Prolgue
Four years ago
Yesterday was Hamish's 13th birthday. The youngest son in the Stewart family was no longer a child, he was now a teenager and would begin his training with his father. His father was the head of the Stewart Mafia.
Sarah was happy, she had four sons who she adored and was proud of. Her husband had made it known that he was thankful for his sons, he never really wanted a girl. In his line of work, girls were currency and would only be used to broker deals.
The night after Hamish's 13 birthday, Sarah overheard her husband talking on the phone. He was talking about the only female member of the Gallagher family. Sarah wasn't going to listen to the conversation until she heard her husband talking about what a great pussy the girl had. Addison Gallagher would barely be 18 but her husband talked as if he had been with the girl for a long time. As the conversation wound down, Sarah heard that her husband was planning on allowing others to use the girl in the cell and then hand over Sarah to some men so she too could service people.
Sarah stepped back from the door not knowing her youngest son was standing behind her. Hamish had heard the entire conversation and in fact, had recorded it without realising it. He was playing with his new phone that he got for his birthday. Sarah dragged her son into his bedroom, she didn't know how much he had heard but she knew she would be fleeing and trying to take Addison with her. She couldn't leave a young girl in that position.
"Mum, we have to tell someone what Dad is going to do with you" Hamish ranted as soon as the door was closed. "Hamish listen to me. You won't say anything to anyone. I will be leaving and you have a choice. You can stay and say nothing about what your father is doing, or you come with me. I will be getting Addison out" Sarah told her youngest. She hoped Hamish would keep his mouth shut long enough for her to get Addison and herself somewhere safe but he was still a young child and shouldn't have to bear that responsibility. "I'm coming with you, mum. He will kill you if he finds you" Hamish told his mother knowing what happens when you try to get out of the mafia. It had been drilled into him since he was a baby.
Sarah studied her son's face checking he was telling the truth. Once she saw nothing but the truth in his eyes, she pulled her son into her arms and embraced him. "Hamish, no matter what happens, I love you and your brothers so much" Sarah whispered to her son before kissing him on the head.
"Be ready when you get the signal" Sarah told her youngest son before leaving the room. Hamish knew the signal would be something he couldn't miss so he quickly got clothes and shoved them in his school bag which was sitting beside the door. Hamish got himself dressed and lay in bed in case someone, besides his mother, came to check on him before he got the signal from his mother.
Sarah went to her office to get herself organised. She had always had an escape planned out in case she ever needed it. She was the daughter of a gang leader and knew how dangerous this type of life could be. She grabbed the cash and fake IDs out of the secret vault she had hidden in the library and shoved it all in a bag. Now all she needed to do was get to Addison and get her out before coming back for the final part of the plan.
Sarah headed to the cells using the back entrance, she and her husband were the only people who knew of this entrance for safety purposes. She walked slowly along the cells until she got to the last one which held a young girl who was tied to the bed naked. The young girl had bruises all over her body. She was staring at Sarah.
Sarah didn't realise she had tears running down her face at the sight of Addison. She slowly walked into the cell over to the girl and cut her free. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm here to get you out" Sarah whispered to the girl as sometimes these walls had ears.
Addison was barely conscious but nodded her head. She hadn't had anything to drink in close to 24 hours after spitting on Bruce when he came to use her body again. Addison wiped Sarah's tears and nodded her head to the open cell indicating they needed to go. Addison knew that someone would be down soon.
Sarah covered Addison in her jacket and led her to the car she had parked out on the main road. She gave her some water and a blanket. "I will be back with my son in 30 minutes. If anything goes wrong there is a phone in the glove box it will ring three times answer on the third call and they will instruct you where to go" Sarah told Addison who was busy drinking the water. "Thank you, I am Addison" she replied. Sarah nodded her head and returned home.
She stormed into her room ready for the next part of the place. Sarah knew she had to act quickly so she threw a vase alerting all her sons and her husband to her whereabouts and that something was wrong.
Her husband and sons stormed into the room with guns drawn bracing for danger. One son knew it was the signal and snuck out the back. "You, you cheated on me. How could you?" Sarah screeched when she saw her husband come into the room. "Sarah what are you talking about?" Bruce asked his wife calmly. He knew she had no idea about Addison and there was no other person he had cheated with. The rest of her sons retreated out of the room to leave their parents with privacy.
"You cheated on me with another woman Bruce" Sarah wailed and even pretended to cry. "Baby I never" Bruce began but Sarah picked up a book throwing it at Bruce. "I'm going to your mother's house don't you dare come after me Bruce," Sarah said grabbing the bags with the cash and ID in and fleeing the house. Hamish met his mother and they both fled to the waiting car that was untraceable thanks to her father's connections.
The next morning when Bruce went down to get his release before going to collect his wife he found Addison wasn't in her cell. He knew then what had happened and he vowed to kill his wife and his whore.
Sarah, Hamish and Addison fled to Sarah's godmother's house. Sarah knew they would be safe there. Sarah's godmother, Tamara was a doctor so she could help with looking after Addison. She would also help to hide Sarah and Hamish long term because by now her husband would know that she had helped to get Addison out.
When Sarah arrived, Tamara helped to get Addison cleaned up and found she was pregnant, 12 weeks along. Addison was adamant that she was in fact, keeping the baby. It didn't matter how the child was conceived. She also needed the child to prove to her brothers that she had been raped.
For six months Addison remained on bed rest as she had a blood clot near her cervix which could rupture and cause her to lose the baby. During that time, she recorded things for her family so they would know exactly what happened. She also wanted Sarah to be able to prove to her family why she ran. Addison knew she wouldn't survive the labour and birth of her child.
Hamish and Addison got close and he apologised to her for what his father had done to her. Hamish once looked up to his father but now he wanted his father's blood. He made a vow to Addison he would protect the child she birthed as they were his siblings. He would never allow his father to harm the child and he would protect the child as if it were his own.
Addison had papers drawn up giving guardianship of the child to Sarah until Hamish was 16, she didn't want her family raising the child at all. She hoped that Sarah and Hamish would be able to give her child a normal life.
Tamara had hidden the three underground and kept watch over them. She also kept an ear out for anyone looking for the three. She had wanted Sarah and Hamish to flee leaving Addison behind but Sarah refused especially after recording the videos of Addison telling her story. There was no way that Addison would be sent back to her family. Sarah saw Addison as her daughter now and made a blood oath to Addison and the child.
When Addison was 39 weeks they got word that Bruce and his other sons were close to finding their location. Addison knew she had to give birth to the baby and pleaded with Tamara to induce labour as it was the only chance for the others to survive. Tamara also knew that Addison had very little chance of surviving without major medical intervention which she couldn't access without giving away her location. Tamara broke Addison's waters and labour began.
Bruce and his team were close to finding Sarah, Hamish and Addison. Bruce hadn't told his sons about Addison except to say she had taken Sarah and Hamish. They didn't realise what was happening and just wanted their mother and youngest brother back. They wanted to bring the pair home where they belonged.
Addison birthed a baby girl with Sarah and Hamish by her side. She held her daughter for an hour as Tamara tried to stop the bleeding. "Her name is Delilah Jayne Gallagher-Stewart. Make sure she knows she was loved and wanted by me. Protect her till your last breath please" Addison asked both Sarah and Hamish.
"We will protect both of you" Hamish replied. Tamara looked at Sarah just as the emergency phone rang. Sarah answered the phone to be told that he husband was an hour away.
Addison was getting weak from blood loss. "Hamish, protect your sister. I'm not going to make it. Please do take care of my baby" Addison whispered feeling herself getting weaker. "We have to go now" Sarah screamed out. Addison nodded and smiled, she had delivered her daughter safely. She could leave this world peacefully knowing she had done one thing right. "Mum we have to take her with us" Hamish begged but Tamara and Sarah knew they couldn't save Addison and dragged Hamish away kicking and screaming.
Bruce and his team turned up to the underground safe house less than an hour after Sarah fled with Hamish, Delilah and Tamara. He saw Addison clinging to life on the hospital bed and he was fuming. All she did was smile at him, mocking Bruce. "You lose Bruce, she is safe and everyone will know what you did" Addison said before she took her last breath.
Bruce saw the baby things that were left behind and knew that he would have to find and destroy the baby along with his wife. He didn't want his sons to know what he had done at all. He would have to punish his youngest son but hoped Hamish would get on board so he wouldn't have to kill him too.
For two more years, Bruce tracked his wife and youngest child wanting to know what happened to the child Addison birthed so he could get rid of it. Sarah and Hamish never stayed in one place longer than three months. Hamish finished his schooling with his mother homeschooling him.
Sarah raised Delilah as one of her own. She was the easiest baby you could imagine. She was happy as long as she was with Sarah or Hamish. She had seen things that no child should have seen though as a few times, Sarah and Hamish had to fight for their lives against people who found them.
On Hamish's 16th birthday, Bruce found them. Sarah was able to get Hamish and Delilah out by acting as a decoy herself knowing she wouldn't make it out alive. They had just got word that Bruce had killed the head of the Gallagher mafia leaving Addison's brother in charge. This was a distraction to throw them off and it worked allowing Bruce to find his wife.
Hamish took his sister after watching his father kill his mother in cold blood. He had been trained for this and knew exactly what to do. He was now legally the guardian of his little sister and he knew he had to keep her safe and hidden. He would never return to his family believing they all knew what their father had done and what he was planning to do with his sister. He just hoped that he could fulfil his promise to Addison and keep his sister safe.
