Rebellion of a Kingdom by G.N. Wright

Chapter 20

ELLE

She’s here, she’s really here. I fall to my knees at the sight of her wriggling free from Marcus’ hold as she rushes to get to me. She doesn’t look hurt or traumatized, only tired and happy. The impact of her body slamming into mine is a feeling I won’t ever forget. I wrap my arms around her, and it feels like I inhale the first real breath I have taken since she’s been gone. The grogginess from whatever Ash gave me and the anger I felt at the whole situation just moments ago, now completely forgotten. My baby is home.

I can’t hold in my sob as I snuggle her tight into my arms. I don’t even know what my tears are for right now, happiness at her being back, fear of what could have been or relief that she seems unharmed. The truth is, it’s everything. I never should have become a Mom at fifteen, but there isn’t one second since the day she was born that I have ever regretted her. She fixed my broken heart and has held it together every day since. Every moment in the last week that has passed without her felt like a lifetime. Nothing would have ever healed my severed pieces if I didn’t get her back.

All I can do is hold her and cry. Her tiny hands gripped around my neck and her little legs curled around my torso. I bury my face into her curls and inhale her sweet scent, allowing everything about her to overtake my whole being and soothe my crushed soul. I haven’t stopped fighting, surviving, barely hanging on, just to try to get her back, and now she’s here.

Asher drops to his knees beside us and pulls us both into a crushing embrace. I feel his deep exhale as he lets himself have a moment of raw love with us. She’s here, she’s safe. We are still a family. We came so close to losing everything, that I thought I would never have this again, not without giving myself over to the enemy. But we are here, together, and safe.

Cassie finally pulls back, looking between the two of us with a tired smile on her face, “I missed you so much Mommy Daddy!” She exclaims and it just causes me to cry more.

She frowns, then reaches out to wipe my cheeks to get rid of the tears, “It’s okay Mommy don’t be sad, I’m here now."

I take a deep breath as I force the words out that are locked in my throat, “I’m sorry, baby, I just missed you so much.” I try to stop, but my emotions are getting the better of me. It’s like I have held them all in until this very moment.

“Mommy is just so happy to see you little angel, we both are. We missed you.” Asher replies as I continue to cry. I can hear his own emotion lacing his words and I see a lone tear track down his cheek. The only time I have ever seen him cry is the night I woke up in the warehouse. At least his tears are for better reasons this time.

I try to force myself to stop crying, but it just starts a fire in my throat, but I don’t want her to see me upset. I want her to know how happy I am that she is here and safe.

“Grandpa Elly said you’d come get me and he was right.” The smile that follows her words is big and bright. I force one onto my own face, even though her statement chills me to the bone. Grandpa Elly.

I take another deep inhale as I look at Ash briefly, before focusing on her again. I don’t want to ask my next question; I don't even want to think it. “Did Grandpa Elly hurt you baby?” The words taste like poison on my tongue, and I’m not sure I want the answer, but I have to know.

She scrunches her nose up in confusion, “No,” she says sweetly and then smiles, “he gave me ice cream and candy and let me play every day.” Her words as usual are rushed and slightly mispronounced, but the tension eases in me ever so slightly.

How? How can she have survived a week in the Devil's mansion, and be here now unscathed?

“Are you sure baby? Did he…” I pause as the bile rises in my throat, “did he touch you; did anyone touch you or hurt you, it’s okay, you can tell Mommy.”

The smile drops from her face and my blood runs cold as I prepare for her answer. “No everybody was nice. I played with Elly and Greggy and a nice lady named Sarah came by, but she was sad.”

The mention of my mother’s name jars me, I dread to think of all the things she must have been told. “And what did they say to you about why you were away from Mommy.”

She smiles again, “they said you were having a little think about what you did.” She pauses before asking, “what did you do Mommy?”

Not enough. That’s what I want to tell her, but her innocence would never be able to comprehend it, so I settle on, “I trusted the wrong people and got a boo boo.”

“Oh no, are you okay?” She reaches out to touch my forehead as if to check my temperature and my heart bursts with love for her gentle kind ways.

Tears continue to coat my cheeks, “I’m all better now that you’re here.”

“Greggy said you were coming soon. That you are his queen and soon we would all be together.” Her childlike wonder makes it sound like a dream when in fact it’s my worst nightmare. A nightmare I almost allowed. A nightmare I almost walked right into and would have if the guys didn’t get to me first. So fucking close.

I go to ask her another question when she casts her gaze over my shoulder and her eyes widen in delight, “Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Zaaaa.” She screams, struggling to wriggle from my arms. I don’t want to let her go, I don’t want to ever let her go, but I know I’m not the only one who has missed her.

I release my hold on her and Ash and I watch as she rushes towards Zack who has Arthur, Helen and Lily standing behind him. I didn’t even realize they were here; they must have been sleeping. I guess that this is the safe house Max put them all in from the start. She does the same thing I did and dives into Zack’s arms without a care for his injuries, then again, she doesn’t know anything about them. He doesn’t seem to care as he pulls her in tight and looks as if he never wants to let her go. Every time I see them together, I am thankful to have Zack in my life, even more so, now I almost lost him.

Zack reluctantly let’s her go as Helen steps towards them and Cassie leaps into her arms for a cuddle. I don’t hear what she says, but it causes tears to pour down all their faces as they bask in her presence. I pull my attention away from them, but only so I can keep my own tears at bay.

I turn to Ash first, “she’s back.” I whisper, still in disbelief and he pulls me into his arms.

“She's back.” He repeats back to me, “we did it,” he adds in a soft exhale like he still can’t quite believe it himself. I know I can’t.

I pull back and wipe the tears from my cheeks again as he does the same. I reach out and squeeze his hand and take comfort in the strength of his grip in mine. We are still here, still fighting.

My daughter is back, and my brother is alive. The Donovan’s came for me, again, and failed, again. This time they got too close to my utter destruction. I should have never come back here, never given them the chances they’ve had, but then who would make them pay? I have my family back together. Do I run and never look back, or fight harder than ever before?