Jammed

*Sandra*

They instantly did a perimeter check and realized someone was listening from outside of the gate. That's when Joseph ordered that they place jammers in all corners of the city house I finally felt like I could breathe. What did he hear? I found myself wishing he could hear the bedroom, but Joseph already has a jammer in there. It's also soundproofed. We went up there as soon as Henry had his epiphany. As soon as we got up there I excused myself to the bathroom. He was still listening, still watching, still trying to take control of my life. I had to get away from them, I couldn't let them see me break down. I had been so focused on how happy I have been, the pleasure, and security that I forgot that he was so connected. I forgot that he wouldn't stop coming for me. I almost believed that he couldn't get to me, and he will. I know that now, I know he will get to me eventually. The burning in my eyes overpowered my will not to cry and the tears started to fall. Suddenly I was screaming and throwing whatever I could grab in the bathroom. I didn't even think about who could hear me, I just wanted the burning inside me to come out. I didn't notice when the door busted open, but I felt the giant arms tighten around me. I screamed and pushed against them as hard as I could. I couldn't hear anything but Ryan's voice telling me he couldn't wait to touch me again. "He's going to get me, he won't stop until he does!" I screamed through the sobs. Suddenly someone was holding my face. "Sandra, look at me" I instantly started to feel exhausted. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a terrified Joseph looking back at me. I didn't have the energy to say anything, I just stared at him with tears still running down my face. "Sandra, I will never let him take you from me, I promise. I will never let anyone take you from me again." I looked up at his eyes and saw tears threatening to fall from his eyes as well. I relaxed giving in to the overwhelming need to stop him from hurting. I looked back at Zeus who I realized was the one who had grabbed me and smiled at him letting him know he could let go.

I put my hand on Jospeh's cheek and he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Jo, I didn't mean to break down like that." He smiled at me kissing my forehead. "Don't ever apologize to me for being your beautiful self." I looked over and saw Henry clearly shaken up by the door. I walked over to him and hugged him. "Im okay buddy, I'll be okay, I think it was just a lot to know he was still trying to have some control over me. This has been like paradise for me, being here, feeling safe." I turned around and looked at all of them. " I guess it just felt like he was going to take all that away from me. I know that he has connections. I know he has power in the city, fired or not. Who knows what he might be telling people? The captain even asked me if I was being forced to divorce him. I felt all of it building up, the shit I have been ignoring, and I had to let it out." Each of them told me a way in which they have done the same thing. Joseph said he busted up his whole office before. Henry said he threw a whole stack of plates at the wall, and Zeus busted the window out of one of the SUVs with his fist. He reached his hand out to point out the scars. I asked them why they were so mad, not thinking, and Joseph looked at me and said one word, "Mason." It's crazy that Ryan had affected all of our lives so horribly. He took a lot from me, but he took a lot from them too. "Well let's go get a drink fellas, I will clean up this mess later," I said glancing around at the damage I had caused. "Miss J will get it, I'll call her," Joseph said pulling out his phone. I stopped him and shrugged as we walked out of the bathroom heading for the bar in the kitchen. "I can clean it up, I am embarrassed enough." Joseph turned and lifted me completely off the ground spinning me around and sitting me up on the bar. "Stop." He sounded a little harsh when he said it and I smiled shyly rolling my eyes. He leaned in and growled into my ear quietly so the others wouldn't hear him. I felt the hair rise on my arms. I took a deep breath and bit my bottom lip. He called her anyway.

"Well, we know he can't hear anything anymore. How do we think he heard us in the first place?" Henry asked looking around at all of us. I looked at Joseph and shrugged. "He never really told me about work much, He told me he was coming for Jo the morning you guys grabbed me. I knew he had been chasing the brotherhood for a while though. When he killed Mason, I didn't know why, I didn't know how it happened. They made him sound like a hero. They said he took out one of the higher-ups in the gang. It's why they gave him the key. The night of the banquet, the first time I noticed you." He kind of chuckled at me when I said that. It seemed off as they never look tickled when they speak of Mason. "He told us you would be feisty that night," Zeus remembered. I looked at them sternly. "He wasn't wrong." They all laughed. "He did, he told us we would have to sedate you. He said he knew you would be a fighter and he didn't want you hurt in any way. We didn't know of course about how much of a monster Ryan was at the time but Jo saw that you were unhappy at that banquet. He could read you even then. He said you were miserable when he saw you. that you didn't want to clap for him. We didn't know you then Sandra. We didn't know that you and Jo had some summer romance before. We just knew you were his wife and we wanted to get to him somehow." He almost sounded like he felt guilty still for that part. For the kidnapping. I jumped down off the bar and walked over to him. I put my hand on his massive arm and smiled at him. "Thank you for kidnapping me." He looked down at my eyes for a minute and we all started laughing. I realized he hadn't said anything to me about the kidnapping and maybe he just had to get his feelings out about it too.

We all talked for hours, but not about Ryan, they all told me stories about the brotherhood. They talked about each other and themselves. They also told me stories about Mason. He sounds like he was a soldier. He was a hard ass. Straight business. They talked about how no one could break through his armor. Joseph said he was always like that. Back when they left Ohio he said Mason stayed on him to focus. I felt sadness knowing the Joseph I knew back then, who was much different than the one I know now, was sad for so long when I wouldn't come with him to New York. I looked at my phone and it was almost four in the morning. "I am sleepy guys, I am going to go get some sleep." I smiled at them, walked over kissed Joseph on his cheek, and left for the bedroom. When I walked into the bathroom it was clean. It looked like nothing had happened. How does she do that? I didn't even see her come in. Creepy. I laughed to myself. I changed into a soft pair of pajamas and washed my face with cold water. After brushing my teeth I went and crawled into bed. I could hear muffled voices and the door shutting as Zeus and Henry must have left for the night. I heard Joseph walking around shutting off lights. He came into the bedroom quietly probably thinking I had already fallen asleep. I could feel his eyes on me. I opened my eyes and smiled at him. He took off his pants and climbed into the bed behind me. His body was warm and comforting against mine. I started to want him to touch me, I could feel my breathing getting harder. My heart was speeding up. I rolled over to face him and he had his eyes closed.

I leaned up to his ear and whispered "I want you to take me back to paradise."