I bend over and throw my hair into a bun at the top of my head, letting out a deep breath.
I smile at the guys who are staring at me. I know they’re concerned, worried, but this is what I do. I’ve done this over a hundred times.
I am meant to do this.
No one protected us when we were kids; we didn’t have a savior. Me, Lynn, Vinny, and Danny, we all suffered, and my brother protected us as long as he could.
“Let’s do this.”
They get inside and I don't bother buckling my seat belt. We’re only minutes away. She texted me with an okay earlier. I can’t imagine how scared she is and I know the wait is excruciating.
My first thought when I pull up to her house is there is a shitload of people there. Fear runs through me. “Fuck, they must have started the wedding early!”
My heart is pounding so hard in my chest because I’m so scared for her. I know what she’s feeling right now, the absolutely terrifying feeling of knowing that your life is going to be so much worse.
You’re already not your own person, but then adding on a husband? To them, in God’s eyes, the men fully control you.
It’s hell.
I see the hell in every single woman and child. The future is unknown, but the hope is still there in the back of their minds.
The guys cuss and we step out. Wilder runs behind the house to make sure they don’t try to run out of the back with her. We have had that happen before but we caught up with them.
It’s been a major learning curve from the start. We learned the hard way but we didn’t make that same mistake twice.
Asking nicely does not work—a gun in the face usually does the trick.
Vinny runs right up to the door, kicking it in. I follow right behind Vinny, with the guys at my side and my back.
I hear a scream the second we step over the threshold. Women are clutching their chests and the men are staring at us.
Right in the middle of the living room is a thirteen-year-old girl in a white dress with a man old enough to be her grandfather; he looks fucking disgusting.
Her eyes seek me out from the group of men surrounding me. I give her a nod and a slight smile, letting her know that I’m here.
Her face is stained with tears and mascara, and she looks disgusted by the sick look on her would-be groom’s face as he smiles at her. She’s dressed like an adult, but it doesn’t cover up the fact that she’s a baby.
I let out a deep breath as it sinks in. We’re here in time.
“We are here for the girl,” I tell everyone in the room.
Silence, then the groom grabs her arm hard. The girl winces as she bends almost half at the tightness of his grip.
She looks at me with pure panic on her face. My stomach twists at the sight of the fear. The guys beside me take a step forward just as I do, preparing for a brawl. Everyone is just staring at us.
I pull my gun out of the holster, clicking off the safety and pointing it at the old fucker. “Release her, now,” I demand, my voice unwavering, my eyes trained on his every move.
I hear a bunch of women gasp dramatically and a few of the men shift in their seats, unsure of what to do.
The pastor, and the oldest guy in the room by far, steps from around them, moving closer to me, and the guys shift a little closer to me.
“Satan’s disciples are not welcome here, Jezebel.” He spits the last word and I try not to laugh.
I can’t count the number of times I get called that. I smirk at him. His steps falter at my smile. I am not a member of his church; his words mean nothing. “Let her go,” I demand once again.
The girl is shaking from head to toe, her eyes pleading with me.
A woman and man step forward in front of us. “We are her parents. She has our permission to marry,” the man who I assume is her father tells us.
I glare at them and all I feel is hatred. “Did she give permission? Did she want this? Did she want to be married to some shriveled up old cock? No, she fucking didn’t. She is thirteen years old. Her life should be about sports and spending time with her friends. Not being a fucking wife, where she will be abused every day of her life and forced to have children.” I unleash my fury on them.
The father’s face changes to so many different shades of red as I speak my mind, everyone in the room going silent as my words sink in.
But no one in this room has argued different. Their lives are hell.
“Give me the girl or I won’t be responsible for my actions.” My voice is clear, leaving no room for arguments.
The pedo tightens his hand on her, causing her to cry out in pain. I smile. “Big mistake.”
I lower my gun, pointing to his knee, and pull the trigger. His face shows his shock just before he hits the ground like a pile of lead, screaming at the top of his lungs.
People start crying, and the men stand like they are going to do something. She takes off running to me and her father swoops in at the last second and grabs her.
Hell no.
I step up and grab his arm, bending it up his back, and with one solid pull I break his arm. I throw him to the ground and his wife falls next to him.
I take the girl’s hand and pull her to me. She clings to me like her life depends on it—and in her case it does.
“This is not over,” the pastor calls out as I turn my back to the room.
I look at him over my shoulder. “It will never be over until all of you are dead.” The room is silent once more as my words sink in.
I will never rest. I will never settle until every single one of these fuckers is dead.
* * *
I sit in back with her on the way back while she cries and clutches my hand with all of her might.
“I just want you to know how brave you are…” I trail off, not knowing her name.
She wipes under her eyes. I reach into my bag and pull out a makeup wipe for her. “My name is Linda.” She finally gives me her name.
“I am so glad you got to me when you did. He married one of my friends who was a couple years older than me and she died in childbirth. I was nine and she was twelve when she married him.”
I hate that this happened. “I’m glad I got there in time too. You won’t ever have to worry about them ever again.”
She smiles. “I’m thankful for that. I’ve read in books what it’s like to be a teenager. I want that.”
“You will have all of that. You have so many options in life now.”
She smiles. “My parents weren’t mean to me. I will miss them but I won’t forgive them for forcing me to marry.”
I imagine the betrayal of her parents hurts her deeply no matter how great of parents they were. “I grew up in a cult also. I was forced to marry when I was fourteen years old. My sister Lynn was your age. I understand.”
Her eyes flash and I can tell she sees me in a new light. “I never would have thought.”
“My brother Vinny.” I nod my head in his direction. “He did also, but he ran away when he was very young.”
“Is it okay if I take a nap? I haven’t slept in days since I got the news.” I reach behind me and take a blanket out of the back. “I have some friends who want out also—can you help them too?”
I nod, and she leans against the door with the blanket tucked under her neck. The ride back to the houses is silent as everyone lets her get much-needed sleep.