AdamIt was a long drive from Chicago to where I was hiding Daphnie, and the traffic made it even longer. I had Daphnie hidden away in the woods in Northern Michigan. It was ten-thirty when I pulled up to the log cabin.I walked up to the door and rushed to unlock it, excited to return to Daphnie. Unsurprisingly, all the lights were out.She must be sleeping.Before going to the bedroom, I went to wash up in the bathroom. If Daphnie was sleeping, I didn't want to scare her with my horrid appearance. Before leaving, I had showered, shaved, and put on cologne but looked exhausted. The drive must have taken a toll on me.I splashed cold water on my face and walked to the bedroom. I slowly opened the door and saw Daphnie sleeping with Vader next to her. I sat down next to Daphnie and gently stroked her cheek with the back of my hand. Her eyes slowly opened, and it took less than a second for her to realize I was there."Adam!"Daphnie jumped up and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.

ChadI slowly pulled into a parking spot outside the bar. I was shocked Adam wanted to meet, considering he was getting married in a week. I assumed he and Daphnie would be busy with last-minute preparations. He said it would be a casual meeting, which shocked me even more.I walked inside and looked around; I saw Adam sitting at the bar, dressed in a black T-shirt, black leather jacket, and jeans. That was a sight I never thought I would see; it was odd to see Adam so laid back.I checked my watch as I approached the bar and saw I was right on time, which meant Adam had arrived early again."Can you ever be late?" I joked. "Or at least right on time?"Adam looked at me as I sat down next to him."No. I've kept the same mentality since I finished boot camp; that's something I can't change."I let out a sigh. Adam was right; he couldn't change, no matter how hard he tried. He would always be that Marine who fought to survive. I had no idea how Daphnie would handle being married to Adam

Three years later.ChadWe sped down the expressway, going way over the speed limit. My heart was pounding as I held on for dear life. I thought it was best if I drove, but Adam held a gun up to my head, insisting that he be the one to navigate. We were on a mission to rescue Daphnie; she had been kidnapped a few hours earlier while at dinner with Adam. Nobody could have seen it coming, but Adam still blamed himself for not being prepared.We followed the coordinates from a tracking device Adam put in Daphnie's bracelet. One might think that was crossing the line, but it was necessary, considering Adam's rise to power.Over the past three years, Adam became the most feared man in the Midwest. He was known to be ruthless and cold. He killed without mercy and strategized all his business so he was prepared for anything and everything. Adan answered to no one and anyone who dared to challenge or double-cross him ended up dead. Across the US and even in other countries, he was known as Th

Daphnie"Oh, my gosh!" Amber practically yelled, causing Ace to growl.Ace was a Belgian Malinois that Adam had military trained for me when we bought our house. From day one, Ace was protective over me, and now that I was pregnant, he wouldn't leave my side and trusted no one, not even poor Vader. I should've suspected something when I noticed his behavior changed; Ace wouldn't let Vader or any of our other dogs near me. If Adam were in a bad mood, Ace wouldn't let him be in the same room as me."Can you please tell your dog to back off?" Amber asked nervously.I rolled my eyes, gently put my hand on Ace's back, and said, "Ace, it's okay."Ace stopped growling but remained tense and focused on Amber."What is with that dog? What's with all the dogs? You have like twenty.""Seven," I corrected Amber.We had five Dobermen that guarded the outside, Vader and Ace. All the dogs, excluding Vader, had been military-trained. Adam didn't trust men to defend our home. As Adam became more power

AmberI planned on surprising Daphnie with a funnel cake from her favorite ice cream shack. She had been craving it, but Adam refused to let her eat junk food because he had her on a stupid diet to keep the baby healthy. Adam would be in the office all day, so I could get Daphnie her funnel cake without him ever knowing.I pulled up to the curb and got out of my car. I was relieved to see only three people in line.After a few minutes, it was my turn to order."What can I get for you?""I'll take one funnel cake with powdered sugar, please.""No ice cream on that?""No. My friend's weird; she likes everything plain.""Alright. Coming right up."I paid for my order and stepped to the side to wait."One funnel cake!"I stepped up to the window and took the container; it was surprisingly bulky. I awkwardly tried to balance the funnel cake on my arm as I reached for some napkins. I tripped on something as I turned around, and the container fell from my arm. I panicked until I saw someone