Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
SILAS
Bang.
Bang.
Bang!
The faint sound woke me. I wanted to will it away, and sink back into the dreamless slumber but then faint raised voices followed and the heavy thudding steps of a guard grew closer.
“Silas.”
“Go away.”
“There’s a Penn Hargreaves at the door, making threats and demanding to see your sister. Do you want me to hurt him?”
Hurt him.
I cracked one eye open, finding the blurred wall of my bedroom. Hurt him. It didn’t even take me a second to find the answer. Yes. “No.”
The answer I wanted wasn’t the answer Penn Hargreaves wanted, nor was it the answer our family could afford. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
I pushed upwards, blinked then dragged one foot out of bed and followed with the other.
“I demand to see her!” The high-pitched whine found its way into my room. “You can’t keep me away! Do you hear me? You can’t keep me away!”
I snatched a shirt from the back of my chair, dragging it over my head and followed the guard to the front door. Harsh morning light made me wince. My bare feet cold against the tiled floor as I headed to the open front door and my sister’s pathetic boyfriend.
“You’re-you’re keeping her prisoner.” Penn Hargreaves stuttered, his eyes were wide, amped up on adrenaline as he stared at me.
“And what makes you say that?” I muttered, narrowing in on this idiot.
I didn’t like him. Not for any particular reason. In fact I didn’t really know the guy. But that didn’t stop me from being pissed off at his presence. I didn’t want him here, not at my home…and sure as fuck not near my goddamn sister.
“I…I demand to see her.” He straightened his spine, meeting my gaze. “And I’m not going anywhere until I do.”
“Is that right?” I stepped closer, but his gaze shifted to something behind me. His eyes widened and a look of fear moved in.
“Yes,” he whispered, looking at me once more. “That’s right.”
I didn’t need to look behind me to see who it was. The stench of alcohol and regret told me all I needed to know. “Hargreaves, what the fuck do you want?”
Penn lifted the cell in his hand. “To see Angelica. Or the next call I make will be the police.”
A twitch came at the corner of my eye. I didn’t like threats, even empty ones.
I wanted to take that cell phone and ram it down his throat. Let’s see him call the cops then.
Theo pushed in beside me. “What makes you think she wants to see you?”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
My gut clenched with the word, even Theo snarled with the words.
I wanted to throw this pathetic excuse for a man out of here.
I clenched my fists. I ached for it. But one look in Hargreaves’ eyes and I knew he wasn’t bluffing.
He’d call the cops, that I knew and right now, that was the last thing we needed.
“Fine.” I answered.
“Fine?” Theo wrenched that furious glare my way.
I gave a shrug, then stepped aside. Rage rippled in my brother’s glare as the kid stepped in, turning his body to the side as he skirted my brother and stepped inside our home.
“What’s going on?” Gabe strode from the hallway, still dressed in cotton boxers, his chest bare. He took one look at Penn and froze. His eyes widened. “No, she told you not to come.”
Did she just? And how did my little brother know that? Because he told her to say it. It was written all over his smitten goddamn face. I strode forward. “Looks like he didn’t get the hint, did he, little brother?”
Gabe’s eyes glinted with panic.
“You want to see our sister,” I muttered. “Fine, I’ll fucking take you.”
But before I could lead him anywhere Theo grabbed my arm, stopping me cold. There wasn’t just anger in Theo’s stare now. There was fear, and now…desperation.
I’d seen that look far too many times to count.
It usually meant, he was in trouble…but what kind of trouble now? I slowly turned my head to the hallway and our sister’s bedroom. Only one kind would prevent me from going into our sister’s bedroom.
“Theo.” I snarled and wrenched my focus on him, searching his eyes for the truth. What the fuck have you done?
But it was too late, Gabe was already heading toward the bedrooms…with Penn Hargreaves in tow.
“She’s not leaving.” Theo warned.
I yanked my arm free and headed after them. “No, she’s not.” Not if I had anything to do with it.
I caught up as they turned the corner and strode past Gabe’s open door to Angelica’s.
“Angel.” Gabe called and stopped at her door.
Angel? No one called her that…except for Mom.
That ache inside me only grew hungrier.
Angel.
The cold rush of air filled my lungs as Gabe turned the handle and pushed open her bedroom door. Hargreaves didn’t waste a second, pushing into her bedroom and calling out. “Baby, where are you?”
“Here,” she answered.
I stepped in, scanning the unmade bed and searched for anything out of place. Theo had something that I knew. But what?
I followed Hargreaves as he headed for a reading nook against the large bay window at the far end of her room. She was there, her feet curled up underneath herself, buried underneath an oversized caramel knitted throw that covered her body.
“Are you okay?” Hargreaves stopped, tilting her gaze to his.
I didn’t like him touching her. Not like this.
“You don’t answer my calls.” The schmuck sounded desperate as he pulled the book from her hand, placing it beside her. “And now this text, telling me to stay away. That’s not you.”
He pulled her upwards, forcing her to stand to hug him. She did, but her gaze went to me. Her eyes were dull, lifeless…empty, just like she had been yesterday.
“Nothing.” She answered, holding my stare. “There’s nothing wrong at all. Everything is perfect.”
“Perfect?” Hargreaves pulled her away, forcing her to focus on him. “Your parents have just been murdered. I don’t think perfect is the word to describe you right now.”
I turned and walked out, not wanting to see a second more. Rage rippled through me, enough to feel more dangerous than I should be.
“Silas.” Gabe called as I turned along the hallway and headed for the kitchen. “Silas.”
I stopped and turned. “What?”
“You’re not just going to let him…be in there are you?”
“And what the fuck do you suggest I do, Gabe?” I hissed the words. “You seem to have some grand ideas on how to deal with…her.” I glanced behind him. “So, speak the fuck up. What do you want me to do?”
Deal with her.
I knew exactly what I needed to do.
But that didn’t mean they did…especially Gabe. He was too involved with her. Too…infatuated. I turned away and headed for the kitchen. One of us had to stay in control. One of us had to get to the bottom of this and it sure as Hell wasn’t any of my brothers.
I strode into the kitchen, glancing at the dirty plate left on the sink from the sandwich I made her yesterday and set to work. Gabe lingered for a minute before he left, no doubt heading back to his room so he could listen to whatever was going on.
I pulled out a skillet, placed it on the stove and switched on the burner before adding butter and let it melt. My attention was divided, half focused on the doorway as I waited for Hargreaves to leave, the other part of my attention on the eggs I cracked into a bowl and whisked.
I rarely cooked for others, enjoying crafting a meal for myself. One that usually consisted of steak. But this was different. This was…purpose. Footsteps resounded. They were too light to be anyone who carried my genes, and they were too quick to be hers.
It was him.
Hargreaves scurried past as he headed for the front door. My fingers clenched against the bench as I stared at the pile of fluffy eggs on the plate in front of me. Goddamn lying bitch. I closed my eyes. Lying, fucking bitch with her goddamn boyfriend.
I didn’t understand why she affected me like this and I didn’t like it one little bit. Just keep to the plan, that’s all I have to do. I stared at the plate in front of me, then grabbed it along with a fork and strode to her room. The door was still open when I stopped.
I knocked softly. “It’s me.”
She turned when I entered, her gaze moved to the plate.
“Thought you might be hungry.”
She never spoke as I placed it on the desk along with the fork and straightened. But the way she looked at the food pissed me off. What, did she think I drugged it?
Movement came from the doorway behind me. Gabe’s presence was a lingering pressure at the back of my head. Always there. Haunting me everywhere I turned.
But that wasn’t true, was it?
No, he wasn’t haunting me. He was haunting her. Our sister.
“Anyway,” I muttered. “I’ll leave you to it.”
I turned and reached the doorway before she spoke.
“Thank you.”
Her words were so soft. Still, I gave a nod and walked out, passing Gabe as I left and headed for my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Stick with the plan. I gripped the back of my chair and stared at my laptop. That’s all I needed. I stick with the plan and this would all work out.
It had to.
There was no other way.
I pulled out the chair and logged into the server and sent a message to Sloane: any word on our problem?
I waited…but there was no reply.
What the fuck?
I typed again: Sloane?
Still, I waited and nothing.
I picked up the cell and called, listening to it ring and ring and ring.
This wasn’t like him. He didn’t not answer. I placed the phone down, staring at the empty screen. “Where the fuck are you?”
Cold air seeped in from somewhere, sending a shiver along my spine. The longer I stared at the silent cell, the more desperate I became. “First my parents, then my father fucks me with the will, and now this…”
It was dark when I looked up from the laptop. I’d forced myself to work, going through the files of the Mexican Cartel of all things, trying to understand why someone broke into our goddamn system. All I found was records and records of just how fucking dangerous these men really were.
Murder for hire, guns and drugs…a lot of goddamn drugs.
There was no way around this.
I was fucked.
No.
Someone fucked me.