Four or Dead by G O A

Emma POV

“So, Emma those boys who were here, are they good friends of yours?” The therapist, Dr. Long asks.

I let out a huffed laugh.

“Not exactly. They bullied me for the last three years.” She furrowed her brows at my words.

“Really? They seem to care for you very much. They stood around you like they wanted to protect you.”

“Yeah, I have no idea what’s wrong with them. Is it weird that I feel safe with them even after how they treated me all those years? Like some kind of Stockholm syndrome or something?” I asked with genuine concern but my voice light.

She smiled.

“Although you may be at risk of such a condition, I don’t think that is the case here. I think you feel alone and for the first time someone is there and willing to fight for you, and you want that. You need that. Did they ever physically hurt you?” I let out a sigh and laid my head back on my pillow.

“No, never. They played a few pranks on me but they were mostly harmless. It was more like catcalling and teasing. The girls they hang around with are the ones who physically hurt me.”

“I see. So maybe even though they haven’t been kind before, you know they won’t hurt you. You may feel put off because they are acting differently from how they have in the past, that would make anyone skeptical.” She offered.

I considered her words for a minute and surprisingly it made some sense. I knew Leo before all this and I trusted him like I had never trusted anyone but I had been so ashamed of what my father had been doing to me that I never told him. Not that I didn’t trust him with the truth but because I didn’t want him trying to save me or see me any different. I just wanted to feel normal and being with him let me feel that even if it was only for a short time. If he rushed in like a knight in shining armor to save me I don’t know what my dad would have done to him. I was scared of him getting hurt because of me.

“I want to trust them because I don’t have anyone else. Their behavior has thrown me off…but somehow….it feels right. But what if after I leave here they turn around and treat me the way they used to? I don’t know if I could go through that. That feeling of being alone…” I said feeling tears welling up behind the mist of my eyes.

I hadn’t said anything yet, but my eyes had started to clear over the last few hours. I hadn’t said anything yet because I wasn’t sure if they were healing or if it was a temporary thing. Besides my mind has been swarmed with a million thoughts that it was the least of my worries. Of course, I wanted my eyesight back, but my fear of my father was the strongest thing I was feeling at the moment.

“We can never know for sure who people will turn out to be, which is why we have to take a leap and hope for the best. The world is like that, leaps of faith with no assurances. We may wish to know exactly what will happen with every choice and turn we make, but that just isn’t possible. So why not take a leap of faith, and if they disappoint you then you move on, but cut them from your life. You need to set boundaries for yourself that you will never let anyone cross, so you can protect yourself. Protect your heart but let people in just a little so they can see how great you are.” She said reaching for my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Now what I need to know is how you feel about your home situation. You told me what your father has done, and we both know going back there now isn’t safe for you. You are a legal adult even though you are still finishing school, so we can try and find you a woman’s group home for you. They provide a safe place with everything you could need. Would that be something you would be interested in?” I swallowed and considered her words carefully.

Asher said he wanted me to stay with them, but could I really do that?

“Is that my only option?” I asked her.

She shook her head.

“No, like I said you are a legal adult and can choose where you live, but I recommend going somewhere your father does not know about. Somewhere that has protection in case he does come around. We can try and request a restraining order for your father as well, in case he does find where you are staying.” I nod my head in understanding as she explains all my options.

“Isn’t a restraining order just a piece of paper? How is that supposed to do anything?”

“It is, but if he violates it then he will be arrested. If you see him then you call the police, and they will take him away.” She explained to me further.

“No piece of paper will stop him if he wants to drag me back home. He could beat me so there was no way to call for help. I don’t see how such a thing could be any help at all.”

I let out a frustrated sigh as I dash the hopes that anything the police could do would be any help. As much as I don’t trust the Dark Angel’s, they seemed to be the lesser of two evils. They were dangerous according to rumors I had heard over the years, which could prove helpful if I had them on my side. Was it worth it to use them as my personal bodyguards? It sounded selfish when I put it like that, but my options were so limited that this could have been my only choice. It’s like that old phrase says…out of the pot and into the fire. Except it would be the other way around for me since the Dark Angels were the lesser evil of the two. I guess my mind was already made up, now it was a matter of talking to them. Would the offer still be on the table after I told them to stay away from me? God, I hoped so.

“So, Emma what do you want to do? What would make you feel safe?” My doctor asked.

“Four Dark Angels,” I said admitting the truth out loud even though the doctor wouldn’t understand.

She was right, there were far greater things to be afraid of, and the four boys who hid in the shadows of my nightmares would soon become the heroes of my story. I needed them, and if I had to sacrifice a bit of myself to live, I would sacrifice it to them. Because now I had a reason to live, and that was to make my father pay for what he did to me. To make all those dirty men pay for what they have done my whole life. I am broken, but I wouldn’t be the only one. It was time for me to fight, and I was ready to bring fire from the heavens to make it happen. The anger was pumping through my veins like a hot flame but I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded. I still had a lot of fear to overcome. Once the doctor left and assured me that she would sign off on me being released since from our talk she didn’t consider me a danger to myself any longer, I asked the nurse to call Leo. I was going to make a deal, and I had to do it now before my fear got the best of me. I had been hiding in myself, staying silent and hidden but that was over now. I was angry, and that anger only had one direction…my father was going to be the one with a gun to his head and I would be the one to pull the trigger. I cleared my throat and straightened out my back with my head held high. Emma Grace was no longer going to be a victim! I was going to stand against anyone who tried to tear me down again! At least I would try to.

Leo POV

The second I hung up with the nurse I ran out of the house and didn’t even wait for the others to follow me. Emma had asked for me, and I needed to get to her. I knew the moment I left that she meant everything to me, and I would show her from that moment on. The others followed me in Asher’s car, and we made it to the hospital in record time. My eyes met the nurse’s, and she gave me a nod which was all the permission I needed. When I opened the door and walked in, I saw Emma’s eyes fixed on me. She didn’t lower them or shy away from making eye contact with me like she usually did. In fact, I saw the look of determination on her face.

“Emma…” I started to say but she shook her head.

“I want to say something first.” She said and I nodded quickly.

Then it dawned on me.

“Wait…you can see me!” She smiled.

“Yeah, I can. Everything is still a little foggy but it’s a lot better. The doctor came in a little while ago and said it should keep improving, over the next few days. I was scared to tell him I noticed a change because I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I have other things to worry about .”

Before I could ask her anything the other guys barreled into the room. She looked at them and laughed a little at the state of them.

“Good everyone is here.” She said setting her hands in her lap.

“Welcome boys, take a seat. We have business to discuss.”

We glanced at each other, but we did as she asks and settled in to listen.

“So, I want to make you guys a deal. I need your help with a little project…revenge…justice…whatever you want to call it. I want to bring down everything my father represents, and I want to do what I couldn’t do to myself. I want him dead. If the stories I have heard about you are true, then you are exactly the weapon I need. So, what do you say?” She asked looking at each of us. I glanced at the others but we didn’t say a word, especially when identical smirks formed on each of our faces. This was a new side of the sweet quiet girl we knew but we had our own thoughts on punishing the man who had hurt her and she had all but given us permission to fulfill our intentions. We were in. This was going to be fun.

Asher POV

Present

The look in Emma’s eyes when she said she wanted revenge on her father made me smile on the inside. I had heard people say that the quiet ones were the most dangerous and seeing the fire in her eyes just proved how true that statement was. She was angry and vengeful and hell if it wasn’t totally hot! I mean she was always gorgeous, and may be that’s why we always harassed her because we all know that boys like to pull on girls pigtails when they like them. We were just too dumb to admit we all had a thing for this girl, but hey no one ever said we were smart when it came to girls. Look at my thing with Andrea for example. On the outside, we seem like we belong together, but the truth is I have been tolerating her for one purpose only…to get information on her father. He and my father had been rivals since before I was born, and I was assigned to get close to the daughter to milk her for information. My father had big plans for acquiring her family’s company and all that it entailed. See my dad was the dark lord of this town. He looked like a legitimate businessman, but under all that he dealt with the darkest parts of this stuck– up town’s secrets, and I was the dark prince. I respected my father because he conquered and destroyed anything in his way, but I didn’t agree with it all. He loved my mother with a passion that many people could only hope to find, and she was his light. Then some drunken and high blue blood got behind the wheel of his million-dollar birthday present and killed her. That guy lived with just a broken leg to show for what he had done, and his family’s lawyers buried us in legal hell to let him slide. Back then my father was no one special but you would be surprised what vengeance can push someone to do. My father left a trail of blood behind him to take his place as king of the underworld of this seemingly perfect town, and he groomed me from a young age to do the same. Some may think a man willing to kill for revenge would be a crappy father, but my dad wasn’t. He treated me well and made sure I wanted for nothing. I was a part of his world since I was a child but in truth, I wouldn’t have chosen this life if I hadn’t been raised in it. I was the dark prince for the simple reason that it was the life my father molded for me. He even set up a comfortable house for me and the other boys. Logan, Jayden, and I had grown up together and they had both lost everything. So, my father pretty much adopted them and when we were old enough, he gave us a house of our own. That was the summer we met Leo, and he had a story of his own. His father and mother kicked him out that summer because he decided he preferred fixing cars in our garage to a stuffy office job in his father’s firm. They wanted him to become a successful lawyer, but my guy fell in love with metal and grease. So needless to say, his parents were having none of it. That’s how the four of us ended up bunking together in my ridiculously big gift of a house. The boys were happy to become a part of my father’s business as well, and that kind of work kept us extremely comfortable. We also ran our own garage and made good money in that aspect as we ll. So, when Emma said she wanted our help getting rid of her father, she didn’t even know that we are exactly the right people to fulfill her request. There was a lot about us she didn’t know, a dark side she should fear. Yet we were drawn to her. She was all light and goodness wrapped in someone who has only ever known pain. She was an anomaly that both scared and fascinated me. Part of me wanted to keep her as far away from me as possible, while the other part of me wanted to pull her close and bask in her warmth. It was complicated, to say the least. After everything and how much guilt we all harbored, we would have been willing to help her for free but I was a little curious about what she wanted to offer as payment for our help. I think we all wanted the same thing…we wanted her. I couldn’t explain if anyone asked but it felt like she belonged with us like she was meant to fall into our orbit.

What is that girls call it? Fate. Yeah, fate.

“So, little Emma wants to spill blood huh? How can we help?” Logan asked with a huge smile on his face.

To my surprise though, Emma smiled right back at him. Our girl had a bit of a dark side of her own that we were only now seeing. Who wouldn’t, after all, she has endured, but I admit it was a damn good look on her. Our little dark princes.

“I say we take everything away from him first. His company, his money, his perfect life. Then when he has nothing left, we let him choose…life with nothing or death.” Emma said straight out without a bit of hesitation.

I had to smile now. This girl’s dark side was doing things to me. Although I doubt it had always been there. See monsters aren’t born they are created. Her father had no idea he had been creating a darkness in his daughter that would turn against him with a desire to kill. This was the last straw, and her beast was out and hungry for blood, and our darkness called to hers.

“Anything else?” I asked her. She turned to me and my heart fluttered at the darkness in her eyes.

“I want them all to pay. Every single man that laid a hand on me.” Logan laughed and clapped his hands together.

“Now we’re talking! Man, I love a good revenge plot! When do we start?”

“First I need to get out of here. I feel too vulnerable here. I may want to get revenge on my father, but here he has an advantage. He could come for me at any time and there isn’t much I can do from this bed.” Emma explained.

I nodded.

“We have to plan this out carefully, and in a more secure location.”

“Emma, I know you are nowhere close to trusting us yet, but would you consider coming to stay with us? It would be the safest place in town for you.” Leo offered.

She gave him a smile sweeter than pie.

“I was hoping you would say that. Yes, there is a long way to go before I can fully trust any of you, but I need you…so I’m in.” Leo smiled at her like a love-sick puppy while the rest of us agreed with a nod of our heads.

“So, when can we take you home Sunny?” Logan asked.

Emma rolled her eyes at the nickname but didn’t address it.

“Dr. Long signed off on my mental health but I didn’t exactly tell her about my plans otherwise she would have definitely would have had me committed.”

Logan let out a short laugh and I snickered at her. Who knew she was so funny?

“I am just waiting for my doctor to come by and let me know when I can leave.” She continued. The door opened then and said doctor walked in stopping for a moment to glance at each of us before walking toward Emma.

“Well, Miss Grace from what I can see here your condition is stable. There isn’t much that can be done here that can’t be handled at home, so I say you are good to go! Are you feeling up to leaving? No other pain or discomfort you need to share?” Emma shook her head.

“What about my vision?” She asked.

“From what you described; it should clear in a couple of days. However, if it starts to get worse then you need to see a doctor right away to avoid any long– term damage.”

“Okay thank you, doctor,” Emma said with an appreciative smile.

“Okay then, I will tell the nurse to start the discharge process.” With that, we were left alone with Emma again.

Her expression fell though.

“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.

“I don’t have any clothes or anything. The ones I was brought in with had blood all over them. All my stuff is still at my house.” She said with a groan of annoyance.

“There are a few shops not far from here. We will go pick out some stuff for you.” I offered, standing and turning toward the door.

“Oh no, I don’t want you to do that. I’m sure they have something simple in the gift shop I can wear until I can go home.” She objected. I turned and give her a pointed look.

“We aren’t letting you back into that house even for clothes. One of us will go later to pack your things, but until then we will get you something to wear that isn’t a tie–dye tourist t-shirt or something.” Logan laughed at that and gave Emma a quick once over.

“I have a good idea what size you are so we shouldn’t have my trouble finding you something.” 3 “Wait, what? How do you know what size I am?” Emma asked.

Logan smiled devilishly.

“Baby we have been watching you for three years.”

Emma’s eyes grow wide, and Logan rushed out the door before she could go off on him.

Leo smiled and shook his head. Jayden sat quietly saying nothing and followed Logan out.

Logan hadn’t been wrong though; we had been watching Emma for a long time. We had told ourselves that it was to mess with her, but at some point, that must have changed. It made us sound whipped for her, and that was the scariest part. She had worked her way into our heads without even trying, and now she was moving in with us and into our circle of protection. Things were about to get complicated….