This chapter is kind of violent. Take this as your warning….

Wake Up Call – Maroon 5

Sanders, Arizona

June 7, 2019

4:00 AM

Troy barely noticed the little falling apart jail that he and his parents had always looked out for on their way to visit his grandparents in California as he passed it on Interstate 40, looking for the turn off for Sanders. He was too busy hoping that he had finally found something that could lead him to Gabriella.

It really got on his nerves that the filth that haunts his wife's past as well as his, Abby's, and everyone else who was around them at that time, could slither there way once again into their lives, and bring the children into the mess as well. Then on the other hand he kept cursing himself for everything that had happened most recently as well.

'I should have watched my family closer after we got that call... I should have followed Gabi and Abby when they pulled out those guns and drove away... I should have killed those bastards before they were able to get it easy with only time in jail...' the thoughts all circled around in him mind, each pounding more guilt into him. Then when he turned off the Interstate, a new thought hit him so hard it made him flinch. The image of his wife and the Evans twins' bodies being found somewhere in the Rio Grande River wrapped in garbage bags.

"I..." he gulped down a lump in his throat as that image danced in his head like a thousand demons, "I'm a horrible husband, and a terrible friend... I can't protect those around me..." he said the words out loud, letting that idea get embedded further into his head. His foot eased off the gas peddle and he started to slow down, causing cars behind him to honk and pass him, some flipping him the bird.

'No,' a small voice whispered among the thoughts of horror and regret. He wasn't even sure if he was actually hearing it, 'You can fix this. You will save her, and the boys.' He sped up again with new determination of getting to that hospital and finding the men who continue to cause his wife and friends grief.

Emergency room

Bryce sat on the end of the bench covered in paper as the doctor finished the stitches in his arm.

"Alright, you're all done. Why don't you wait here while I go write out a pain subscription and get the paperwork you need to fill out."

"More paperwork?"

"You were shot. Even if by accident on your own, we need to file a report for the police if it's needed. Legal issues." The doctor explained as he walked from the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, good thing I gave you fake information then." Bryce mumbled, jumping off the bench and gathering all the tools that had his DNA on them and sticking them in the trash bag. Then he opened the window, glad he was still on the first floor and jumped out, trash bag in hand. He'd dump it as soon as he found a dumpster far enough away from the hospital.

"UUAGH!" Troy yelled as he got back in his car and slammed the door as hard as he could. He couldn't believe that he had missed Bryce by five freaking minutes. It was near seven in the morning and he had wasted all this time, just to come up empty handed.

"Ryan?" He said into his cell phone in an agonized voice once he heard someone pick up the phone.

"No, it's Abby." She replied very quietly.

"I got to the hospital about five minutes too late. He had just escaped after giving them the wrong information and after they had fixed him up and taken the bullet out." Troy answered, doing his best not to cry as he rested his head on the steering wheel.

"It's not your fault Troy." Abby responded, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "No one understands how Bryce thinks. He should be in a white padded room in a straight jacket."

"I feel like I've failed my family and yours though." He replied, tears starting to run down his face and falling onto the steering wheel.

"I know how you feel. Me and Ryan both." Abby replied as she picked up a Spiderman action figure.

"I know, but I should have..."

"No, Troy, I should have. I should have told you guys about Bryce's abuse long before you guys found out, and I should have shot him in the chest rather than arm... I... I just couldn't kill him in front of Kelly... I couldn't do what needed to be done... I'm too soft." Abby clutched the toy to her chest tightly.

"That's not it at all, Abby. You did the right thing, you protected my daughter..." Troy tried soothing her, "You protected her and brought her back safely. Leave the rest to Ryan and me."

Libby's house.

8:00 AM

Bryce parked the Volvo in the garage and stalked back into the house. That Abigail Evans had lived and had talked. That's the only way that that Troy Bolton could be on his trail. He had seen Troy turning into the hospital parking lot just as he had slipped behind the tinted windows of the Volvo and pulled out of his two parking spaces. He had wasted too much time getting back to his car without being seen, but he had learned something. They would all have to leave Libby's house.

Bryce opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer, cracking it open as he walked into the living room where he expected to find Libby. Instead, he only found Casey, sitting on the white couch, with muddy shoes. He was busy ripping apart a picture book and drawing on the pages with a black marker.

"Hi daddy."

"Where's your mother?" Bryce grunted.

"Um, I think I heard her in her bedroom when I got home. Must have a headache, so I leaved her alone." Casey said shyly.

"Ok, go upstairs and pack some clothes, we are going away for a while."

"Like a vacation?"

"You could think that."

"Yay!" Casey climbed down and ran to the stairs, leaving more muddy tracks that already tracked along the white carpet.

Bryce followed up after his son until he got to his and Libby's room. Without a pause he opened the door and stepped in, "Libby, we--" He cut short at the sound of a gasp and his eyes adjusted to the gloom to reveal his brother posed over Libby who lay on the bed, hair spread out in a knotted mess around her. There were no blankets or sheets to disrupt the sight of what the two of them were doing, or had been doing as they were frozen, twisted around to meet Bryce's gaze.

Anger boiled Bryce's blood as he stood in the doorway in shock.

"B-Bryce..." Libby gasped, her voice barely audible.

"Bitch! Whore! I should have known better than to think you were different than any other female in this world!" Bryce exploded, stalking over to the bed and smacking Edward off the woman who had started to tremble. He grabbed her around the neck and picked her up.

"I..." her raspy plea turned painful as her air supply was cut off.

"You belong to me, bitch!" he back handed her so hard Edward was amazed that her neck didn't snap. The movement shot a pain down Bryce's arm as he used his wounded arm to slap her, and he flinched a bit.

"Pu-se--" she gasped with the last of her air, her fingers clawing at Bryce's hand to release her.

"Please? Please what? You little kunt, you get no kindness from a man you just turned into a fool!"

"Bryce, stop." Edward spoke up, his voice bored as if he knew his brother would listen to him, "She's just a sleeper who is capable of giving sons. That at least makes her worth it." he pulled on his jeans.

"Shut up, Ed. You know she's mine to do with what I wish. And you had no right to touch her!" Bryce forced Libby down, her body twisting in painful positions, as he pressed her into the mattress.

Edward's voice changed to show a little panic, "Bryce! You'll kill her!"

"It's what she gets!"

"Stop it! She's not yours!" Edward shouted running at his brother, aiming to take him down using the gunshot wound.

Bryce straitened, lifting his hand from Libby's throat, causing Edward to stop his attack.

"Yours, huh? I see now."

Libby lay unmoving in her twisted state, gasping for breath.

Bryce's hand flung to his belt and he pulled out Abby's gun that he still had and pressed it to Libby's chest. His finger released the safety switch and pulled the trigger before Edward could respond.

Libby lay stiffly, her eyes wide for half a second, then her body relaxed and her breathing stopped.

A gunshot echoed through the house down to the small room that held Gabriella and the Evans Twins captive.

"What was that? asked Robby, clinging tighter to Gabriella's shirt.

"I... don't know." Gabriella answered wishing she could hug the two boys, but her handcuffs were still preventing her.

Edward stood helpless a few feet away from his brother and Libby's dead body.

"Get out." Bryce hissed venomously, "Take your bastard son, I don't want any son of hers, and take your other slut and get out of my house."

Edward twitched with anger, "How dare you..."

Bryce trained the gun on his brother, "I'm giving you one last chance, brother. Get out."

So random guess, but you all hate us now? Have to admit, we couldn't wait to post this chapter. Especially with the cliff we left it on :) Then again, you probably don't care if Edward dies or not, huh?