Bound to the Enemy

Elena Hart The first gunshot breaks the silence of the cool evening. I freeze. Another bang follows with the sound of glass shattering. My heart slams against my rib cage. “Richard?” I run out of the bedroom. “Ariana?” No answer. The mansion has erupted into chaos. Security alarms blast through the halls, footsteps move across the marble floors, and loud voices echo through the mansion. Another gunshot rings out. I run towards the staircase. “Richard!” I make it halfway to the stairs when I see the reason for the chaos. My husband is in the living room, backed into a corner, surrounded by men. At the center of them stands Marcus. My blood runs cold. Marcus Reed. Margaret's older brother. I haven’t seen him since the funeral. The day I was dreading has finally come. Marcus looks at him with deep hatred. He is holding a gun. “You knew I was going to come for you eventually.” “Not like this” “How did you expect me to come!” He presses the gun to his head. “Richard!” I call out, sprinting down the stairs. “Elena, please stay upstairs.” “You took my sister from me!” “It was an accident” “Don't you f*****g say it was an accident. She died because of you.” I am now in the living room with them; two of his men hold me back. “Marcus, what are you doing?” I ask him softly, tears rolling down my cheeks. He turns to me, and for a minute it looks like he'll back down, but his face hardens again. “Your husband destroyed my family!” “You lost Margaret; I also lost her.” His gaze returns to Richard, and he tightens his grip on the gun. “Marcus, listen to me," Richard says, stepping forward gently. “Five months!” Marcus laughs maniacally. “Five months and I had to wake up every morning knowing my sister died on her way to see you.” Richard looks away, guilt all over his face. My stomach twists, and I feel like throwing up. After Margaret's death, I'd been planning to leave him, but I'd not had the courage to, even if I despised him. “You can't even look me in the eyes.” ”Marcus—” “It's too late for whatever you want to say.” “It wasn't supposed to happen like this.” “f**k you!” Marcus lifts his gun. “Marcus, no!” The gunshot explodes through the room. Richard jerks backward. Blood spreads across his shirt. I push the men holding me and run to him. He collapses before I get to him. I fall on my knees. “Nooooo!” “Richard” “Richard, stay with me.” I tap his cheek. His eyes flutter and then close. “Somebody help him!” I scream to the men, but they don't move. I look at Marcus. He looks down at Richard with satisfaction. “You!” I charge at him, but his men catch me before I reach him. Then his gaze shifts to the staircase. Ariana is at the top of the stairs, looking pale. She just witnessed her father dying. My heart drops. An evil smile forms on Marcus's face. Oh no. “Please don't hurt her” I scramble to my knees towards Marcus. “Ariana, run!” She turns around and starts running. “Take her”, Marcus orders. I run towards her, but his men are faster. They grab her, and she starts screaming and kicking. “Let her go, Marcus! Take me instead.” I kneel in front of Marcus again, pulling his shirt. He shoves me to the side. “Now you'll know how it feels to lose someone you love.” “Ariana is innocent; don't punish her for Richard's sins.” I reach for Ariana's hands as they pull her to the entrance of the house. “Mom!” I crawl after her. “I'll get you back, I promise.” The men pull her outside, and Marcus shuts the door. I sit on the floor; my breathing is ragged. I can't believe what just happened. My husband is dead. My daughter is gone. Margaret is gone, but she destroyed my family too. I'm also a victim. I stumble towards the table. My hand shakes violently as I grab the phone. There's only one person I can call. One person as powerful as Marcus Reed. One person who might still care about Ariana despite everything. Eli Coleman. Margaret's son. I hadn't spoken to him in months after what happened. He clearly stated how much he hates our family and doesn't want to have anything to do with us. I press call. The phone rings. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he answers on the fourth ring. “What do you want?” His voice is cold. “Eli, please” “Mrs Hart” The formality breaks my heart. “Mrs Hart, I'm busy; don't call me again.” “Eli — please, you have to help me.” I sniff and stifle a sob. "What happened?" "My husband..." My voice cracks. "Richard is dead." Silence. I hear Eli breathe. Then his voice becomes colder. "What?" "Marcus came here." I swallowed. "He killed Richard." Nothing. "He took Ariana." "What did you say?" "He took Ariana." My tears are falling freely now. "Please, Eli. Please.” I hear him moving. "I know you hate us. I know you have every reason to hate Richard. But Ariana—she had nothing to do with what happened." There is a long pause. "How long ago?" "About ten minutes." "Did Marcus hurt her?" "I don't know." My voice breaks. "He just took her. Please, Eli. She's terrified." Nothing. "Eli?" I wait. Then I hear a low growl. "I'll handle it.”