Anna's POV.
“Yes!” That was the last word I said, before my door came crashing down. Three masked men burst into my house. They all held guns—glock 17 to be precise; light, too light it almost felt like you were holding air. Polymer frame, but the barrel and slide? Pure steel. Fifteen rounds of 9mm in the magazine—standard, reliable, efficient and favored by most gang members. Father made sure I recognized every gun from such a young age. I sprung to my feet clenching my fist. Who the hell were these dudes? I just had that door fixed a few days earlier. I parted my lips to speak but quickly shut it when I heard Aiden. “Pl—ease, take whatever you want. J—just don't hurt us. You can have my watch, and my ring—it costs a fortune.” No, not the diamond ring. Not the damn ring. “You're not giving petty thieves my engagement ring,” I gritted out. “It’s okay, honey. We'll get another one,” Aiden said, as he pulled my arm, trying to get me into a less opposing posture. “You're broke, you'll never get one this expensive.” “Oh, shut up,” someone slurred from outside the door. I felt goosebumps sprout erratically across my skin. That voice, that slur; I'd recognize it anywhere. That bastard, how'd he find me? I heard footsteps bounce off the floorboards as a fourth intruder approached—their leader. His lithe frame walked into my sitting room like he owned the whole damn building. An awry smile touched his lips, as gray eyes settled upon mine. Fuck, I always hated the way his curly black hair fell to his face—I still hated it. He stopped right in front of us and bent to a crouching position, not for a second wiping the smile off. “Please, I already told your men. They can have the ring…” “Oh, someone please shut him up.” One of the men stepped forward, ramming his bulky fist into Aiden's face. Aiden immediately fell unconscious. I sucked in my lower lip, biting on it. He just made me look bad in front of this psychopath. The man raised his fist again to strike Aiden and I shot him a glare. “Don't you dare!” He looked at his boss who nodded at him and he dropped his fist. “What do you want?” I spat. “What do you want with me? I've been away for five years, why now? What the hell do you want from me!?” “So many questions, little sister. For now, you're coming with me.” He rammed his fist into my face faster than I could react and knocked me out cold. A few hours later, I felt my consciousness begin to return, accompanied by a skull-splitting headache. I felt vibrations course through me, as my reasoning returned to me in bits and pieces. We were in a car; I was at home; my birthday; Aiden; Liam. That bastard! What was he doing back in my life? I had made it clear to them that I wanted no part of our family and the bloodshed they left in their wake. Why the fuck was he back in my life on the night of my engagement? Why the fuck was he back at all? The car ran into a gallop and I slammed my head into something hard. I finally opened my eyes and realized that I was blindfolded, my hands were tied too. That bastard! “What do you think is going to happen now?” I heard one of the men say. “With everything blown to shit? How the hell would I know?” another voice replied. “Fuck. We'll be lucky to get out of this one with our lives.” “Shh. I think she's awake.” I felt the car stop moving, then heard the creaking of metal as a gate was opened. The car resumed its motion and soon it pulled to a stop. I heard the door of another car slam shut, then Liam's voice, “bring her out.” Doors open, and large arms gingerly lifted me out of the car and swung me on his shoulder. Soon, I was dropped in a chair. “Can you at least take this damn blindfold off?” I spat. I waited for a while, expecting whoever it was to do my bidding, instead I heard the door snapped shut. I waited for a few minutes in the deafening silence, repulsed by the musty scent that clung to air. Breathe Anna, just breathe. Soon, I heard the door open again—then those annoying footsteps. The same one I heard a few hours ago, the same one that threatened to turn my ‘normal life' upside down. His scent wafted into my nose, and I scrunched my face up. “Take off the blindfold,” Liam said. Finally, someone loosened the blindfold. “At least, try to change your damn cologne. It'll give you away at a crime scene,” I snapped. “Your mouth is still as sharp as ever. Five years and you haven't changed, little sister.” His smile returned, revealing perfectly white teeth. I cringed visibly. “Five years and your hair still dangles from your forehead like a man on a rope.” He smiled again, and gestured to a man to bring a chair. He sat, while I observed the building. It wasn't where I expected. I had expected to see Father. I had expected Liam to take me back home to Father, but where we were didn't look like home. It was probably one of our safe houses scattered across the country. If Liam hadn't taken me home, and I still hadn't seen Father, then it only meant one thing. Father knew nothing about this, and Liam was acting on his own. What trouble was he in now? What could possibly be bad enough for him to think ruining my life was a worthy price? “Father doesn't know about this does he?” He scoffed. “Smart, as usual.” “You’re in trouble again, isn't it?” “Nope.” He licked his lips, then waved his finger between both of us. “We are in trouble.” “Shit, what the fuck did you do this time?” “Nothing.” “You lying piece of shit.” “Anna, Father was murdered.”Anna's POV.“Anna, father was murdered…”My breath hitched and my heart felt like lead. I couldn't explain the throbbing pain that took hold of my heart, even though I hadn't seen that man or heard from him in 5 years; it still hurt—inexplicably. But with all the blood he had spilled and the toes he had stepped on, maybe he had it coming. I was hurt, but surprised? I wasn't.I watched Liam's face fall. I had only just realized how terrible he looked. He had bags underneath his eyes and had even grown leaner than I remembered. I knew father's death was taking a toll on him, even though he tried to hide it. He had to look strong, and emotionless like father always taught us, or perhaps I was just seeing what he wanted me to see. Father had also taught us: when we're up against a weaker enemy or an enemy just as powerful as we were, we needed to act strong; but if it was a stronger enemy, we needed to act weak, so we could strike when they least expect.“It was bound to happen, sooner or
Anna's POV“That's Gabriel Martinez, your fiance.”I burst out laughing uncontrollably, my shoulders vibrating violently. Liam however kept a straight face. My laugh was snuffed out like a candle on a windy night.“That wasn't a joke?” I asked.Liam tucked his hand into his pocket and brought out my engagement ring—Aiden. What did they do to him?“No, sister. I wasn't joking.” Liam lifted up the ring and pinned his gaze on it. “Pretty ring. But what were you thinking, sister? That you'd get away from all this? You can't run from the McClain name.”“That name is a curse.”Liam scoffed, threw the ring in the air and caught it, tucking it back in his pocket. I eyed his every movement. He leaned back in his chair. That was his subtle way of threatening me—of telling Aiden isn't safe if I refuse his proposal. “Hate it if you must, but that's our father's legacy and you will respect it,” he said firmly with every trace of warmth seeping out of his eyes.“I want no part of a legacy born fro
Anna's POV.A couple of days passed, and we moved into another safe house. We couldn't stay in any place for too long; and we needed a proper place to prepare to meet the Martinez's. We were meeting today and I needed to score a good impression. I picked the necklace Liam got me and wore it. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. I looked different, dresser in an exquisite black gown, a perfect contrast to my usual manly dressing. But who could blame me? My father raised me to be a man.I heard a quick knock on the door and Liam walked in. He was clad in a suit and looked just as tense as I did, yet he flashed a smile as he walked towards me.“Ready to go?” he asked, placing his hands on my shoulder. I cringed under his touch, shrugged his hands off and stood up.“Yes.”We exited the mansion and embarked on a long drive to the Martinez's.“Are you tense?”I turned to look at Liam. “No. I should be the one worried about you. You can't seem to tell a lie without your hand
Anna's POV“Aiden, what the fuck are you doing here!?”The words rang in my mind, but never left my lips. Control, I told myself, Control. He froze in his steps as he laid eyes on me, but resumed his pace almost immediately—so fast you wouldn't notice the pause. Everything about him was different, his hair was different; not the tousled hair I was used to. The look in his eyes, his aura—every damn thing was totally unrecognizable. Could it be a Doppler? A Doppler wouldn’t freeze because of my presence. He knew me and I thought I knew him.My heart raced, thumping blood through my body with anger. Anger from the betrayal, from the lies. Was his name even Aiden? Or was everything a lie? Liam seemed to catch on, he had seen Aiden once. He immediately tensed up, with an expression that was pleading to me to remain calm. Calm was the last thing I felt. I wanted rage, to scream and burn this whole mansion down with my fury. But was it worth it? Maybe Liam was right—family was all I had.L
Anna's POV.Wake up stupid, Wake up stupid!I groaned, raising a heavy hand, as I searched blindly for my phone. My eyes were still tightly shut, as my hands rummaged through the confines of my bedside table. Finally, my fingertips felt cold metal and grabbed it. I held the phone in front of my face, and finally opened my eyes. 6am.I groaned again, slamming my head into the pillow. I could have sworn that I had slept only thirty minutes earlier. There was no greater evidence of the love-hate relationship between Sunday nights and Monday mornings. I turned off the annoying alarm, and swung my legs off the bed. I released a deep breath and summoned enough energy to get off the bed. I looked at the sticky note on my wall and read it out loud: You have to keep working hard until you marry a billionaire.My phone chimed, and I was reminded that I was never going to marry a billionaire, but I didn't care. I picked up the phone and read the text from Aiden Smith, my boyfriend.Wakey, wakey,