Getting Away With You

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^*Danielle’s POV*^
I waited hours for Jimmy and Matt to get back, and tell me that Brian was okay, but they never came. I just laid in bed, only really talking when the nurse would come in and take my vitals, ask me if I was experiencing any blackouts, or a decline in condition. I told her I was fine, just tired. It was nearly twelve. She left and not two seconds after she left, Matt and Jimmy came in, and if I wasn’t hooked up to an IV that would go off if pulled out of my hand, I would have jumped on both of them. But I stopped as I sat up, noticing they both looked sunburned and that Jimmy’s hand was wrapped in white gauze.

“Thank god we are out of there.” Jimmy breathed as he went over and sat down in a chair, slumping down, his face slightly scrunched up in pain.

“Where have you two been?” I asked as Matt sat down on the edge of my bed.

“Someone got into Brian’s room and replaced his IV fluids with Acetic acid, and once Jimmy was able to get someone up to the room, they made a chemical emergency call to poison control, and once they got there, the bag got too hot by sitting next to a light, and blew up. Everyone had to go into the emergency showers before the acid ate our skin.” Matt then turned and looked at me. “We’ve been in hell. That’s where we’ve been.”

“Is Brian okay?” I asked and Matt nodded.

“He’s surprisingly fine, just a few burns on his hand.” He said, and then I looked over at Jimmy, who had begun repeatedly hitting his head against the back of his chair.

“Jimmy, are you okay?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Not exactly.” Matt answered for him.

“Of course not, your boyfriend poured acid on my hand.” He said, his words slightly jumbled between hits, but not jumbled enough that I didn’t catch ‘boyfriend’.

“Jimmy-” I was cut off as Jimmy slowly stood up.

“You two love each other, you cling to each other, and he cried for ten minutes over you.” He paused. “Matt cried. Over you.” Jimmy pointed at me. “You two are boyfriend and girlfriend. No way around it.” He sighed and began walking to the door. “I’m going home to get a real shower.” He walked out of the room, leaving Matt and I alone.

“So…” Matt trailed off. “Is Jimmy right?” He asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice. I nodded, a smile creeping onto my face.

“I think so.” I said, and he smiled.

“Me too.” He leaned up to kiss me, but I stopped him.

“You smell like some decontaminant.” I said and he leaned away as I pointed over towards the bathroom.

“I need a shower, don’t I?” He asked and I nodded. “Why didn’t you tell Jimmy there was a shower right beside him?” Matt asked as he stood up and started walking towards the bathroom.

“Because Jimmy seemed miserable here.” I said and he nodded.

“He’s never liked hospitals…” He trailed off in a curious tone as he walked on into the bathroom and closed the door. I laid back down, failing in trying to hold back a yawn. I heard the water running in the bathroom, and closed my eyes, only meaning to close them for a second, but I was too tired to have the strength to open them back up, and before I knew it, I drifted off.

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^*Freak’s POV*^
“But I don’t want to kill her! She’s fucking innocent in all of this! Why does she have to die?! She’s not a bad person!” I screamed at Chase over the phone.

“Too, bad, you’re going back to that house, and you’re going to kill her! She’s not just my lesson to Matthew anymore, she’s a very intelligent liability, and she has to go!” Chase barked back. I didn’t want to go back there. I had barely escaped that house this afternoon; hell, I didn’t want to escape. I wanted to throw myself off of that roof for trying to do that. I’ve been pulled back into this tornado of a storm Chase has had me playing for too many years. I thought he was dead. Jimmy told me he was dead.

“No! I won’t! I’m fucking sick of you, Chase! I can’t take you anymore; I’m not going to kill Danielle. But I’ll gladly kill you. I swear that the next person that dies by my hands is going to be you. Mark my fucking words, Chase.” I growled, anger rising in me.

“You’ll still be on my side.” He said, a smirk in his voice.

“I never was on your side. I was forced to play with you, but I was never on your side. You’re a sick, narcissistic, animalistic, sorry excuse for a human being. I will never be on your side.” I said and he just chuckled. That chuckle that could make anyone feel like their words had no effect whatsoever on the person they were thrown at.

“You’ll always be on my side, Fred. Always. In this world, I’m your god. You do what I say, when I say it. I control you. I own you. I give you the privilege to speak. I give you the privilege to breathe. I give you a life. I give you a family. I give you everything in exchange for your soul, for you obedience, and for your undivided attention. You worship me, and I let your last surviving family member live.” He said, a slick tone in his voice. The voice of a conniving, sneaky, relentless bastard.

“You don’t know where she is.” I said, not wanting to believe he could take Rachael away from me too. My little sister was the only person I had left. I got her put in FBI custody for protection after I explained the dangerous situation I was in over a year ago. “She’s protected, you can’t get near her.” She was seven. She was just a kid.

“Oh really. She’s protected, you say. By who? By Harold?” Dear god, he knew him. He knew Harold. Harold was the man who was keeping Rachael. Harold was my current savior. Harold was literally holding my life. “Good thing I dialed him up. He’s at the warehouse now. I had to go out of town for some…business, but I still have full control over them.

“Fred, man, you there?” I heard Harold’s voice on the other end now, on a third line. At least Chase wasn’t there with him and Rachael. “I tried to tell him I couldn’t. I really did. But he’s got Jesse, and Corey down here, and…” Harold just trailed off. “I’m sorry, man. I have a wife, and two kids. I’m sorry.” He sounded genuinely sorry.

“Freddy! Freddy, where are you?!” I heard Rachael’s voice next, followed by Harold’s voice again, comforting her and telling her I was at work, and that everything was okay.

“NO!” I cried, already feeling tears at my eyes, and Chase just chuckled. “Chase, let her go! Please, let her go!” I screamed into the phone, backing up to the wall. I heard Rachael scream in the background.

“Lower her on in! He’s not going to-” I cut off Chase’s orders.

“NO! No! Don’t! I’ll do it! I’ll do it, just don’t hurt her! Please don’t hurt her!” I was crying now. I would do anything to save her. It was my number one priority.

“Wait!” Chase screamed, and the noises in the background stopped. “Damn…I really wanted to do that.” Chase sighed.

“If I do this, you have to let her go. I’ll-I’ll kill Danielle, but if you lay one hand on Rachael’s head-”

“If I lay another hand on her I won’t hurt her.” He said, and then his voice dropped. “I’ll kill her.” The line went, and I just stood there, backed up against the wall, in complete terror as I slowly slid down, letting the phone drop as I wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling them up to my chest. Another life was going to end because of the game Chase chooses to continue even though he’s already won. Though…he doesn’t care about winning, he just likes to see the weaker lose, and get crushed.

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^*Matt’s POV*^
By the time I had gotten out of the shower, Danielle was asleep. I walked over, and just as I was about to sit down in the chair, she showed a sign that she wasn’t asleep.

“No, bed.” She mumbled with a smile, as she cracked her eyes open slightly. I didn’t object, I got in bed next to her and she laid her head on my chest. “You smell better now.” She muttered and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well as long as you think so.” I said, and kissed the top of her head as she yawned. “Go back to sleep, it’s late.” I whispered, and she nodded, wrapping one arm around me.

“I love you.” She whispered, her voice growing quiet.

“I love you too.” I watched her as she slowly slipped back into her unconscious state, her breathing slowing down, and her arm loosening slightly. I couldn’t get the smile off of my face. She was too perfect. I don’t know what I did to get a girl like her. I really don’t. My whole life has been filled with destruction, murder, and complete chaos. So what, in that conundrum of hell did I do to deserve a girl like Danni? I’ve let everyone I’ve ever loved get killed off without a choice of life, and now, this one girl has turned my whole life around and given me a reason to live, and fight back against Chase for once. I feel like I have an option now. I have the option to live because I have Danielle. She’s all I need to stay alive.

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^*Lisa’s POV*^
The house buzzed with police officers and FBI agents, all chattering amongst themselves and a few saying words of encouragement and comfort as they walked past Gavin and I on the sofa. Danielle had been missing for so many days I could hardly keep track. I just wanted her back.

“It’s your fault.” Gavin muttered, and I looked over at him. He was leaned forward, looking down at the floor with a cold glare in his eyes that were reddened from crying.

“How is it my fault?” I asked and he scoffed and looked at me, that glare never leaving his eyes.

“You said, ‘C’mon, she’ll be fine here! We never get out of the house and do anything like this!’. Remember? So thanks to you, our daughter went off and met a guy, and then ran away with him.” He said, and I looked down, and he sighed. “I hope you’re happy.” He spat.

“It wasn’t just my fault. She ran away because of the both of us. We just keep on fighting, and screaming, and yelling at each other, and she couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t just my fault, Gavin, it was yours too.” I muttered. And he shook his head.

“You’re a fucking bitch.” He muttered and got up from the couch and walked out of the room.

“Um, Mrs. Taggen, we have a lead.” My head snapped up at Henry, the guy over the whole operation.

“What is it?” Gavin turned back and came over to him and I stood up.

“Did you find her?” I asked hopefully, hoping my daughter had been found alive and unharmed.

“Not exactly.” He said and I let my head fall slightly.

“Then what? What lead?” Gavin asked franticly.

“We may know who she’s with.” I looked back up at him.

“Who?” Gavin and I questioned at the same time.

“This man he’s…he’s very dangerous. He has warrants in twenty different states for so many crimes it’s truly a mystery on how he’s still on the loose. He works for a drug dealer who just got out of prison not too long ago.” He looked down at a folder and began flipping through pages. “This is him.” He said, and unclipped a picture from the folder and held it up to us, revealing who was in the picture. It was a man in his early twenties, wearing all black with aviators covering his eyes. He had on a bandana with a backwards cap on over it, and he had a dimple smile that was captivating, but also held something sinister. “He usually works close with these two men.” Henry unclipped two more pictures as Gavin took the one of the first guy out of his hands. “James Sullivan’s the one in the mug shot, but we have yet to identify the other. We think he may be related to the drug lord.” He held up the other two pictures. In his right hand was one of a man with short, spiked up black hair, and a curious look on his face. The other was a mug shot, but I didn’t exactly get a good look at the guy before Henry put the photos back into the folder.

“Who is this?” Gavin asked curiously as he handed Henry the picture of the first guy back.

“Matthew Sanders.”