Glass

Jane didn't protest when Matt told her he was taking her to Brian's. I watched as Matt walked her up the driveway towards Brian's front door. I remained in the front seat, my legs pulled to my chest as tears continued to run down my cheeks. Matt didn't mind that my shoes were on his leather seats.

I could see Matt heatedly speaking to Brian. Judging by the angry look on Brian's face, I knew Matt was explaining what had just happened with Zack. During their heated discussion, Michelle welcomed Jane with open arms. That didn't surprise me at all. Michelle would move all the homeless people in Huntington into her house if Brian had let her.

I saw Brian nod before heading back inside, shutting the door behind him as Matt walked back to the car. He slid into the front seat, turning up his Metallica CD to drown out my sobs as we drove away. I watched the road pass as we drove an unfamiliar route I'd never taken to Matt's house.

It wasn't long until we pulled up to an unfamiliar house. I didn't recognize the neighborhood or the area, but it was nice from what I could tell, "Where are we?" I asked softly.

"My house," He answered.

"You moved?" I questioned as he opened his door.

"Val was worried about the whole Craig thing. She became really paranoid and thought he knew where we lived. So we moved," He explained quickly.

I sighed and followed him out towards the front door where he let me in. He carried all my bags in one hand as he led me up the stairs, opening a door in the hallway to a large guest bedroom, "Is Val here?" I asked.

He shook his head, "She's with her parents. We're on our own for dinner," He informed me and I nodded, "I was thinking of just ordering pizza, honestly. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You know you're welcome to anything here, right?" He asked and I nodded, "Well, do you need anything?"

"Unless you want to get me a plane ticket back to Vegas, then no," I muttered and he turned to me.

His hazel eyes burned into mine as he stood in the doorway, his lips set into a firm line, "If you want to go back, then tell me right now," He stated, "If you truly want to go back and make a life with Craig, and not try to work this out with us... I will take you to the airport."

"W-What?" I asked.

"If you can honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you're happy with Craig, I will take you back to him," He repeated, "Violet?"

"No," I whispered, "Yes? I don't know!" I exclaimed as I began to sob.

A part of me missed Craig. Who's side would I stand by now? I had a job. A duty. I was the new face of the Stevenson name. I was supposed to be a wife. I was supposed to be obedient. That was the deal. I listen, and I'm happy.

"I don't know what to do anymore!" I sobbed as Matt took a cautious step towards me, "Who am I supposed to be!? Am I supposed to stand by Craig or Zack!? I don't know who to be loyal to anymore!"

Matt wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed, pulling me close, "Jesus Christ, Vi," He whispered, "What the hell did he do to you?"

"What am I supposed to do?" I cried.

"You don't owe your loyalty to anyone, Violet," He looked down at me, "You should be loyal to yourself."

"I don't even know who I am," I whispered and he nodded.

"Then we'll figure it out. I promise, Vi. We'll figure it out."

I pushed him away, "And what until then? Just sit here and hope Craig doesn't find us!?"

He sighed, "I'm not going to be Zack and beat around the bush, okay? I'm scared, Violet," He confessed, "I'm scared he's going to burst through my door any minute. I can't promise you I'll keep you safe like Zack did, but I promise I can try. We're all going to try, Violet."

"And how are we going to try?" I asked, "Where do we even start?"

"We keep you under the radar. Craig doesn't know where we are now, and the longer we keep it that way the better."

"Time," I scoffed, "You're asking for time that we don't have, Matt. If I'm not there for that wedding in two months, Craig will take drastic measures. He's not going to hurt me, Matt, he's going to hurt you guys."

I could see the debate in his eyes. He was wondering what he could do, "I have a last resort," He said softly, "I mean truly last resort. Like, if Craig is at our door and there is no way out..."

"What is it?" I questioned.

"If I can't keep you safe... If we can't keep you safe, I promise I will at least get you out, Violet. I swear on my life."

"How do you plan on doing that?" I rolled my eyes.

"I'll take you to the airport," He shrugged, "No one else will know. I'll buy you a plane ticket to wherever you want to go. I won't even tell Val," He promised, "And you'll get on that plane. And you have to promise that you'll start a new life somewhere. Paris... Italy. I don't care where, as long as you're safe. Craig won't find you and it's not like he can do anything to us if you're not here. You'll just have to..." He sighed, "Leave us behind."

"No one will know?" I asked.

He shook his head, "It'll be our secret. I'll take it to my grave."

I thought about it. It was foolproof, really. Matt was strong. He wouldn't tell anyone where I was going. We would be the only people in the world who knew about my whereabouts. They would move on and I would have to start a new life.

"Okay," I nodded, "If you come to realize that you can't protect me or the rest of this family, then you have to promise me you won't tell a soul where I'm going."

"I promise, Violet," He stated firmly.

Something in his eyes told me he was telling the truth.
-

Ten people ran around the room at once, all moving in different directions. Some were on the phone, others were flipping through papers from local cities and states.

"What's the latest?" Craig asked, his eyes locked on Jason, the head of his security team.

"We have four guys watching the Baker house extensively. There's been no activity at all," He explained.

"And what about the others? His friends?" He questioned, leaning forward in his chair so his elbows were resting on his desk.

"The Sanders residence is now occupied by another family. We haven't been able to locate them. The Haners live in the same house, but all has been normal. We haven't been keeping surveillance. No sudden visits or disappearances. Nothing out of the ordinary. The same goes for the other two."

"So you're telling me that we have my fiancee missing, her assistant, and our top suspect is somehow completely normal like nothing is wrong?" Craig questioned.

Jason sighed and nodded, "We've started to look into other options. I have people checking with the airport to see if she's been recognized on the security cameras. So far we've found nothing."

"So she just happened to disappear!?" Craig yelled suddenly and stood up from his desk, "We don't need to look into other options. Zack Baker is definitely behind this. I want him found and I want Violet back here within the next seventy-two hours. Do you hear me!?"

"Yes, Sir," Jason nodded before running off.

Craig breathed heavily, remembering the anger he felt when he returned home after a day at the club, only to see that Violet was no where in sight. His initial reaction was that she had decided to go shopping. After impatiently waiting for an hour, he realized that Violet wasn't returning any time soon. He had only discovered that there was a breach in security and shortly after Violet disappeared.

"Well, you sure know how to pick them," A voice laced around him.

"Not now, Samantha," He growled.

"Well," She rolled her eyes and sat down on his desk. He sighed and placed a hand on her bare thigh, his fingers barely grazing the hem of her dress, "What I don't understand is why you move on to someone else."

"Why would I do that? She'll be back within the next three days," Craig reminded her.

She scoffed, "Please. You forget that Violet isn't as dumb as you think. She escaped once and succeeded. She knows you know everything about her. Why would she go back to where you found her before?"

"Her little friends aren't that smart. They'll mess up eventually," He replied.

"Yeah," She laughed, "They're musicians not convicts. I think you know deep down that it's much different this time around."

"Do you actually serve a purpose here?" He turned to her suddenly, "Or have you come to annoy me?"

"I've come to talk some sense into you," Samantha slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, "What's so special about her anyways?" She asked.

He smiled, reaching up to place a hand on her cheek as she bit her lip seductively, "She's something I could never have. That's why I want her more than anything."