If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected, decide what to be and GO BE IT
-The Avett brothers
Recommend Reading Introduction to Unproven
DEFINITELY READ Prologue
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three
Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six
Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two Chapter Twenty Three Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five Chapter Twenty Six Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight Chapter Twenty Nine Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One Chapter Thirty Two Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four Chapter Thirty Five Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Seven Chapter Thirty EightChapter Thirty Nine
Chapter Forty Chapter Forty One Chapter Forty Two
Chapter Forty Three Chapter Forty Four Chapter Forty Five
Chapter Forty Six Chapter Forty Seven Chapter Forty Eight
Chapter Forty Nine Chapter Fifty Chapter Fifty One
Chapter Fifty Two Chapter Fifty Three Chapter Fifty Four
Chapter Fifty Five Chapter Fifty Six Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter Fifty Eight Chapter Fifty Nine Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty One Chapter Sixty Two Chapter Sixty Three
Chapter Sixty Four Chapter Sixty Five Chapter Sixty Six
Chapter Sixty Seven Chapter Sixty Eight Chapter Sixty Nine
Chapter Seventy Chapter Seventy Chapter Seventy Two
Chapter Seventy Three Chapter Seventy Four Chapter Seventy Five
Chapter Seventy SixChapter Seventy Seven Chapter Seventy Eight
Chapter Seventy Nine Chapter Eighty Chapter Eighty One
Chapter Eighty Two Chapter Eighty Three Chapter Eighty Four
Chapter Eighty Five Chapter Eighty Six Chapter Eighty Seven
Chapter Eighty Eight Chapter Eighty Nine Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety One Chapter Ninety Two Chapter Ninety Three
Chapter Ninety Four Chapter Ninety Five
Chapter Ninety Six Chapter Ninety Seven Chapter Ninety Eight
Chapter Ninety Nine Chapter One Hundred Chapter One Hundred and One
Chapter One Hundred and Two
Ary woke sometime later, her heart pounding. The room was pitch-black, so she shimmied to the edge of the bed to reach for the lamp, then heard a noise coming from the door and froze. She strained to make sense of it and realized someone was jiggling the handle. She flipped over and shook Grayson, putting a hand over his mouth as he sat up.
"I think someone's at the door," she whispered, fear crawling up her spine.
Just as he jumped up the door flew open and two large men barged in, simultaneously flipping the lights on and shutting the door behind them. One was bald, the other had thinning red hair and a goatee to match; they both looked like professional wrestlers or maybe boxers. They were carrying guns and one held a duffel bag.
"I advise you to keep quiet," the redhead told them.
"Who are you?" Grayson demanded.
"Didn't I say quiet?" He demanded, waving the gun slightly as he and his partner approached the bed. "Now this is how it's gonna go down. We're gonna tie your hands behind your backs and tape your mouths shut, then we're gonna lead you to the van parked outside where you will climb in the back without a struggle." He focused on Grayson, "If you try anything, I will beat your girlfriend bloody. Do you understand?"
Grayson nodded, grabbing Ary's hand. "It'll be okay," he told her.
She threw herself in his arms and he hugged her tightly for a moment.
The bald man picked up a couple of suitcases and left the room without a word. He repeated the process until their stuff was evacuated then stood to the side silently as the redhead took out the ropes.
As the van traveled down the road Ary leaned into Grayson, trying to shake the feeling of terror that had turned her insides into jelly. Trying but not succeeding. This was James of course, nothing else would make sense. But what did that mean? He'd already tried to kill her once, was he going to finish the job? Didn't he know his son would never forgive him? Would he kill Grayson too? No, that didn't make sense. He probably wouldn't kill either of them, not now, she assured herself. The fire was supposed to be an accident, this would be altogether different.
It wasn't long before they stopped. The back doors opened and Aryanne was grabbed by the bald man and led toward a building that looked abandoned. Her fear jumped up several notches. She tried to look back to see where Grayson was, but the bald man prevented it, taking her in through a side door which he shut behind them. She was led down a dark hallway then into an even darker room and shoved onto a chair.
He left her there and she struggled to see her surroundings in the dim light. Oh God, she thought, where's Grayson? When a couple of minutes had passed she knew they were taking him somewhere else. Tears began to slide down her face though she tried to hold them back, afraid that if she started to really cry her nose would clog and she wouldn't be able to breathe. Don't panic, she thought. Just don't panic. She made an effort to take even breaths through her nose, concentrating on that and nothing else.
Grayson was being led by the mouthy goateed man, and when he realized they weren't following Ary he balked, yanking out of the man's grip and kneeing him in the crotch with all his strength, then bringing his foot up and smashing it into his knee. The man made a swipe for him as he staggered and Grayson hopped backward, then brought his foot back up and smashed it into his stomach, getting out of the way of another swipe before coming back in and kicking the gun out of his hand.
"You little sonofabitch," the man wheezed.
Grayson was about to land another kick when he was grabbed from behind. He brought his head back fast and hard, hearing a crunch and a curse, but the grip on him didn't loosen.
Redhead glared at him as he straightened. "If I didn't have instructions to bring you in unharmed I would beat your face in you little shit."
"We better get in there," the man who held Grayson said, "He wants to know what's keeping us."
They took a hold of Grayson by each arm and shoved him through a door, dragging him down a long hallway, the only light coming from a room to the right at the far end. When they reached it they pushed him inside and Grayson stared daggers at his father.
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