Chapter 8
Franklin fidgeted, drummed his thumb against his thigh, moved his feet on the car floor, leaned against the window only to straighten a few seconds later.
"For fuck's sake. You're like a squirmy toddler." Elvin glared at him from the driver's seat.
They were parked down the street from Axar's house and had been for over an hour. Franklin was going insane.
"There." Elvin tensed as one room after the other had their lights switched off.
"Let's go."
"No." Elvin reached over the center console to pull Franklin's hand off the door handle. "They're not asleep yet."
Franklin let out a low, menacing growl.
"You can snarl all you want. We still need to be careful."
Franklin cut the sound off. Elvin was right. Simply because someone switched the lights off didn't mean they were asleep. "Maybe Neoma has told him we're here."
Elvin nodded. "If she's real."
Was she? He wasn't sure what to believe.
They waited for half an hour, and it was the longest half hour of Franklin's life.
When they finally opened their doors, they did so as soundlessly as they could.
Moving through the night with Elvin by his side was something he'd done thousands of times before.
They were in sync, silent shapes blending into the shadows.
Franklin's chest vibrated in a soundless growl when he crouched by Axar's window and scented blood through the open crack. The blinds were down, so he couldn't see inside.
Elvin placed a hand on his forearm, a calming touch.
"Axar?" He kept his voice low. Maybe too low since there was no reply. He waited a few more seconds. "Baby, are you all right?"
There was a shuffling sound followed by a rattling. The hair on Franklin's neck stood on end. Was that the sound of a chain? He looked at Elvin and was met by sharp teeth. He hadn't imagined it then.
"Axar?" Franklin did his best to keep his voice calm.
"I'm here." He sounded tired, and Franklin's heart bled.
"Are you okay?"
There was a prolonged silence. "I'm not allowed to leave again. Neoma is growing agitated, but I can't...leave."
"Are you..." Franklin had to clear his voice. "Are you chained?"
Axar sighed. "She said she'd chain me to the bed last time I left. I didn't think she'd do it, but..."
Claws formed on his hands. "Is it a bespelled chain?" He didn't have a clue what psychics were capable of. Could they create a chain he couldn't break?
"I think it's an ordinary chain, but Franklin..." His voice trailed off.
"I'm here, sweetheart."
"I can't leave."
His heart threatened to splinter. "Why?"
"She said she'd had it with me, and if I ever leave again, she'll--"
"I'll protect you." If she came near Axar, he'd rip her to shreds.
"No, you don't get it. If I don't do what she says, she'll hurt Addox, and he can't take it." He was quiet for a couple of seconds. "I can't leave Addox."
"He's a grown man. He can take care of himself." Axar had said he was the youngest, hadn't he? So Addox must be in his mid-thirties.
"He's sensitive."
Franklin sought Elvin's gaze, not sure what to do.
"We can get him out later, Axar." Franklin nodded at Elvin's words and made a gesture for him to continue.
Maybe Axar was more willing to listen to him.
"First, we have to get you out, okay? We can only help Addox once you're safe.
We'll leave here, then come up with a plan to get him out, and we'll find out what happened to Neoma. "
"Go away. Axton is coming."
Franklin cursed under his breath, but both he and Elvin moved away from the window. The garden didn't have any good hiding spots, so they jumped over the fence into the neighboring one and crouched by some shrubs.
"The bars are fastened on the outside. I think we can get it loose with a screwdriver."
"What?" Franklin couldn't make sense of his words.
"The prison bars over his window. A screwdriver. We have to be quiet and careful, so no one sees us. Who wants to live like this when all the neighbors have to do is look out the window to know exactly what you're doing?"
Franklin didn't have a clue. It was his biggest nightmare to be trapped in a fucking suburb. "Do you have a screwdriver in your car?"
"No, but I know of someone who builds houses for a living who lives pretty close."
Franklin gritted his teeth. He didn't want to talk to Averett. It was bad enough he'd known of Franklin's wolves kidnapping a psychic when he hadn't. Having to beg for help on top of it did not sit well with Franklin. "I'll buy one. There has to be a store nearby."
Elvin gave him an unimpressed look. "There are no stores open in the middle of the night."
Sure there were. The gas station in Ulledo was open around the clock. Although, he may as well drive all the way home and get one as go to Ulledo. "Wait here. I'll be back in an hour." He clapped Elvin's shoulder.
"Seriously. Asking the Foolshope wolves will be so much faster."
Franklin shook his head. Nope, it was bad enough he had to inform Averett of being in his territory. He would not beg for help.
* * * *
When Franklin crouched next to Elvin, he had several screwdrivers in his hands. Showing up with the wrong size would've been catastrophic.
"I think they hurt him."
Ice washed over Franklin. "What?"
"Shortly after you'd left, I heard some thuds followed by a cry."
His heart banged in his ears. "Who?"
Elvin shrugged. "Axton? I'm not sure."
"I'm gonna kill the fucker."
"Let's focus on getting him out. The house has been calm for about forty-five minutes, so I think they're asleep."
Soundlessly, they jumped over the fence and crossed the lawn to the window.
Franklin handed Elvin a screwdriver, and both of them started unscrewing the bars.
Hadn't the neighbors reacted to there being bars over his window?
What kind of people allowed a grown man to be held captive by his mother? Insane.
"Ready?" Elvin held onto the bars, having dropped the screwdriver to the ground.
Franklin hurried to get the last screw loose.
He put the screwdriver in his back pocket and nodded for Elvin to lower the bars.
The paint peeled away where it had been fastened, and a low clank sounded when Elvin rested the iron against the wall.
A rattle sounded from inside, and Franklin slid his fingers along the edge of the window to try and open it, but the crack was too thin for him to get a grip.
"Axar?" He kept his voice in a whisper.
The window opened and slid past where it normally hit the bars. The blinds were pulled up, and on the other side of the glass stood Axar. He was beaten black and blue, and there was a look of shock on his face.
Franklin growled before he could stop himself. Then he took a calming breath. He needed to get Axar out of here. He could be angry later.
"Come on, honey, open the window."
It was an awning window, and Franklin had to duck as it swung open. Axar still hadn't said a word, but he kept staring at Franklin as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
Franklin jumped and pulled himself up over the windowsill, the frame digging into his hips as he dropped his weight over it and leaned down to reach the chain around Axar's leg. It was fucking insane that someone could chain their son to a wall.
He grabbed one of the links and pulled with all his might. His muscles strained, but the metal bent before finally snapping. The cuff they'd have to deal with later.
"Come on." He grabbed Axar's hand and tugged him toward the window as he allowed his feet to drop down on the ground again.
"But..." Axar allowed him to pull him to the opening, but he didn't climb out.
"Baby, come on. We can't linger."
Axar's eyes flew to his, then he nodded and put a foot on the windowsill. As soon as his other foot left the floor, Franklin reached for him and lifted him down. It wasn't high, but he didn't know what shape Axar was in. How fast did psychics heal?
"Let's go." Elvin had gathered the screwdrivers while Franklin had gotten Axar out.
"Are you able to run?" Franklin was unable to let go of Axar.
He got a hesitant nod in reply, which made him think he wasn't in any shape to run, but they had to be quick.
Together they moved across the lawn and into the neighbor's garden before heading out on the road and toward the car.
"Addox knows we're leaving."
Franklin almost stumbled as he looked back toward the house. The car was so close. "Will he come after us?"
Axar shook his head as a look of sorrow swept over his face. "No."
"What's his skill?" Franklin unlocked the car.
"He feels sounds."
Franklin frowned. "Feels them? Can't he hear?"
"Yes, he can hear, but every sound has a vibration. He's super sensitive."
He'd said he was sensitive before. Franklin opened the backseat door and motioned for Axar to get in. Once he did, he rounded the car and got in on the other side, also in the back seat. Elvin rolled his eyes but got into the driver's seat and got the car started.
"What do you mean, super sensitive? Does he hear us now?"
Axar nodded, then shook his head. "He can't read the words, but he'll feel the vibration of the engine. His skin is...delicate. Clothes are problematic, sounds are problematic, going into town is a nightmare."
And yet he'd come to the bar every time, and he'd been dressed.
Axar looked at him. "I can't leave him here."
He already had. They were speeding out of Foolshope. "We'll get him out. Does he have bars over his window?"
Axar shook his head. "He obeys Mother."
Franklin nodded as if he understood. He didn't. "Why don't you?"
"The ghosts. They get upset if I don't try to help them." His voice dropped into a whisper. "I have to help them."
Of course. He met Elvin's gaze in the rear-view mirror. This was such a mess. Ghosts, cruel mothers, and a brother who needed saving.
Maybe he could ask Averett to take care of the brother? He glanced at Axar. No. They'd have to deal with this.
* * * *