Gia and Maddox ran through the back of the house then all the way through the huge first floor to the front door. Maddox looked through the window to make sure it was clear before they proceeded. Seeing no one in sight, he threw open the door and had taken no more than three steps before the loud voice boomed through the front yard.
"Freeze!” Bob said with a smile, "I got them, in the front yard." he said in his walkie-talkie.
Within seconds the two were surrounded, Maddox’s father and brothers were coming from the left, with a gang of security guards behind them. To top it all off, they looked to see Trent and Victor being led up the front yard by the police.
Gia scanned the yard, her breath catching in her throat as she watched them all crowd around her. They had been in this position once before and it had turned out disastrously. She closed her eyes and raised her chin, she had been someone else that last time, someone she no longer recognized. She was sick of hiding, she was sick of running and she was sick of this war, it ended today one way or another!
"You hold it right there Gia Love!" Victor yelled, running up to them, Xavier Payne coming up on their right and plenty of security guards filling in the gap.
Gia stopped dead in her tracks as Maddox tried to keep going, she yanked his hand, forcing him to stop. He may have been angry with her for her betrayal, but he was not going to let her go against this angry mob alone, he continued to hold her hand.
"What the hell are you doing here, you're supposed to be with your aunt!" Victor started yelling at her.
“Nice to see you too,
dad
.” Gia snapped sarcastically, as her anger began to spark.
"You can't control your own damn family, Love?" Xavier spat at him and Victor was furious that his daughter had once again humiliated him.
"You’re an embarrassment to your family, Gia and I'm ashamed that you’re my daughter!" he yelled as he stepped closer to her, his body shaking with rage. “I should have beaten you more often!" he finished right before his hand snaked out and he slapped her across the face.
There was a series of gasps, but Beatrix gasped the hardest. Just as Maddox was ready to pounce on Victor, Gia drew back her small hand and then slapped Victor across the face with all her might.
"
You’re
embarrassed to call
me
daughter?" she cried out, "I wasted my whole life trying to please you, I did everything you ever asked of me! All I
ever
wanted was your love and all you ever gave me was more hate! Well fuck your love, and
FUCK YOU
!" her eyes were glowing red with fury, and tears soaked her face, "I'm the one that's embarrassed to call you father."
"You cann
ot
talk to me like that, I
am
your father and you
will
address me as so-" he began but Gia cut him off.
"You're not my father, you gave me away to that wicked Bitch, Lenore!" she yelled hysterically as tears poured from her red-rimmed eyes, "I gave up Maddox and you still threw me away!" She cried hard, "I gave up the one person that I knew loved me, just for me. He fought the world to be with me and I gave him up for you!" she yelled. "
YOU
!"
"You have no family honor! You gave yourself to our enemy!" Victor hissed.
"Family honor?" she took of her white cloak then let it fall to the ground "I do have family honor, but you're not my family anymore." she took off the jacket that was underneath, she then stood there in a pair of her old sweatpants and a snug, white tank top.
“What is-” Victor’s words died on his tongue as he looked at Gia.
"This is my family now," there was a chorus of gasps as they all watched her put her hands to her protruding belly, "and my family has your blood as well as your enemies, how does that make you feel?" she smiled viciously, then turned around and started to walk away.
"You filthy, deceiving whore!” Victor raged as he ran after her.
"
STOP HIM
!" Beatrix demanded her only thought to protect her unborn grandchild.
"I told you she was no good, dad!" Trent yelled, "Let her go, she's Payne trash now!"
Maddox's brain was stuck on Gia’s round belly and the fact that her father was stalking towards her. Without another thought, Maddox freaked out and jumped on the man, tackling him to the ground.
As if on cue, Alice was squealing the tires of her old car as she sped back over to Gia. Gwen jumped out and quickly helped her into the back seat. As they sped off, Gia burst into tears and Gwen wrapped her arms around her as she released the devastating sadness she had been holding back. The car pulled away from the chaos in the yard as a huge fight erupted. They had to get her out of there, it was just too much stress on Gia, especially in her condition. If she was not careful, she would miscarry and they were not going to let that happen!
"He hates me." Gia sobbed on Gwen’s shoulder as Gwen put her hand on her head and held her close.
"It's going to be alright, we're going to get you out of here." Gwen tried to console her.
Gia turned around and took one last look at the man she loved. Maddox had told her never to come back to him, that he considered her his true enemy. She thought he had said it out of anger and frustration, but now she knew that he had meant it. She cried harder, knowing she was going to have her enemy's baby, all alone and she had no one to blame but herself.
***
There was chaos on the front lawn, everyone was fighting and Maddox was in the very center of the brawl. Maddox had just sent a punch to Trent's face when he looked up to see Alice squealing the tires of her car as she raced up the front yard. He felt he heart clench when she pulled to an abrupt halt next to Gia.
As the struggle continued around him, Maddox watched with a sudden rush of anxiety as Gwen jumped out of the car and helped Gia to carefully, albeit quickly get into the back seat. His heart raced so fast it felt like it would implode as he watched the car race at top speed in reverse back through the yard then out to the street.
He still could not believe what had just happened. Gia was like a tornado, she had ripped through their security gate, raced up his front yard, had created a 'woman' hunt, a serious brawl, slapped her father, revealed her pregnancy then was gone almost as quickly as she had appeared.
A million different feelings, a thousand and one scenarios, an irrational desperation and every emotion he had ever felt rushed through his head like a wrecking ball in the 3 seconds it took for him to react.
"Nooo!" he roared towards the disappearing car, pulling himself from the tangle of police officers, security guards, and their combined family. There was no way in hell would he allow her to disappear again after she had just crashed back into his life.
Maybe logic had no place in love, maybe rationality was against the rules and thinking opposed the very code of the heart. He was sick of thinking, he was sick of worrying and sick of forcing himself to hate, he wanted her back, by any means necessary.
***
What, was she crazy? Did she just hitchhike across the country to just punk out and leave? Did she slap her father across the face just to give up?
HELL NO! FUCK THAT!
"Turn the car around." Gia said lifting her head from Gwen's shoulder.
"What?" Alice asked pushing the car to 100 miles per hour.
"Turn around."
"I don't think it's a good idea, the cops are all over us, look!" Alice pointed behind them. Gwen and Gia turned to see the police car catching up behind them.
"Oh shit!" Gwen exclaimed, "Go faster!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Alice said, her foot already pushing the gas pedal to the floor.
"We're going to jail." Gwen said with a grin.
"They'll never catch us!" Alice smiled ear to ear, the thrill of the chase making her adrenaline pump at an accelerated rate.
"Neither one of you are going to jail, I'm taking full blame." Gia said firmly.
"No you’re not!" Alice immediately objected.
"We did this together!" Gwen firmly stated.
"No! I am not letting you get in
any
trouble over this! Pull over and let me out, I'm giving myself up!"
"Hell no!" Alice said, looking in her rear view mirror to see the police car gaining speed behind them.
"Out of the question!” Gwen squashed it.
"This is not how I expected this to go." Gia cried as she watched the police car gain on them. In all honesty, she had no idea what she had been expecting. Had she been stupid enough to believe Maddox would just forgive her so easily? "Just pull over, prison can't be much worse than my life." She finished as the police car pulled up beside them.
***
It probably was not a good idea for Maddox to jump into the police car, but there was no other transportation available. If he took the time to get his own car, he would lose Gia, and there was no way in hell he would allow that to happen.
"Pull over!" he yelled towards the speeding car. All three girls turned in surprise to see Maddox driving the police car, Alice laughed and Gwen exhaled the breath she had been holding for the past five minutes. Gia just looked at him "Pull over now!" he roared and Alice looked back to Gia for permission, Gia, still staring at Maddox, nodded her head.
"Hold on girlies." Alice said as she hit the brakes and the old car squealed to a smoky stop. Maddox did the same, then threw open the door, rushed out of the police car and jumped into the back of the car landing right next to a shocked Gia. Gwen climbed over the front to the passenger seat.