I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. All I could think about was the fact that Maxwell was here in my apartment, with a gun to my back and nobody knew he was here. Cameron was back at his apartment no doubt, and would think I was just taking my time packing my things. I couldn't even rejoice in the fact that Cameron asked me to move in with him, Maxwell once again proved to ruin everything good in my life.

"What do you want?" I asked quietly, surprised my voice was as steady as it was. "I want what was taken from me" He growled. i still couldn't see him, he was hidden behind me, but I felt his breath on the back of my neck. I was just as disgusted as I was the first time he touched me, nothing changed between us.

"I can't give you back your company, Maxwell" I said strongly. Maxwell got what he deserved when James Enterprises wiped Preston Towers clean. I feel bad for the employees who served under him, but both Maxwell and my mother got what they deserved. "I don't want that company! I want all the money that I lost"

He was screaming now, and i felt my eyes well up with tears at the thought of Maxwell shooting me and nobody finding me. I didn't fear death, I just feared leaving the world too soon without ever making a difference. Or worse, I wouldn't even die when he shot me. I was just become vegetated and become a burden in my own head, that seemed much worse to me.

"How much?" I whispered, Maxwell dug the gun farther into my back. It was almost painful.

"Ten Billion"

I gasped. There was no way in hell I had that kind of money, and farther more-- Preston Towers wasn't even worth that much. "You and I both know you didn't have that much money, who are you trying to fool?" I asked, my voice finally quivering just like I expected it to.

"I don't care, get me the money and I will be out of your life for good"

"You'll never be out of my life Maxwell, there's always a sick reminder of what you did to me in my head" Maxwell chuckled and finally guided me farther into my bedroom. He shoved me back onto my bed and pointed his gun towards my forehead instead.

He looked terrible. Like he hadn't slept in months, haden't eaten and was living on the streets. Maxwell and my mother sort of disappeared off of New York's radar when they lost their company. So nobody knew how bad off they were, and from the looks of it-- they were bad.

"Where's my mother?" I asked, wondering what part she played in this sick scheme of his. He shrugged and fiddled with the back of the gun. "Bitch took off the moment I lost everything, didn't surprise me"

It honestly didn't surprise me either. My mother did a complete 180 turn around when she married this monster, she's probably already found some other ignorant wealthy man to marry. "If I give you enough money to leave town, will you leave us alone?" I asked, hoping he would take whatever I had to offer.

Maxwell smirked and bent down closer to my level, he smelled completely drunk. "I need more than even you have. Where's you cell phone?" He asked. I furrowed my brow and told him it was in my purse. He nodded and grabbed my hair and dragged me through my apartment, and yanked my phone out of my bag.

"Call him" He demanded and I immediately knew he wanted Cameron on the phone. "No" I said firmly, I would not drag Cameron into my mess. I felt the sting of Maxwell's hand across my face before he placed the barrel of the gun between my eyes. "Call him now or I'll blow your pretty little brains out. And then I'll head over to his and do the same to your precious Cameron" he growled and shoved the phone back into my hands.

I felt the tears running down my cheeks as I clicked through my phone until I found Cameron's name, and hit dial. Maxwell grabbed the phone again and hit the speaker button just as Cameron picked up.

"Sweetheart where are you? Get your sweet ass over here" I heard him say, I placed my head in my hands hoping to shut off some part of my brain that enabled me from dealing with this situation. It was useless.

"Cameron" Maxwell growled into the phone "Avery is a little busy right now"

"You son of a bitch! Where is she?" Cameron practically screamed into the phone. I whimpered at the sound of his voice, and wished more than anything to just be in his arms again.

"She's here. I want money Cameron. I want the money I lost when you took my company!" Maxwell was fuming, I was terrified he would snap and accidentally pull the trigger, the gun was still pointed at my head.

"Whatever you want Maxwell, just don't hurt her!" Cameron said into the phone. "How much do you want?" He asked.

"Ten billion" Maxwell repeated for Cameron. "Done" he answered.

"But I swear to God if you touch one hair on her head, I will fucking kill you" Cameron growled. "Then you better hurry" with that, Maxwell hung up the phone.

"I have to admit, I didn't think Cameron would give in so easily to me" Maxwell shoved me over so I was sitting in the center of my couch, and plopped down beside me--keeping the gun pointed into my side. I sighed and ran a hand over my cheek, I could feel a bruise already starting to form. He hit me pretty hard.

"You know the second you get your money we will find you" I said "You wont get away with this"

"Oh I will. I have no intention of letting the two of you out of here alive" Maxwell smirked over to me. I grew worried that Maxwell would kill Cameron the second he walked into my apartment. I couldn't live without him, he was one of the only good things in my life. If Maxwell took him away from me like he took away so many other things, I would make him pay. Or I would die trying.

It felt like I was sitting here for hours. Hours of waiting for Cameron to get here, when in all actuality it was only thirty minutes. "Avery! Baby!" He shouted and burst through my apartment door. I looked up and locked eyes with him. My eyes pleading with him to leave, to get away from the situation. While his looked at me with worry, and desperation to get me out of here.

Cameron took a step closer to me, but Maxwell intervened and wrapped an arm around my neck--the gun pointed at my temple. "You asshole! you let her go, now!" I have never seen Cameron this angry. I have never seen this look in his eye, a look that could kill.

I grabbed at Maxwell's arm, trying desperately to give myself some room to breathe. "My money! I want my money!" Maxwell was screaming in my ear, so loud I winced and moved my head away from him. Big mistake. Maxwell wrapped my hair around his wrist and pulled me closer to him, my feet barely able to keep me on the ground on my own.

"Please. Let her go and you can have it" Cameron whispered. He had a large bag in his hand and opened it showing Maxwell the piles of cash placed inside. My eyes widened at how Cameron got all that money that quick. And the fact that he had that much.

"Is that all of it?" Maxwell asked, his grip only slightly loosening on my hair. "Every penny" Cameron said. It was almost as if Cameron didn't truly know where to look. He looked between me, the gun, and Maxwell so often it was actually making my head hurt.

Cameron tossed the bag onto the couch and raised his hands as if surrendering to Maxwell. "Now please, let her go" Cameron was pleading with Maxwell. I could see the internal battle within him, between wanting to be cautious and rip Maxwell's throat out.

"You're an idiot James, you actually think I would let her go?" he asked it so condescendingly, like Cameron was the biggest idiot in the world.

"I wasn't counting on it" I gasp when Cameron said that, was he giving up on me? I didn't have too long to think on the matter because a gun shot sounded throughout my apartment. I screamed loudly thinking I had just been shot, or even worse -- Cameron was hit. But the blood that splattered across my face and the fact that I felt no pain, besides the agonizing fear, told me it wasn't either of us. It was Maxwell.

He was slumped down beside me, a bullet hole in his forehead. I was shaking as I looked down at him in shock. I looked over to see Tommy was standing in the doorway, his pistol in his hands. The gun our father had given him on his twenty first birthday. I felt tears rolling uncontrollably down my face as I looked between my brother and Cameron who were looking at my fragile state.

I wasn't quite sure what overtook my mind in that moment, but it wasn't pretty. I grabbed the gun Maxwell had in his hand and pointed it at him. I shot him everywhere I could. I shot him until the gun clicked and the magazine ran empty, and the gun fell from my hands. He was dead. The man that caused me years of pain was finally gone. It was like this giant weight was lifted off of my shoulders and I slumped to the floor.

I felt strong arms wrap around my body, and was lifted into Cameron's lap. He cradled me like a broken child, and I was clinging desperately to him. I couldn't let him leave me, I just couldn't. "I love you. I love you. I love you" I cried into his neck. It was the only thing I could think of, the only thing that mattered in that moment was my love for him.

"I love you so much Avery. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry" Cameron was now crying at this point, his own tears were dampening my hair. He cradled my head gently in his hands and kissed me with so much passion it was almost as if my heart had stopped.

I finally remembered that my brother was in the room, and leaped out of Cameron's arms, and into Tommy's. "Thank you so much Tommy, holy shit" I said wrapping my arms around my brother's waist and burying my head in his chest. His arms were around me instantly and he kissed the top of my head.

"I should have shot that fucker a long time ago" He mumbled into my hair. I heard the police sirens outside and knew we were going to have to deal with what had just happened. But I just couldn't let go of my brother. I pulled Cameron into my embrace and held onto the two of them as if they would fade into oblivion.

This was my family. This was home. These two men were all I needed. They were my protection, my heart....they were my everything.