𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 a crash. A shout. A rattle. Light was slowly making its way back into the room and Jordan squinted his eyes at the sudden noise, the exhaustion of hunger and dehydration consuming him whole.

"What are...you doing here?" the boy moaned, voice croaky and weak.

Their rescuer stepped further into the room, making his appearance crystal clear to the victims inside. "I told you I'd come back," said Rafe Cameron simply.

Jordan carefully watched the boy as he unchained him from the wall. Rafe handed him a bottle of water, too. Jordan didn't drink it, cautious of whatever he might've put in. He saw Rafe kill Peterkin with his own eyes, and JJ had told him what he did to his sister. He didn't trust the boy in the slightest way possible. "Why are you here?" he repeated.

Rafe ignored Luis on the side wall and leaped towards Kaci instead, who was paralysed on the floor. A flash of worry passed through his eyes, a hint of regret. "I promised her I wouldn't let anything bad happen." He carefully stripped away her chains, pulling her limp body towards him.

Jordan furrowed his brows, gaining his balance on the ground and holding his stomach. "Yeah, well, you failed at that," he stated bitterly, gesturing to his near-dead big sister. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

"They gave her too much emepronium bromide."

Seeing the confusion on Jordanʼs face, Luis sat up straighter, still holding the baby with him. "It's a paralytic drug," he informed the youngest boy. He noddrd to Rafe. "Who's they?"

Rafe rolled his eyes, not answering the question and simply refusing to acknowledge Luisʼs existence. He lifted Kaci up in his arms, letting her hair dangle through his fingers. Tears started to well up in his eyes when he found her like this. He hoped it wasn't too late. He couldn't handle it if it was.

Jordan started to walk forward, a limp on his step as he tried to fight through the pain of his wound. He roughly took the keys from Rafeʼs hand and tossed them towards Luis, who set himself and Kaz free.

"Let me take her," Luis spoke up, standing up without any pain or consequences. He was fine. There wasn't a single scar or wound on his body. He was just a little muddy, that was all. He didn't look like a victim of abuse and kidnapping.

Rafe turned around to face the older boy, who glared at him harshly. He knew that what he said wasn't a question, nor was it an offer. Luis knew what Rafe did to Kaci, and for that, the big brother didn't like him all that much. But despite all the fights, Rafe cared about Kaci. He really did. Sometimes he just lost himself, got too inside of his mind and let the dark urges control him. He wished he could stop them, he wished he could be strong enough to get the help, but he wasn't. Not without Kaci by his side. So, he nodded and let the sleeping girl go to her brother.

Luis passed Kaz along to Jordan with care before taking Kaci into his arms. Rafe watched in jealousy as the baby was given to the brother. The baby that should've been his. JJ Maybank stole the life he was supposed to have. JJ Maybank took away Kaci and any future he could've had with her. He would never forgive the pouges for forbidding him a happy life. In his narcissistic mind, it was their fault Kaci left him, not his own. And seeing that baby made him want to scream. Kaz Flores ruined his life.

"Come on," he said with a nod to the door, only looking at Jordan. "I've got a car outside, and the others are in the house."

"The others?" asked Jordan.

"Who do you think I'm talking about?"

The two brothers shared a look before following the Cameron boy outside into the real world.

Feeling the light shine off his skin, feeling the warm air melt the ice that had wrapped itself around his flesh, Jordan let out a tight breath. There were times in the room when he really thought he was going to die, when he thought his sister and his brother and his nephew were all going to die. But now they were out. And they were alive. All of them. Nothing could've taken away this moment from him.

"Hey, where are we?" he questioned, looking around the soft pavement of the paths around them. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. Nothing like Kildare.

"Nassau," answered Luis, pointing to the sign ahead of them. "We're in the Bahamas."

Rafe nodded and opened up the door to his jeep. "Get in," he told them. "I've already talked to my dad. If y'all behave, you can stay."

"And if we don't?" asked Jordan.

"I only promised to keep Kaci safe."

𖧷

𝗞𝗮𝗰𝗶 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 was still cold. Freezing now that she was out in the real sunlight. Her body shivered — it shook and spasmed until she finally jolted awake, smacking her head off the roof of the vehicle. She couldn't feel her feet, or her hands, or anything at all other than the icy ache in her head.

She was on somebodyʼs lap, somebody who kept their hands on her back. Somebody she thought was dead until yesterday. Kaci threw her arms over Luisʼs neck, tears in her eyes. "I missed you, Loo," she whispered.

Luis patted her back. "Yeah, I missed you, too, Kace."

The girl pulled away and took in her surroundings properly. She was in a car, driving in a long line with many others just like it. She and Luis were the only ones in the back, but in the front was her worst nightmare.

"Get the fuck away from my baby, you stupid bastard," she ordered.

At the sound of her fierce voice, Jordan Flores and Rafe Cameron turned around to face Kaci, a sleeping Kaz wrapped up in the safe arms of his nephew. "Kace, no, I came to save —"

"I don't care," she said coldly, holding her numb hands out and sliding off Luis to take her own seat. "Give me Kaz."

Kaci had never felt physical pain like this in her life. She honestly believed that nothing could top the feeling of contractions and labour. Until this. She felt like a block ice, all tingly and cold, and every move she made felt like death. Her limbs didn't feel like her own and her brain was smashing itself off her skull, desperate to escape its cage.

But she would go through the most painful thing in the world if it meant she had the ability to protect her little boy.

Obediently, Jordan lifted the baby over his seat, a sorry look in his eye as he handed him to his big sister. He was so relieved to know she was alive, to hear the same coldness in her voice she always had. But he felt responsible for putting her in this position. Putting her in the same vehicle as her abuser. Because, although Kaci kept a strong structure and a loud voice, he knew that she was terrified of Rafe Cameron and the things he was capable of. And Jordan let her in the same space as him.

Rafe remained silent from the driverʼs seat of the car, not wanting to annoy the girl even more. He wanted to apologise for everything like he always did, he wanted to cry and beg for her forgiveness like he always did — but he knew that now she had JJ, she would never want him back. Because Kaci Flores finally knew what real love felt like. And real love wasn't what they once had.

All the cars behind them came to a sudden stop, people surrounding them and taking away their ability to move on forward.

"Rafe," a voice came from the speaker of the jeep. Kaciʼs eyes widened at the sound of Ward Cameron. "Rafe — keep moving. You and I are the only ones with the gold. Keep it coming, follow me."

Kaz attached himself to his momʼs dirty clothes, burying his head into her chest. A small tear ran itself down her face. She missed him so much. Her baby, her angel. She was supposed to protect him, to keep him away from the horrors of her reality, but now he was just as hurt by all of this as she was.

Jordan and Luis shared a look at the mention of the gold. They had it. In this very car.

Rafe followed his dadʼs orders and continued to drive.

More people tried stopping their car and the one in front of them, which the Flores siblings could only assume was Ward. Kaci kept a tight hold on her baby. But she couldn't feel him at all. She couldn't feel anything but the cold in her head.

The people that surrounded them became so annoying and repetitive that Rafe and Ward had to switch to a different route, sending them all down a road filled with nothing but fresh grass and water.

"Has he been fed?" questioned Kaci, noticing that the baby was a little slimmer than the last time she held him. Kaz was overweight to begin with, but Kaci didn't see the problem with that because he was still healthy. And she loved her chubby, little man. She wasn't going to let him starve as much as she and her brothers had.

Rafe nodded, watching her through the mirror with bitter jealousy. He should've been in the back, too. That should've been his child. JJ didn't deserve her. JJ didn't deserve her love and her baby. But there was nothing he could do about that anymore. The only thing he could do was prove himself and win Kaci back. To get rid of JJ.

"I bought some ready-made bottles," he told her, turning around to hand her one with a soft smile.

Kaci took it from him, careful not to touch his hand. "Remember when you threatened to kill him?" she asked with a raised brow, causing the boyʼs smile to falter at the mention of their last proper conversation. "Just because you saved me from our psychotic dads doesn't mean we're on good terms, Rafe."

The boy nodded, eyes flickering to Luis for a short moment, who looked back at him with warning. "I know, Kace," he whispered instead of telling her what he wanted to. The truth.

Kaci rolled her eyes and fed her hungry baby. "We'll see Daddy soon, Kaz, I promise." The small angel smiled at the mention of his dad. He was excited to have his family back, even if he didn't understand everything that was going on.

Rafe clenched his jaw and grabbed the wheel tighter.

A couple of minutes later, the two cars came to another stop. There were two people standing there, holding up signs and waving them at them.

"What do we do?" Rafe asked his dad through the speaker. "There's nowhere to turn, right?"

"Get the gun, Rafe. Just hide it."

Sitting beside the murderer, Jordan straightened his back at the sight of Rafe pulling out a pistol from the compartment in between them. The memory of Peterkin dying would haunt him for the rest of his life, scare him and attack at his dreams everytime he closed his eyes. Death was terrifying to Jordan Flores, and he couldn't think of anything worse than being murdered.

"What's going on?" Now, they could hear Wardʼs voice clear, coming from his car window as he called out to the people stopping them.

Hearing the lock of their doors click, the Flores siblings all wore the same expression on their faces. There was a risk, and they weren't sure if they were willing to take it. However, if they stayed there, they'd end up falling back into the hands of their parents, and that was the last thing they wanted.

"Sorry," the man said, walking towards the cars with an orange flag in his hand.

"Road's closed," the girl beside him added, holding up a stop sign. "Nobody coming through."

"Well, can you let just two trucks through?" asked Ward with a kind smile, trying his hardest not to let his annoyance show. "We just...we kinda gotta get through today. We got a delivery that —"

"I don't think so," the girl cut him off, continuing to walk on further until she was outside the window of the second car. "Sinkhole. Massive."

Cleo looked through at the passengers. Rafe Cameron was there, as expected, but the other three? — Sarah and John B didn't mention them. However, the girl in the back, who held a baby and wore a conflicted expression on her face, matched a description she had heard well. Kaci Flores, although Cleo was told she was dead.

"I'm begging you guys. If there's just —"

The man held a gun at Ward Cameronʼs face from the front vehicle. "Let me see your hands."

Cleo leaned forward to press a knife to Rafeʼs throat. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Get out," the man told everyone. "Easy."

Kaci let out a slow breath, opening her side door and holding Kaz as close as possible. Luis followed her out of the same side, still calm and prepared for anything. Jordan was shaking, on the verge of a panic attack. The siblings weren't that far apart in age — Luis was now nineteen, Kaci sixteen and Jordan fourteen —, but those two years between him and his sister was a lot of distance and growth. He wasn't okay at handling things like this. They were all kids, but he still lacked the maturity a high schooler had. The maturity a mother had.

"Everything nice and easy," said the man again, digging his gun into Wardʼs back and forcing him to move. "You're gonna walk to the sign. You'll put those signs on the side for me. You go to that sign. You go to that sign. Move the damn sign."

Ward and Rafe were held by weapons, being threatened with death, but the three Flores siblings were free. Completely. The man and the girl didn't even look at them anymore.

When Kaci took her first step onto the ground, she fell. She couldn't stand. She couldn't feel her feet, her toes, her legs...it was all gone. Her feeling was all gone. She used her numb arms to shield Kazʼs head, scared that she'd hit the floor and he'd get hurt, but Jordan was quick to catch his sister.

"You too, buddy," the man went on. Ward had pushed his sign to the ground, and they were trying to get Rafe to do it next. "Put it on the side of the road."

Luis threw Kaciʼs arm over his shoulder and his arm on her waist to give her enough support to stand, and Jordan cradled Kaz close to his chest, who was now crying and sensing the danger they were around.

Rafe knocked his sign to the ground, growing more frustrated by the second. He turned around to face the Flores three, alarm racing through his mind when he watched Kaci almost fall.

"Right over there," the girl ordered him, pointing her knife again.

"Go to the barrel," the man gave the father and son their next set of instructions. "Put the barrel to the side of the road. Put the barrels on the side."

Ward forcefully pushed his over with irritation.

"Throw another barrel, and I'll blow your damn head off."

The two boys did as they were told, although Rafe occasionally turned back over to check on Kaci and ended up getting punched by the girl. Kaci didn't know who the girl was, but she liked her.

The Flores's knew they should've started running minutes ago. They knew the smart thing to do was to get away. However, with Jordanʼs leg, a crying baby and Kaciʼs current paralysis, they'd never get far enough in the time they had. Plus, they didn't know these people and they didn't know their intentions. If they ran, the man could've easily shot them, and the girl could've easily chased and stabbed them. So they couldn't get away. So they stayed there.

"Take two steps back," the man told the Camerons once the barrels were gone and the road was clear. "Easy! Get on your knees!"

Ward was the first to obey, hands in the air with surrender.

Once again, Rafe looked back at Kaci, worry in his eyes. The girl, knowing who he was and what he did, smacked him again. Even if he felt bad now, Rafe Cameron had no right to be looking at Kaci Flores like that. "On the ground," she ordered. "Come on!"

"Put your hands up," the man continued once Rafe was sat on the floor, too. "Kiss the ground."

"Who are you?!" shouted Ward.

"I'm the Royal Commission for the redistribution of wealth." He dug his gun further into Wardʼs back. "Kiss the ground."

Jordan cringed and turned to his siblings. Luis shook his head, knowing his question before he even asked it. Kaci kept her eyes glued on the baby. Nobody was going to hurt her child. Not again. All three of them silently agreed on that. All three of them would sooner die before letting any harm come to Kaz.

"You guys are idiots," said Rafe. "Our escorts are right behind us."

"Wise guy, huh?" retorted the girl, holding her knife against his neck.

The man turned to the long grass around them. "Go! Go! Hurry!" he called to somebody, confusing the others. "Go! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Pineapple!"

Kaciʼs eyes widened. There were only two people in the world that called her that, and she was pretty sure Kie wasn't around stranded in the Bahamas.

Sarah Cameron and John B Routledge sprinted at the scene on the road, racing to get the gold from the vehicles.

"Blueberry!" Kaci cried back to her best friend. She wanted to move, to jump forward and wrap her arms around Sarah, but her legs wouldn't budge.

"Sarah?" questioned Ward, starting to sit up. "Sarah! You're alive! Baby, you're alive!"

"Hey, don't talk to her!" the girl shouted at him. "Stay down!"

John B held his hand out in front of him as Ward began to stand. "Stay back."

"HEY! Stay down!"

"Sarah, you're alive!"

"Do not talk to her!"

"I love you, baby!"

Everyone started shouting and screaming over the top of each other down at the other side of the road. Sarah remained silent, wrapping her arm around Kaciʼs waist to support her, while Luis stepped forward to help John B out. Jordan was still shaking, holding Kaz close.

John B slowly took out his gun, aiming it right at Ward.

The shouts got louder. Kaz was crying again. Sarah wrapped her arms around Kaci and pulled her close. Jordan froze.

"Kaci, come back here!" Rafe shouted at her. "I saved you, I'll protect you. I love you."

Kaci made her choice. Kaci stuck by the pouges. By her family. "You're sick, Rafe."

Rafe didn't like that.

He took out his own gun and made his own aim. The aim wasn't on Kaci. He promised to protect Kaci. He wasn't going to hurt her, not again. Not anymore. He wouldn't think twice before hurting the baby, though. The baby that ruined everything for him. The baby that shared the same blood as JJ Maybank.

The man reached forward to disarm him, but the shot was still fired. "Get out of here, go!" he called out to the teens as he and the girl started to beat Rafe and Ward.

"I got his gun," the girl said.

"We gotta go," stated John B hurriedly, climbing into Wardʼs car.

"Go! Hurry!"

Jordan sat beside John B in the front, a now silent baby in his arms. Luis and Sarah helped Kaci into the back with them.

"YOU'RE A COWARD!" roared Rafe. "KACI!"

John B sped off the road, getting away from them all as fast as he could. He and Jordan stuck up their middle fingers at Ward and Rafe as they flew past them in their truck.

"I can't believe you guys are alive," gasped Sarah, still hugging her best friend, scared that she'd lose her again.

John B smiled and nodded, turning back to Kaci. "Yeah, I gotta say, I was starting to miss your insults."

Kaci smiled back at him. "Don't think I've got anything bad to say about you anymore, Jelly Baby."

Jordan stayed uncharacteristically quiet, eyes wide.

"Shit, they're coming," said John B, looking back at the security cars the Camerons had after them. He drove even faster, the gold in the back rattling at the intense speed. "Come on, come on, come on."

Luis leaned forward to fiddle with the compartments in front of Jordan. Jordan didn't even notice him over his shoulder, too in shock to think of anything. He took a bottle of pills from the drawer and handed them to his little sister.

"It's adderall," he told Kaci. "It'll raise your hearts speed, and