latoya always being under Jack's deranged control.

And my biggest fear....

Never seeing Tatiana again. 

The thought of that made my heart pound even harder and louder than before.

We slowly walk down the steps as Latoya follows close behind me, careful not to make noise. Moving makes noise, it's bad enough I still have to breath. I gently grab Latoya's hand as she gently squeezes my hand, my body relaxing as we reach the bottom of the steps.

"Hey Holmes!" someone calls out from down the hall. LayToya and I immediately look at each other as I quickly pull her into the kitchen as we hide behind the kitchen counter in the dark as we hear voices right outside the door. 

"Man, what are you doing? You're supposed to be outside guarding the joint." 

"I'm hungry, Al. Anyway ain't no action happening anyway."

"Oh yeah? So what if Blondie and the dame decide to make a run for it? Huh?"

"You really think pretty boy, and that bim would make a break for it? In this place?!" he asks. "HA! They wouldn't have the guts."

I chuckle lowly under my breath at the irony. I look over my shoulder at Latoya  "Come on..." I  whisper lowly as I scoot across the floor with my feet, with Toya behind. We make our way to the glass slide doors that lead to the outdoor patio. I slowly reach up moving the latch as I slide it back before we quickly make our way out, as silently as possible. 

We run across the grounds, the only light of the moon softly glowing. I feel the wet grass soak the ankles of my pants as we quickly hide in the large bushes, breathing heavily. I look at my watch as we watch the guards. 

"How many are there tonight?" Latoya whispers. 

"Five..." I mutter. "They'll be switching in--" I look down at my watch. "Less than two minutes." 

She lets out a shaky breath as I look over my shoulder, smiling gently. "Don't worry. Just stick to the plan."

At that moment the guards move away from the car that stays close to the gate. All we had to do was get in that car, and break the hell out. The easy part was they always kept the keys in the ignition so they could rush to their "jobs" for Jack. 

"Alright boys. Time to switch off." I hear someone yawn out.

"Where the hell is Al?" someone asks.

"Where else? Stuffing his damn face as usual." they say as I watch them walk away. A streak of hot silver splits the sky followed by a the muffled sounds of thunder, and rain begins to drizzle.

"Come on." I grab her hand as run towards the black Chevy camaro.  "Get in the car." I tell her as I  squint my eyes through the rain,rush to the gate trying to push it open.   

 "Paul, hurry before they come out!" Latoya whisper yells as she clutches the jacket around her, as the rain comes down harder. 

"Hey!" 

I turn around coming face to face with a hard punch to the jaw as I stumble back, my vision going instantly blurred a sharp pain shooting through my face.

"PAUL!" I hear LaToya scream out as I shake my head quickly trying to focus. Realizing Al was charging towards me. I feel my adrenaline build up as I throw my arm back throwing a hard punch knocking him out cold, which I'm sure bruised my hand.

I look up seeing three more men run towards me as I look up at Latoya in panic. One immediately grabs her in such a rough manner, she yelps out. 

I can't tell you exactly what happened in that moment except I blacked out. I find myself fighting all three throwing punches and getting quite a few back. I was able to knock one out and was fighting another one with everything in me.

My head throbbed as I took punch after punch before knocking him into the hood of the car, throwing them each in his face, before letting him collapse at my feet. 

"Paul!" 

I look up seeing LaToya being dragged away by one as I glance at the ground seeing a gun. I grab it quickly as I aim it at him. 

"Let her go, and I'll make sure your guts aren't out on this fucking sidewalk." I shout angrily. He stares at me before slowly letting Latoya go, as she runs into my arms. I keep my arm around her tightly before  keeping my gun aimed as him as I walk backwards towards the car. 

"Ohh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." a voice says a few feet from behind me. 

I swallow hard as I turn around seeing Jack surrounded by men in suits. All of them were circled around us their guns aimed at me and LaToya. 

I stare in Jack's eyes coldly as they stare back in mine amused, which pissed me off even more. "Now what's going on here?" Jack asks his hands behind his back as he walks closer towards us.

I hold Latoya tighter as she shakes harder, trying to contain her sobs. 

"Now, now son...if you know what's good for you--you'll put down the gun. We don't want you to be full of bullets do we?" 

I look around slowly trying to find some sort of way to escape, as my heart sinks. I swallow hard as I slowly lower the gun in defeat lowering my head. He smirks as he walks up to me taking the gun from me, our eyes still boring into each others. 

"Take them inside." he says calmly. As someone comes up grabbing Latoya. 

"No!" Latoya yells as I feel my heart race. 

"Jack! It wasn't her idea. I took her it was all mine. Let go of her!" I yell rushing towards her as two men grab me roughly.

They drag us roughly into the house taking us into a plain room without much furniture of any sort. 

They push me against the wall hard, as they all walk in. Jack stands in the middle of the room staring me down as LaToya stands next to him as his security hold her by her arm tightly as she weeps.

"I assume you think you're brave for the stunt you pulled today." Jack chuckles as he paces back and forth like a lion in a cage.

I stare at him staying completely silent. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction on me being intimidated.

He raises the gun to my head as I stare straight ahead calmly. 

He chuckles as he stares at me. "I know you're not trying to show it." he sneers. "I see the fear in your eyes." he glares in mine as I stare back at him angrily. 

"And it isn't the fear for yourself, is it? It must be the fear over...uh what's her name?" he snaps his fingers pretending to think as he smiles wickedly. "Tatiana...right?" he chuckles as I feel my jaw clench.

"What is it Paul? Is it the fear of losing her to Michael? Or not living to have the chance to see her one more time?" he asks.

I tried to keep my cool before attempting to charge at him, only to be slammed and held down by two of his men against the wall.

"I see I struck a nerve." He chuckles. "But you know son? I think....you're gaining feelings for someone else. Something that belongs to me." he chuckles as he points the gun at Latoya.

"I swear on everything. If you fucking touch her." I yell angrily as I continue to fight under their grasp as it only becomes tighter.

"What are you gonna do, Paul baby?" he asks curiously. "You're outnumbered kid. There is nothing left for you. There's nothing you can do." 

"Fuck you!" I yell angrily, before Jack swipes me hard in the face with the gun before I fall to the ground in pain. I feel blood trickle from my forehead as I close my eyes painfully. 

"Jack! Please! Stop it!" I hear before being pulled roughly to my feet. 

"Take him in the room." he mutters harshly, they begin to drag me out the room--not before Jack backhands Latoya hard causing her to fall to the floor. 

"NO!" I shout as I try to fight against them as they pull me out the room. I here Jack yelling at Latoya as I continue to fight the two off unsuccessfully.

They take me in the basement throwing me roughly down the steps. I fall on my back my jaw clenches in pain. They come down the steps smirking as I grit my teeth, my eyes shut in pure pain.  

"You don't look so tough now do you?" one laughs out. They pick me up chaining me to the wall before walking back up the steps, leaving me in the darkness. 

I close my eyes painfully as Tatiana's face flashes in my mind. Making my heart ache even more. I needed her--now I'll never see her again. I'll never be able to see her smile, I'll never be able to tell her how much she means to me--

I jump when I hear a piercing scream. I instantly try to break myself out of the chains before screaming out in frustration as my body goes limp in defeat. 

"I'm so sorry, LaToya...I'm so sorry..." I whisper as I break down. 

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See you guys should be so proud of me for doing good at updating faster. <3 

I decided to make this chapter kind of surround Paul this time. I hope you all don't mind. And I'm sorry for crowding this with gifs...I love adding visuals ya know?

It kinda hit me today on how many chapters are going to be left (that I'm planning) before this ends. I won't lie...it made me lowkey cry. I've grown so close to the characters in this story--like I feel like they are my best friends in a weird way. And I've been working on this book for like--5 years?

Oops. 

But anyway this journey has been so amazing because of all of you. I didn't expect so many people to love it. I only wrote it because I daydream so much and wanted an escape. I had no intention for it to grow and be loved so much even by people who belong in different fandoms. 

I'm trying my best to drag this book out cause I'm not reeeeaddy. 

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xoxo, 

moonwalkergal