20. Eighteen
Eighteen
Cecil
The creak of door hinges wakes me in an instant. Sitting up on my elbows, I lock eyes with my brother. Still mussed from sleep, his pajamas are wrinkled and his hair sticks straight out from his forehead. But it’s his face I notice most—white as a sheet, eyes wide.
“What is it?” I ask aloud. Tossing the covers aside, I jump to my feet.
“She’s gone.” His signs lag like it pains him to admit it.
A frown mars my face. I would have heard if somebody had come into the house.
Creed must read the doubt on my face. He squeezes his eyes shut before raising his hands again.
“She left,” he elaborates. I simply blink in response. Where would she have gone? And why? Eden is terrified of most things, and with what happened—
Oh, God.
I rush past my brother, heading straight for Eden’s room.
The door is already open when I barge in, whirling around as I take in the state of it.
Odds and ends on the dresser have been knocked over, and clothes are strewn on the floor.
Not much is missing, appearing more like she rifled through things.
But her sketchbook is nowhere in sight.
I feel like I’m going to be sick.
Creed is waiting in the hallway when I step out, and he looks at me expectantly. For the first time in my life, I’m not sure what to tell him.
Palming the back of my neck, I look around the hallway as if the universe will write a message on the walls, giving me direction.
I can go looking, but someone else might have already stumbled upon her. Curran said they’ve got men scouring the land that surrounds this place. Maybe she didn’t get far…
I take a step past him, but my brother places a palm on my shoulder and forces me to a stop.
“What are we going to do?”
My brows draw inward. “You stay—”
“No! You need my help.”
“There are more Brothers than ever. It’s never been this bad, Creed. You can’t come.”
My brother’s nostrils flare, and I can tell by the rapid rise and fall of his chest that he wants to argue.
“I will bring her back,” I promise, keeping my expression firm. Confident. It’s the same mask I’ve always worn to protect him. This time, though, it’s harder to maintain, and I struggle to meet his eyes.
Creed begins to sign, but then drops his hands and wrings his fingers together. After a long exhale, he squares his shoulders.
“I love her.”
The confession is a blow to my chest, because I know he means it. I’ve never seen my brother so desperate, and losing Eden will destroy him.
I’m not sure I would fare much better.
“I understand,” is the only reply I can manage.
I’ve walked the perimeter of the property twice, and haven’t found a hint of her.
No footprints, no broken branches, no scraps of fabric or disturbance in the leaves.
My years with the Brothers of Divinity have turned me into the perfect hunter, and I can track down almost anyone or anything.
But not her. It’s like she vanished—a ghost among the trees.
When I was first “employed”, I had to go through the process of proving my allegiance. Basically, I would do the bitch work, cleaning up blood splatter and refilling coffee mugs. Fortunately, being raised by our father, I perfected a blank face and strong stomach before I learned to ride a bicycle.
After over a year of scrubbing floors, I got moved up to patrol.
That’s what the asshole I had to bury had been doing.
They travel on foot, looking for anyone or anything they deem suspicious.
Whenever I was alone and would find a target, I would tell them to run as far as they could, but those instances were few and far between.
Typically, I would be accompanied by other men and had to perform my duties.
I’m not proud of it, but I would do anything for my brother.
Eventually, I’ll make a better world for him.
For now, though, I have to play my part.
I never wanted blood on my hands, but at this point, I’m damn coated in it.
The sour taste of defeat rises from the depths of my gut, and I swallow hard in an attempt to rid it.
It doesn’t help. I pull a cigarette from the box in my jacket pocket.
Flicking the lighter a few times, I burn the end and take a deep drag.
Back at the house, I lean against my truck and rack my brain for what to do next.
On foot, she couldn’t have made it far. Did someone take her?
The ground is soft, I would have seen tracks.
The unrelenting sun has me raising a hand to shield my eyes as I take another look around the surrounding fields. I was meant to be back at the Sanctuary by now. If I don’t show up, Curran will have my ass.
My hand pauses halfway to my lips, the cigarette dangling from my fingertips. If she was found, there’s only one place she would be taken. Dropping the butt of my smoke to the mud, I circle my truck and hop behind the wheel.