Ramshackle (Raegan of Ruin #3)

1. Kellan

Chapter one

Kellan

Lightning slams into me before I can reach Raegan, electricity binding my muscles so I’m a prisoner in my body. The sharp, stinging pain that strikes indiscriminately is nothing compared to the sight of my girl’s hand in Gordon’s as they walk toward a portal that leads to fuck-knows-where.

Move, goddammit!

I draw on a desperate attempt to somehow break free of this bastard’s gift long enough to get to her. But it’s like all communication between my brain and body has been severed, and I’m forced to watch the son of a bitch who hurt Raegan smirk gleefully as he takes her from me.

From us.

Get your filthy fucking hand off her! I'm furious that I can’t open my jaw to say anything. If I could at least get something out, I might be able to buy us more time. Or convince Raegan to take down Sparky and then we can all fight Gordon and the portal girl.

The pain isn’t enough to draw my gift out, though I have no fucking idea if it repels electricity or not even if I did have it active. I’m not burning and nothing’s broken skin, which means my scales are useless right now.

Raegan steps in front of the portal, and I scream at her internally.

Don’t go. Don’t leave. Fight, beautiful!

She turns and looks at me.

Hope blooms in my chest until I notice her expression.

No…

Her sad, but determined look is shared with the others as she gazes past me before it softens at the end. She blinks and takes the final step, disappearing before my eyes.

RAEGAN!

Heat scorches through my veins, burning me from the inside. My body quakes, fighting off the lightning’s hold. She’s not gone yet. The portal’s still open, and I can still bring her back to this side.

My boot scratches against the sand.

“Holt, did that guy move?” The girl who conjured the portal points at me.

Sparky frowns. He curls his fingers on his raised hand, and a new rush of electricity swarms through me, sinking in deeper until my heart and lungs stall.

“Make sure you don’t kill him or Gordon will be upset with you,” the girl quips, but this time, it’s more of an echo as my mental alarm bells are ringing that I’m about to be done for and there’s shit-all I can do about it.

It feels like minutes pass, but it must be mere seconds before the lightning ends abruptly and I drop to the hard and rocky beach face-first. Air fills my lungs, and I choke and gasp on it in my rush to breathe again while my heart’s trying to find its rhythm.

My muscles twitch and jump involuntarily, still working through the remnants of electricity until it finally peters out.

I dig my fingers into the sand, fisting a handful of it as I catch my breath.

The portal. It’s gone.

She’s gone.

I shove to my feet, swaying to the side and then staggering forward to where it was.

“Kellan,” Aiden calls out from behind me, but I can’t even consider doing anything else until I’ve checked that spot. Maybe she left a clue behind like Jack had at the firehouse.

The area reveals nothing. No lingering something in the air, no trace of anything in the sand.

A growing ache in my chest pulsates with every thump of my heart.

Though I don’t know how it’s still beating when it feels like it’s been ripped out, leaving me hollow and incomplete.

“Dane!”

I follow Vera’s voice reluctantly as she pounces on him with a hug. Dane doesn’t react immediately. It takes a second for whatever is on his mind to be put on hold before he hesitantly raises his arms and then wraps them slowly around his sister.

“Vera,” he breathes, his voice muffled by her shoulder as they hold each other.

I ball my hands into fists. I take a step toward them, ready to unleash my anger on her—

“Kell!” Aiden demands sharply, and I snap my head around to follow his voice.

He and Reid are kneeling in front of someone in the shed.

Oh, shit.

Jackson.

I turn and run.

Aiden peers at the blood on his hand. “He needs a healer. Pick him up and we’ll all head back.”

“What are you going to do about Raegan?” Reid inquires, his stoic tone edged with something more.

It’s suspicious as hell, and I narrow my eyes at him. “Get her back, of course. What’s it matter to you?”

“She was the reason you’d asked for my help in coming here. If you’re still going after her, then I’ll continue to assist you until you get her back.” His blue eyes slide to Dane and Vera’s mini reunion, his expression darkening before returning his gaze to Aiden. “And Vera?”

I carefully slide my arms under Jackson, cursing at the wetness I feel, and lift him as Aiden replies, “She’s coming with us.”

“To the bunker?” Reid presses.

“No. Back to the firehouse.”

I can’t read his face very well, but I can almost feel the relief from him at Aiden’s answer. He’d said something about Vera at the library, hadn’t he? I can’t remember now, but it doesn’t matter because the point is moot. We can’t put the Guild in danger by bringing Vera to it.

Aiden faces the open doorway. “Dane! We’re leaving. Now.”

Dane grabs Vera’s hand, pulling her behind him as they jog into the shed.

We crowd around each other, making sure everyone has a point of contact with someone before Reid’s gift activates. The moment our feet land in Old Red from Reid’s teleportation gift, it’s chaos.

“Get him on his bed and strip him. Reid, bring Cassandra here. Dane, stay with Vera in the living room.”

The firehouse is still a mess from the attack. We didn’t waste time fixing anything after putting the fire out. We’d called Reid down here immediately so we could follow them with the clue Jackson left us once he flew away with Raegan and Thorne.

Jack is motionless in my arms. He hasn’t moved once since we got to the island, where he was unconscious in the shed behind Raegan. I do as Aiden ordered and carry him to his room to set him on his bed. Snatching a pair of scissors, I roughly cut up the middle of his hoodie. It’s a pain in the ass because of all the knives he has stored there, so I keep angling the scissors to go around them until I reach the end.

Carefully, I extract his arms from the sleeves and roll him out of it without cutting him further. Not that a few small nicks would mean anything at this point.

He’s covered in blood.

No one would notice by looking at him. There’s blood spattered and smeared on his face, but otherwise, his dark clothing hides the rest. I only know because I could feel it as soon as I touched his saturated hoodie.

I shove his black shirt up under his arms to check for injuries on his chest and hold my breath. Nothing but some bruising.

I roll him over.

Fuck...

“How bad is it?” Aiden questions, entering the room.

I don’t answer, letting him see for himself when he stands next to me and peers at the deep gash from Jackson’s right shoulder to his left hip bone. There are other deep cuts around it too, but they’re nothing in comparison.

His breathing is so shallow that I don’t see his body rising and falling. I check for his pulse.

“Well?” Aiden demands.

I bite back a growl at his impatience. As pissed as I am at Jack, I don’t want to lose him either. “It’s there, but it’s slow. Where the fuck are they?”

“I’m here!” Cassandra shouts breathlessly, running into the room and pushing past us to kneel beside the bed.

I take a step to the side to give her more room to work while still enabling me to see what’s going to happen. She shakes her hands out like she’s removing any anxious energy and then places her hands on either side of Jackson’s back. She doesn’t look squeamish or uncomfortable with all the blood, which is one of the reasons she’s such a great healer for the Guild. Cassandra takes her job seriously, even if she can be overly flirtatious. I’d trust no one else to fix my brother.

She hums under her breath, eyes closed.

“His hoodie is soaked with blood. Does he need more?” I’ll rob a hospital if I have to. Anything to let me do something other than standing here like a useless idiot.

Frowning, she shakes her head. “He’s lost blood, but not too much. It must be someone else’s, too. I can get this patched up and then he’ll need at least a week’s bed rest to recover fully.”

Aiden and I exchange a look over her. We both know if he wakes up and Raegan isn’t here, there’s nothing and no one who will be able to stop him from going after her. “We’ll need to sedate him,” he tells me, echoing my thoughts.

I nod and cross my arms over my chest. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“Go keep an eye on Vera. I’d rather she not be alone with Dane longer than necessary in case she tries something. I’ll make some phone calls about getting the supplies we’ll need for Jack.”

Great.

Cassandra’s gift is already working to close the large wound.

Outside, Reid leans against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed like some silent soldier waiting for his next order from Aiden. I’m not sure yet if I buy it. He wants a spot in the Guild, so it could be why he’s trying so hard to be helpful, but I also think he’s hiding something. Not that I care at this point if his gift is what helps us get Raegan back faster. I walk past him to the main living area.

Anything that had been on a wall or an exposed surface is strewn across the floor. Papers, shattered glass, knives from the block in the kitchen. There are some drawers and cabinets that had blown open from Thorne’s wind and are now empty. I focus on the overturned table, where Raegan had accepted Jack’s hand and walked away from us.

From me .

I snarl and lift the table back to its legs, proceeding to pluck the glass shards stuck in the tabletop. I know that wasn’t what she was doing. Just like I know her going with Gordon was her trying to save us. It shouldn’t have gotten to that point. We’re supposed to save her . Not the other way around. She’s been through enough, and now she’s doing it all over again.

I’ll find you and drag your ass back here, beautiful. That’s a fucking promise.

“—live in a place like this? What a dump!”

In the living area, Vera’s sitting on the bend of the long U-shaped couch. Her brother is a few feet away on the long side. Within reaching distance, but not right next to her like I thought he would be.

Dane runs his fingers through his hair and sighs. “We were attacked right before we went to the island. We haven’t had time to clean up yet,” he explains tiredly.

“I wasn’t talking about the trash on the floor. Why are you living in a firehouse ? The brick is ugly, and it looks like you’re living in the eighties. Don’t you have your own place, Dane? Or do you really still live with your friends like some frat boy?”

I grind my molars at every word out of her mouth. Clenching my fists, I glare at her.

Dane’s voice begins in an appeasing tone, but I’m not having it. I storm up behind the couch on the opposite side of them.

“You don’t like it? Then get the fuck out. Just tell me where Raegan is before the ugly door hits your bitchy ass on the way out.”

Vera’s mouth gapes open like this is the first time anyone’s ever called her out on her attitude before. Well, tough shit. She wants back into the family, she’s gonna have a rude awakening of the crap she can’t get away with anymore. She turns to her brother with a melodramatic sulk. “Do you really want me to leave?”

“No—” Dane starts, but she cuts him off.

“Are your friends going to treat me like this the whole time? I haven’t done anything to them.”

Dane sighs again, loudly, scrubbing his hands over his face a couple times and then back through his hair as if he can wipe away all the stress and emotions he’s caught up in. I can tell he’s conflicted. He should be happy—no, thrilled —to have his sister back. This is everything he’s ever wanted. And yet, he looks miserable already.

“Kell, just…lay off for now.”

I frown, my hands fisting and loosening repeatedly, before I finally choose to let it go. Not for her . But because I can see that Dane’s dealing with his own issues right now and doesn’t need me complicating them.

Vera smiles at me. “I hope we can become good friends again, too, Kellan. We were once a long time ago, so I don’t see why we can’t be like that again. You still like cars?”

Nope. I can’t do this. Not when my girl is stuck somewhere, forced to do whatever fucking shit Gordon did in the past. Turning to the kitchen, I rummage through the cabinets until I find whatever liquor bottle isn’t currently on the floor. I grab the first one and spin the top until it flies off, then bring it to my lips.

I haven’t had a drink since that night Raegan and I snuck out to dance. Or our mini dance party here at Old Red. And then, since she just came back into our lives before that. The smooth burn of whatever I’d grabbed, Aiden’s bourbon, I think, is like reuniting with a long-lost friend. I know I shouldn’t go right back to this the second she’s gone, but I’m having a weak moment.

Sue me.

Aiden walks in as I’m downing my second long drink. I raise a brow, daring him to say something. Instead, he huffs and checks his phone. “Cassandra and Reid went back to the bunker to sleep, but they’ll return in the morning to check on him. Let’s go sit in the living room. I want to know where everything stands with Vera. As of right now, she’s not to leave the firehouse.” He keeps his voice to a soft murmur, so the conversation stays between the two of us.

I flick my eyes over to the couch and catch Vera watching us closely.

Fantastic.

We’ve let a rat in the house.

“Jack’s going to murder her when he wakes up,” I mock, even though we both know I’m not entirely joking.

He doesn’t even argue it. “We have a week to get this figured out before we have to deal with that.”

My hand tightens on the neck of the glass bottle. “You mean we’re getting her back before he wakes up, right? Tell me there’s a fucking plan to get her back, Aiden.”

Aiden looks at his phone again, ticking me off that whatever he’s waiting for is more important than this conversation, and then he checks in on Vera and Dane. He shakes his head when we see Vera still eyeing us, then strides into the living area to sit on the seat across from her.

That head shake better mean ‘not now’ and not ‘no’.

I growl and take another drawn out swig of alcohol, then follow him. I sit between Dane and Aiden on the couch, although there’s still plenty of room between us.

I stretch into the corner where there are some throw pillows to lean against, then spread my legs out in front of me to get comfortable.

“It’s been a long time, Vera,” Aiden begins smoothly.

She smiles softly and reaches over to put a hand on Dane’s knee, then gives her brother a sorrowful look. “I wish I could have told you that I was still alive sooner. But at least we’re finally together again now, right?”

Dane stares at her hand on his knee. He doesn’t move to take it, but he doesn’t pull away either. “Why couldn’t you?” His expression becomes serious when he lifts his face to look at her again. “Who’s been controlling you, Vera?”

Her body flinches the barest amount. She retracts her hand from him and laces her fingers in her lap. “No one. Even if I wanted to reach out to you, you ran away. I didn’t know where you were until I saw you on the roof that night,” she states matter-of-factly with a small shrug.

Aiden crosses his leg over his knee and links his hands together on top of it. His phone is resting in his lap, screen up, so should a text or call come in, he can look at it right away. I consider snatching the device from him to find out what he’s up to. If Vera wasn’t here with us, I would. I’ll just have to confront him about it when she’s not around. Whenever the fuck that will be, since she’s going to be staying here with us, and I have a strong feeling Aiden’s going to make me her babysitter.

“We’re jumping ahead a bit. I want to know what happened from the beginning. When did you start working for GE and with Gordon?” he asks calmly as if we have all the time in the world to chat about her last six-plus years and Raegan isn’t behind enemy lines.

I take another drink.

Vera raises her eyebrows and looks around at us. “You mean she didn’t tell you?” She looks genuinely surprised, then contemplative before she answers. “It was just after I turned sixteen. Gordon was helping me train my gift. He would tell me about all the great things they planned to do. How they were training us up to be like superheroes from the comics, fighting bad guys and all that. I mean, who wouldn’t want to join that?”

I lean forward and slam the bottle down on the coffee table with a caustic laugh. “And you believed that bullshit?”

“Kell—” Aiden tries to stop me, but fuck. That.

“You think they’re heroes ?” I spit out. I jump to my feet and take a step closer. “They murdered my family! My little sister! Just to kidnap and try to brainwash me like they did you. They’re not saving anyone. They’re power-hungry maniacs obsessed with controlling anyone with a gift to use as a weapon to get what they want.”

“Kell! Kellan! ” Aiden’s hand touches my arm, snapping my focus on Vera to swing around to him. “I know you’re upset, but you need to calm down.”

I breathe heavily, my chest heaving.

“If you can’t calm down, go walk it off,” he adds.

I almost do. I would. But I want to hear what she has to say about it. What else she’s been doing the last six years for GE, and if she plans to change. If there’s even a chance that she’ll see reason to make Raegan’s sacrifice worthwhile, or if she’s well and truly gone.

I drop back to the couch and snag the bottle to drink some more.

Aiden waits another second to make sure I’m not going to start something up again before he finally sits as well. He turns his attention to Vera, who’s now staring at me like she thinks I’m going to attack her.

Which isn’t off the table completely. Only my respect for Aiden—and Dane—keeps me from trying to shake some sense into her.

“What do you have to say to that?” Aiden prompts her when she doesn’t say anything. He’s acting like some fucking counselor trying to get a patient to open up rather than interrogating the enemy. It pisses me off how it contrasts with his efforts to get information from Raegan. But then, he always acts erratically when she’s involved.

Vera looks uncomfortably at Dane and then at her hands. “I don’t know why that happened, but I do know we don’t do that now. Most kids aren’t even taken from their families anymore. Parents are willingly dropping their kids off to get help because they don’t understand what’s happening. The ones we kidnap are just saving the parents the trouble they’d go through when they did realize their child was different. It’s better for everyone.”

Oh, so it’s we don’t do that? And she’s making us sound diseased. That we need help .

Fuck, I need to drink more to keep my mouth shut or I’m really going to lose it. I do exactly that, chugging the bottle until I can’t breathe and then a few more gulps after that. I’m going to be completely trashed tonight, but I don’t think I can stay here with her otherwise.

Aiden moves on to the next topic. “You said that Raegan killed you, but you’re still here. Can you explain that?”

“I was dead, but they brought me back before it was too late.” Vera shifts in her seat. “Can we, maybe, hold off on the interrogation for a bit? I’m really tired.” She stands, and both Dane and Aiden follow suit.

“Of course,” Aiden answers. “We’ll need to figure out the sleeping arrangement since the other rooms need to be fixed up before anyone can stay in them. Dane, I can get you the supplies tomorrow for whichever room is in the best shape.”

She tilts her head to the side and holds a finger up to her chin. “Where did Raegan sleep? I can just sleep in there.”

“No.” All three of us blurt out in unison.

Her forehead creases in confusion, but Dane is the first to speak up. “You can sleep in my room. It won’t take me more than a day or two to fix up one of the other rooms. I can sleep on the couch for a couple of nights.”

“But…” I know what she’s going to say. That Raegan’s not using it. Or she’s not coming back. And I’ll grab and choke her if she tries to say any of those words in front of me.

Thankfully for her, Aiden intervenes. “Good. That’s settled. I’m sure you understand that while you’re here, we expect that you’ll stay inside and won’t try sneaking out.”

Her face drops with disappointment. “Am I your prisoner, then?”

She should be. If Raegan is GE’s prisoner, then Vera is ours until we get my girl back. Unless GE couldn’t care less about Vera anymore and she’s an empty bargaining chip. I refuse to believe that’s true, though. She’s already brainwashed and has a useful gift at their disposal. It’s only a matter of time before they’ll want her back.

“Of course not,” Aiden counters smoothly. A lie. “But the purpose of you coming back with us was to spend time with your brother, was it not? So, catch up.” He steps around the couch and holds his arm out. “I’ll show you to Dane’s room and the women’s bathroom so you can get settled.”

He leads her to the dorm hallway, and as Dane moves to follow, I grab his arm. “Take my room.”

Dane frowns. “Where are you going to sleep?”

“The couch.” If I even sleep tonight. The best I can hope for is a complete blackout.

He nods and starts to walk away but pauses and looks over his shoulder. “We’ll get her back, Kell.”

“Yeah,” I mutter sarcastically. “We’re doing a bang-up job of that so far.”

“It’s the first night. We’ll figure out a plan in the morning once we’ve gotten some rest.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh, yeah? With your sister around? You gonna let her go so we can get Raegan back?” His lips flatten, and I bark out a laugh. “That’s what I thought. Go, rest easy now that you’ve got your sister back, Rapunzel.”

He looks ready to say something in return but shakes his head and walks away instead. I don’t care if I’m being an asshole. The solution is easy. Find a way to get in contact with one of them and say we want to trade Vera back for Raegan. It wasn’t a deal I agreed to, anyway.

Even as I tell myself that’s all it would take, my gut tells me it won’t be as simple as that. Gordon got what he wanted, and I doubt he’d be willing to give her up easily.

If we want her back, we’ll have to fight.