CHAPTER 05 - Bryan Trevor
You can say what you want, because,
look, I'd die for you, and
I'm on my knees and I need you to be my god
Train wreck – James Arthur
I climb into the truck, my insides churning. Before I can go back to the room and get them out of there, I start the engine—I need to think this through before I do anything.
I can't make the same mistakes again—I won't. They cost me five fucking years. Worse, they cost me the girl I've always loved.
And now there's Sadie too.
God, she's identical to Noah—just a younger version.
It hurt so much to hear her talk about the monsters and the witch.
It tore me apart to see Noah using sign language when I remember so clearly how beautiful her voice was, how infectious—even when she sang off-key.
I wish I could tear away all the pain I saw in her eyes.
I wish I could go back in time and do things differently, but I can't.
There's no changing the past, but the present and future? Those I can change. And if I have to tear this damn city apart to get her out of here, I'll do it without hesitation. Whatever she wants to do after that, I'll be by her side.
Even if it's just as a friend.
Even if losing her love breaks me even more, I'll be by her side.
Shit, who am I kidding?
How can I be friends with the person I've longed for most?
How can I touch the face of the woman I love without wanting her lips?
How can I look at the body I worship and pretend it was never mine?
How can you not love someone you love more than yourself?
It's impossible!
I don't know everything that night and the last few years did to her, but after seeing her again, I have hope she still feels something for me.
That there's still a spark of our love left.
And if there is, I'll fan that flame until it burns everything down again, because holding her in my arms, feeling her body pressed against mine—it hit me even harder than I imagined.
Noah still fits perfectly against me, and I'll bring her back to my side no matter what it takes!
I take a deep breath and head back to the trailer, the gears in my brain already turning, planning my next moves. I have experience, money, and contacts—three weapons that change the game completely when used right.
Experience taught me not to act on impulse, but with precision.
Money buys time, silence, and shortcuts.
And the right contacts open doors that stay locked for everyone else.
Besides, I have the deadliest weapon of all: the shadows.
The Blacks think I'm dead.
Gavin thinks he finished me off that night, and when the time is right, I'll make him regret sending his henchmen after me instead of pulling the trigger himself.
I'll show him he woke up the worst part of me!
The trailer comes into view and I park alongside it.
I grab the pack of cigarettes from the dashboard and climb out, muscles tense, mind racing. I lean against the truck, pull the lighter from my pocket, and light up, letting the nicotine take the edge off.
The place is still deserted, and I let the silence work, ideas still coming.
I lean through the window, grab my phone, and dial my brother's number, even though I probably won't reach him at this hour—he's either dead asleep or at his third club of the night.
Luke is unpredictable. When I think he's one place, he's usually somewhere completely different.
It rings several times, and just when I'm about to hang up, he picks up.
“Don't tell me you moved up the trip, because I just got home and I need at least four hours of sleep before facing that city.”
When he says city, he means our mother.
The resentment isn't mine alone, unfortunately.
“Were you working until three in the morning?” I ask, flicking the cigarette to the ground. It goes out instantly—the ground's still wet from the rain.
“One. It's still one in the morning,” he replies, and only then do I remember I'm two hours ahead. “I was at a spot nearby because I needed at least three shots after this hellish week.”
“Problems with the new client?” I ask, instantly alert.
Luke has always made a point of taking on the most complex cases, especially when they involve personal security. Right now, he's heading up protection for the wife of an influential magnate—a contract that'll boost the company's reputation and profits.
“No,” he replies, too curtly. “Just too much going on at once. My head had a meltdown, but the shots helped clear my head.”
“If something happens, let me know!”
“Don’t worry, but are you going to tell me why you called at this hour? I need to get some sleep before the trip.”
“I’m already in town, Luke.”
“What?” he shouts, and my eardrums protest.
“I planned to arrive at dawn, grab our mother, and get back before sunrise.” I run my hand through my hair. “But plans changed.”
“Why did you go alone?” he interrupts. “The deal was we’d go together.”
“I didn’t want you in that place.” I’m being honest.
“Screw what you wanted, you idiot!” he retorts, pissed off. “Do you know what those bastards could do to you if they see you there?” he asks, worried, and I stare at the overcast sky, dark, without a single star, without a trace of light.
Exactly how I feel!
“Nothing. They can’t do anything!!” I hiss, turning my attention back to the call, letting my irritation show. “I’m not a scared kid anymore, Luke.”
I hear his sigh and understand his concern. After all, he knows everything that happened—he was the one I called as soon as I could.
“Just as you’ve changed, they’ve evolved too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I did my homework and researched everything when we decided to come back for Lilian.” Of course he did.
“DakMed Distribution is even bigger, Noah’s parents are even more influential, and…
Bryan” He lowers his voice and my alarm bells go off.
“I’m almost certain they’re involved in more than they let on. ”
“With what?”
Gavin Black and his entire family own the largest pharmaceutical distribution network in the region. With political connections, multimillion-dollar contracts, and an impeccable public reputation, they’ve built an empire in the drug business.
An empire I’m willing to dig into until I watch it crumble.
“I don’t know, but their records are heavily guarded. There’s a lot hidden, and when someone protects themselves that much, it’s because they have a lot to hide—and it’s usually nothing good.”
“Great.” I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder while I light another cigarette. “We’re going to dig into every detail about this family and ruin them.”
“What changed, Bryan?” he asks, and I can almost see his serious expression. “You didn’t even want to set foot there, and now out of nowhere you want to destroy those bastards?”
“I found Noah,” I blurt out.
“Hadn’t she left?” he asks, confused. “I remember that damn day she said she was in college, that she hated you—she called you a murderer!” he reminds me, and I clench my jaw.
“I’m still not sure, but it looks like it wasn’t her sending those messages, and when she disappeared from town, it was because they committed her to a psychiatric clinic.”
“Who told you that? Was it Noah?”
“No. Our mother!”
“And you’re going to believe what Lilian says? Was she at least sober when she told you, or was she drunk and high as always?” he asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Luke, she’s not lying, not this time, because I saw with my own eyes what they did to Noah.” Silence greets me, so I continue. “We need to change our plan. Lilian’s going to Vegas alone, and I’m staying in town,” I tell him, taking a drag, knowing I’ll need to buy another pack of cigarettes soon.
I’ll definitely need a lot of nicotine to get through the stress of what’s coming.
“You’re crazy, Bryan, crazy to think I’ll leave you in that hellhole alone!”
“If you come, you’ll be more of a hindrance than a help,” I say quickly, knowing he’s capable of walking out the door right now to come here. “I need you at the company, keeping an eye on Lilian. Plus, you can help me with other things from there.”
“Don’t do this, man!”
“Listen to me,” I say, and I hear him sigh. “In the state Lilian’s in, she’ll probably be hospitalized, but when she gets out, I need you to put her up in your apartment.”
“No!”
“Luke, she’s our mother, damn it!!”
“The apartment below mine is vacant,” he grunts. “She’ll have nurses and caregivers, so it’ll be perfect there, but I’ll keep an eye on her. Don’t worry.”
“I know you didn’t want this, but I need you to do it—not for Lilian, but for me.”
“Fine, but first tell me—what the hell are you planning to do?”
“What I should have done five years ago!”
“I’m not going to judge you—I want the same thing. I’ve wanted revenge ever since I found you, but this needs to be planned, not decided in the heat of the moment.”
“You didn’t see her, damn it!”
“Five years have passed!” he replies. “Have you stopped to think she might be married? That she has a boyfriend? That you’re the only one who held onto those feelings?”
“No, none of that happened, and even if she doesn’t want anything to do with me, I’m not leaving her at the mercy of that sadistic father anymore. It’s not for me, Luke—it’s for her!”
“Bryan…”
“I only stayed away because I believed she was okay,” I murmur—something he already knows.
“Are you sure she’s not okay? Isn’t this just your obsession with her talking?”
“I’m sure. I saw it with my own eyes, and besides…” A knot forms in my throat. “She doesn’t speak anymore.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what happened, but she doesn’t speak, Luke. That’s why I need you to find me the best teacher. I need to learn sign language as fast as possible.”
“Nothing’s going to make you give up on saving her, is it?”
“No. Absolutely nothing. If this is the last thing I ever do, then so be it. I’ll die, but I’ll die happy knowing I gave my life so she could have hers.”
“You still love her!” It’s not a question—it’s a fact.
I never tried to hide the hole Noah’s absence left in my chest—at least, not from my brother. He was the one who held me when everything fell apart. The one who ripped the phone from my hand so I’d stop rereading the messages, as if the words might somehow change.
But after that night, I never mentioned her name again, and it didn’t take him long to understand it was off-limits.
“I’ve loved her every damn day for the last five years, and it doesn’t matter what I have to do or who I have to face—I’m getting them out of that fortress no matter what it takes.”
“Get them out?” he repeats, confusion evident in his voice.
“Noah has a sister who’s about five years old,” I reveal.
“Holy shit!”
“I can’t leave them there, so you’re going to listen to me, and then you’re going to help me with whatever it takes.”
“Just tell me what I need to do and it’s done,” he says, slipping into the professional mode that’s never turned down a job—especially not the cruelest ones. “How many graves will I need to dig?”
“None! They’re not worthy of them,” I growl, the taste of revenge beginning to fill my mouth. “Right now, besides the teacher, I need you to get me a…”
I tell him everything I have in mind, and now that my head is clearer, he starts to agree and offer his own ideas to make my plan work.
“Give me twenty-four hours and I’ll send you the information—cameras, security, everything you need.”
“Twenty-four?”
“Fifteen, if you stay safe and let me work!” he growls, and I let out a dry laugh.
“I’ll do my part from here while you organize everything,” I say firmly. “As soon as I get Mrs. Lilian on the aircraft, I’ll let you know.”
“Do I really have to pick her up?”
“Take her straight to the clinic and keep me informed!”
“Bryan…” he calls out, his voice low. “If there’s anyone who can destroy that bastard, it’s you!” he says firmly, and when the call drops, there’s a smile on my face.
Not a happy smile, but the cruelest one I’ve ever worn.
Deep down, I always knew this moment would come, and the truth is, I’ve always dreamed of it.
I’ve been longing for the Blacks’ downfall since the night I found her in that room.
Only with their ruin will my butterfly finally fly!