Choosing Us (Pierced Hearts Duet #1)(26)

She still looked so scared.

I desperately tried to stay strong for her, ignoring the rambling and thrashing coming from the living room through the thin ass walls.

Her arms wrapped around my neck so tightly, and for the first time in a long time, it felt like she wanted to give up. Bailey wasn’t as strong as I was, and it made everything that much harder on me. I had to be her rock in order for us to survive the outcome.

“Why don’t they want us, Aiden? Why doesn’t anyone ever want us?”

“I want you, Bailey. I want you.”

“You promi—”

BANG, BANG, BANG!

“Police! Open up!”

All the blood drained from my face, and my heart leapt up into my throat. There was no hiding it, not in a moment like this.

“Aiden, what’s going on?”

The front door crashed open, rattling the whole damn house. Boxes fell from the shelves above us, and heavy footsteps were heard clear as day.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Mr. Byron lied through his teeth. It was exactly what it looked like.

Someone must have called the cops.

“Bailey, run!” I ordered, my voice rumbling in my head.

“What? Why—”

I threw open the closet doors just as all hell broke loose.

“Oh fuck,” I heard one of the men, wearing an officer uniform, breathe out.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw us hiding in the closet.

“They’re in here! Two of them are in here!” he shouted.

“Bailey! Go! RUN!” I charged the officer, wanting her to get a head start.

She didn’t move an inch, her feet glued to the floor beneath her. Watching the scene unfold in front of her fear-stricken eyes, witnessing yet another one of our worst nightmares.

“AIDEN!” she screamed bloody murder as the officer held me back.

My stomach dropped.

My heart stopped.

Waiting for the man I knew would appear.

“Where’s Misty?! I want Misty!” I demanded, trying to fight him off.

I caught sight of the black SUV through the front window. I fucking hated that car. Except, this time it wasn’t just one.

There were two.

Which only meant one thing.

“NO!” I roared with every last piece of myself. “You can’t take her away from me!”

I immediately thrashed my body back and forth and all around. Faster and faster. Feeling like I was about to snap.

“It’s alright, we’re here to help. We’re here to help you!” the officer holding me captive voiced, but it didn’t mean a damn thing.

I opened my eyes, taking a deep breath. My chest caving in on me. The expression on Bailey’s face was one I would never forget. My eyes slowly moved toward the front door, seeing not one but two large men enter the room along with two caseworkers I’d never seen, following close behind.

It was only then that Bailey and I locked eyes, and she knew exactly what was about to go down.

“NO!” Her scream mirrored my yell from seconds ago. Her voice resonating deep in my bones.

She skidded on her knees, throwing her arms around my waist, and I swear to God, I never wanted to die more than I did in that moment.

“Grab her!” the woman demanded, and the muscle went right to work.

“No!” Bailey screamed as loud as she could when the man took ahold of her. Ripping her off me, putting up one hell of a fight.

She kicked.

She bawled.

She fought.

“Don’t take me away from Aiden! Please don’t take me away from him!”

Tears flooded my eyes, rolling down the sides of my face.

“Aiden, please! You promised! You promised me!”

I had no control over my emotions, hitting, punching, pushing the officer restraining me as hard as I could. My body throbbed, my heart pounded, and my head started getting dizzy the more I put up a fight.

“Son, calm down!” I heard the other woman say over the ringing in my ears.

I fought with every ounce of strength I had left inside of my now hollow shell. Still holding onto the hope I’d see Bailey again.

It was all I had left to hold onto.

She was all I had left to hold onto.

Everything else had been taken from me the same way she was being dragged out of the house.

We both shoved, slapped, and hit the men holding us prisoner, wanting to hurt them as much as they were hurting us. Not paying any mind to the throbbing pain running through my body. It was nothing compared to the knife they were stabbing into my heart.

He lifted her up into the air, tossing her over his shoulder. Bringing back flashes of me being taken away from my mother. Every emotion, every scar, every insecurity made its presence known for the millionth time in my life.

“I hate you!” she hysterically wept. “Don’t touch me! I need Aiden! Please don’t take him from me! He’s all I have!”

“I’ll find you, Bailey! I promise I won’t give up until I find you again!”

I watched her lose her mind, trying to grab ahold of the front door, her fingers slipping inch by inch as they made their way out to the SUV. The scene playing out in slow motion as I screamed.

The cop let me take out my anger and despair, holding onto me, knowing if he didn’t…