40. Yale
Yale
“What do we do? Do we wait?”
Silence focuses on stroking Bullet’s head. “I’m not sure. He came and got me last time.”
I check the clock. It’s close to five in the evening, and we haven’t seen Ryker once.
We woke up to two trays of food, breakfast still warm on the plate.
We ate, expecting someone to show up at lunch, but no one did.
Poor Bullet had to go to the toilet on the bathroom floor, and he was not happy about it.
I need to get out of this room. Not just because I’m going stir crazy, but because I need to check Zayden has had more medication. He’s barely spoken these last few weeks, which means Xavier was pretty much alone all night.
The lock clicks, and the door opens. Ryker appears, but something is … off.
His tie is askew, and he runs his fingers through his mussed-up hair as he enters. He looks between us, eyes wide, and he doesn’t speak. He simply gestures for us to follow.
Silence takes my hand, and Bullet follows close behind, stopping once to pee on the carpet. God, I love this dog.
“Everything okay?” Silence asks.
Ryker ignores us, descending the stairs two at a time. We quicken our steps to follow, until we reach the dining room.
And we’re not alone.
Zayden and Xavier are sitting at the table. Both look showered, and they’re in clean clothes, though Zayden is still clearly out of it. His eyes are closed, and when we pass their seats, I notice they’re both cuffed to the arms of the chair.
“Evening,” Xavier says, watching us. I sit to the left of the head of the table, which means Zayden is on my left. Silence sits across from me, Xavier on her right.
Ryker grips the back of his chair. “Are we all ready?”
Silence frowns softly. “Ready for what?”
“Dinner.” He slaps his hands together and takes something out of his pocket as he approaches Zayden.
“It’s no fun if you’re not fucking conscious!
” He sticks a needle in my brother’s leg.
Xavier shouts, and Silence leaps out of her seat, but Ryker holds her back.
“It’s adrenaline! It’ll keep him awake.”
Silence shoves him back. “You can’t just shove adrenaline into people, Ryker! He’s already sick!”
Zayden gasps, his eyes widening. “Fucking Jesus.”
“Are you okay?” Silence asks, trying to get to her husband.
“Sit the fuck down, Q. He’s fine,” Ryker snaps, then takes his own seat.
Reluctantly, she does, but her attention is fixed firmly on Zayden.
Silence told me she hadn’t seen anyone else when she’d walked through the house, but within seconds of Ryker sitting, people are bringing us food. Several staff members fill the center of the table with meats, vegetables, and rice, along with bottles of wine and an expensive whiskey.
As food is dished onto our plates, armed men enter. Two of them handcuff Silence and I to our chairs, the chains long enough to reach our utensils, but not much further. The house staff leave, but the armed men stay.
Ryker begins eating.
The silence is thick. Xavier won’t eat, Zayden is trying to breathe, and Silence is staring at Ryker like he might implode at any second. Bullet is pressed into Silence’s side, ears pricked up, eyes alert.
“So, did you two fuck last night?” Ryker asks, cutting into his meat.
I try to catch Xavier’s eye, but he’s staring at Ryker, his expression dark.
“I told you,” I say. “You can’t get between us.”
Ryker chuckles and sips some wine. “You sure? Your brother doesn’t seem too keen to see you.” Xavier’s gaze drops to the table, his handcuffs rattling as he tries to shift in place. “I guess you fucking the girl he loves while he lies in filth isn’t as easy to get over as you think it is.”
“We all love her,” I bite back.
Ryker smirks. “I know. That’s what makes this so much fun.”
“Stop it,” Silence whispers. “He’s trying to get under your skin. We’re tired. We’re in pain. But we love each other.”
Xavier watches her. “But who do you love more?”
I frown. “X, what the fuck?”
He looks at me. “I was the one holding our dying brother’s hand while you were probably balls deep, so how about it’s my turn to speak?”
Ryker cackles and claps. “Brilliant.”
“Fuck you,” Xavier spits out, but Ryker’s amusement only grows. “There’s someone you love more, Silence. There has to be.”
Silence’s spine is stiff, her expression stoic. “I love you all the same.”
Xavier brings his fist down on the table, his breathing fast. “Bullshit. You were married to Zayden for nine fucking years.”
“Stop it, X,” I say. “Don’t put her in that position.”
“What positions did you have her in, little brother?”
Zayden finally speaks. “X. Don’t.” He’s still breathless, but clearly stronger than before. “Silence loves you. That’s enough.”
“Is it?” Xavier asks, looking between us. “Maybe that’s easy for you to say because you’re her husband. Yale is her best friend. What the fuck am I?”
“You’re the love of my life,” Silence says, and his gaze cuts to her. “You all are.”
My brother looks torn between rage and despair, and guilt burns through me. He falls silent, staring at his food-filled plate, speaking only once to call Bullet over. The dog sits by Xavier’s feet, head resting on his lap.
Ryker finishes his meal. None of us touch a thing.
An apology is on my lips, regret in my heart, but I know Xavier can’t mean this. We’ve been through hell these last few weeks, and he wants someone to blame, that’s all this is.
Silence takes Zayden’s hand. She whispers something to him, and he nods slowly. When she finally looks at me, she mouths an apology, but I shake my head.
Ryker shoves his empty plate away. “Let’s play some after-dinner games, shall we?”
None of us speak. Not even a witty insult from Xavier. The armed men lining the room watch us, clearly intrigued by what’s about to unfold.
“We need some room.” Ryker stands, gripping the tablecloth. He drags it off the table, glasses and dishes tipping over, food spilling onto the floor. He tosses it aside, wiping his nose with the back of his hand before sitting again.
That’s what’s different about him.
He’s high.
Leaning down, he grabs the wine bottle and finishes the last of it, red droplets running down his chin. Then, he places it on the table—and spins it.
I watch the dark bottle spin, and spin, and stop—on Xavier.
Ryker claps. “Perfect. Let’s go for the fucked-up brother first. Either you tell a truth, or I tell a truth about you. Which will it be, X?”
My brother stares at Ryker, clearly weighing his options. His expression is cold, eyes lifeless, and he turns that chilly glare on Zayden. “Silence proposed to you because she thought you were me. I met her first, not you. And I’ve always hated you for it.”
Zayden blinks, lips parting. He looks like he’s warring between the infection and the adrenaline. “What?”
Judging by Silence’s expression, she knew. Tears fill her eyes. “Xavier.”
“No, it’s about time I said it. Maybe now I can heal, right? Give me a fucking drink.”
Ryker cheers, finds a glass and the whiskey, and pours Xavier a drink. He throws it back, and Ryker pours him another before slapping him on the back.
“Good man. Starting things off with a bang.”
He spins the bottle.
It lands on Xavier.
Again.
Xavier throws his second drink back. “Yale, Zayden sabotaged a job opportunity for you two years ago. Told them you were tied into a non-existent contract.”
Zayden closes his eyes and tilts his head back. “I can explain.”
“Stop this. Don’t you see what he’s doing?” Silence implores, looking between us. “We’re stronger than this.”
Ryker smirks, and instead of spinning the bottle this time, he points it at Silence.
“Your turn.” She says nothing, her chest rising and falling, her grip on Zayden’s hand tightening until her knuckles turn white.
Ryker finishes his drink and crunches some ice between his teeth.
“Guess I’ll have to go for you, Silence. ”
“Don’t,” she whispers.
“Guess who killed Grant?”
That’s not possible. Silence isn’t a killer. She … I try to catch her eye, but she won’t look at me. She was the only person in the house unaccounted for, but no. I refuse to believe it.
“Silence?” I say.
She shakes her head. “No. Not now.”
Ryker pipes up. “I’ll fill in the details.
While you guys were making plans, Silence, the little thief in the night, snuck downstairs and gave Grant a shard of glass.
Told him it was up to him if he wanted to go out with some pride.
It was cold. Beautiful footage, though. I can text it to you.
” Silence is breathing fast, her eyes closed.
“Should we tell them who else you killed, Q?”
“Stop it!” she screams.
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.” He spins the bottle, and it lands on Zayden. “Z Silver. Go.”
My brother shakes his head. “I’ve got nothing to tell.”
“Really? You’re gonna make me say it?” Zayden says nothing, and I glance between them, my heart in my throat. “Zayden knows exactly where Mommy is, boys.”
Cold coats my skin. I stare at Ryker, the words landing like blades around me, cutting my skin, tearing me to pieces.
I look at my brother, and I see the truth in his eyes.
The shame.
The apology.
This can’t be happening. I was sure that Ryker couldn’t come between us, because Silence is right—we’re so much stronger than this. We’re not just family, we’re fighters. We’re fucking survivors.
But in one meal, we’re crumbling.
“What the fuck is he talking about, Z?” Xavier’s whisper is acidic.
He takes several deep breaths. “She got in touch a few years after she left. We had just completed our training. We were doing well, we were happy—”
“So you kept her from us?” Xavier bellows. He almost wrenches himself free from his handcuffs, pulling at the chains, plates and glasses kicked as he tries to get free. Bullet shuffles away from the commotion, going to Zayden’s side.
“She didn’t deserve to be your mother again.” Zayden grits out the words. “I looked after you both. I took care of you. She fucking left us with nothing!”
“She’s our mom!” I cry. “How could you keep that from us?”
“She wasn’t even sorry. She never apologized once. The moment she saw my car, my suit, she asked for cash.”
A pulsing starts in my ears, a thud I can’t drown out for several seconds.
“You saw her?” My voice is quiet, weak. I feel like a boy again. I am a boy again. A kid who lost his dad, and a mom who ran away. I lost everything. Everyone. We all did.
Zayden nods slowly. “I wanted to make sure she had good intentions before I told you. It was clear she didn’t. She would’ve taken anything she could and left us again.”
“You’re a fucking liar,” Xavier whispers.
“I protected you,” Zayden hits back. “Like I always have. Like I always will.”
I shake my head. “We had a right to know.”
“Oh, now you want responsibility?” he spits out. “You’re fine to hand it over when it’s too hard, aren’t you? You’re happy to look to me when it’s convenient. I make the tough decisions because you can’t!”
“Fuck you!” Xavier shouts. “You had no fucking right, and you know it!”
Ryker laughs heartily. “This is so much easier than I thought it’d be. Let’s do Silence again. Silence, honey, tell them about your first kill.”
My mind is spinning. Heart aching. Throat sore. “Stop this.”
“Nope,” Ryker says, popping the ‘p’. “Come on, Silence. Won’t we all feel so much better getting this off our chests?
” Silence stares at her lap, refusing to look up.
I want to reach for her. Hold her. I want to rewind this entire nightmare.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Silence watched her dear old daddy die.
Ooh. Say that five times fast.” Her head is bowed, but I see the tear drip onto her lap.
“She came home from prom, and her dad was on the floor. Throat and wrists cut. But he was still alive, wasn’t he? ”
“Please, stop,” she pleads.
“You sat on the kitchen floor, you watched him die, then you called 911. Had to make sure he was out of your life for good, didn’t you?”
“The man beat her with a bag of fucking rocks!” I shout. “You can’t blame her for wanting to escape!”
Ryker shrugs. “But she’s such a humanitarian now, isn’t she?”
Silence lifts her head, her cheeks shining with tears, eyes red. “I hate you.”
Ryker smiles, reaching out to wipe away a tear from her cheek. “You should be hating the man who slit your father’s throat. Isn’t that right, Zayden?”
My attention snaps to my brother. Silence’s gaze drifts to her husband, and the blood drains from her face.
The quiet feels charged, the secrets spilling free causing a spark which could engulf us all.
“Your daddy was Zayden’s first kill. His graduation from the Agency,” Ryker says. “And he knew who you were, Silence.”
“Years later!” Zayden bellows, fixing his attention on her. His eyes are wide, his words rushed and desperate. “I swear, Silence, I only found out when we were already married.”
She wrenches her hand out of his, searching his face, her expression filled with horror.
“Wow, Zayden.” Ryker whistles. “You’ve really fucked things up.”
My thoughts are dragging me under as chaos unfolds around me. Zayden is hurrying out explanations and promises to explain, Xavier is simmering in his own rage, and all the while, Ryker smirks.
He’s won.
I thought we were unbreakable. Even with the fractures every family has, I thought we could get through this. Emerge on the other side a little wounded but already healing.
How has this happened?
Through the roaring commotion and Ryker’s laughter, Bullet comes to my side. He’s on my right, out of Ryker’s view, and he rests his chin on my lap, something in his mouth. His collar.
He wags his tail, and I notice the buckle, the metal worn and slightly bent. My gaze cuts to Xavier—his cuffs gone.
“—blaming me for your own fuck-ups!” Zayden shouts.
“My fuck-ups? Mine?” Xavier bellows back. “You’ve been desperate to keep us in your shadow for years, and do you wanna know something?”
Zayden sneers at him. “Fucking say it. We may as well let it all out.”
Xavier breathes hard. “Two on your left.”