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Slash grunted, grabbing me by the collar. I ripped his hand off with an equally impressive growl, unsure when he had closed the distance between us. It was all primal and raw emotions down here, but Slash didn’t back down. “I think it’s time for a little fucking honesty,” he hissed at me.
Clearing my throat, I released Slash and drew a large breath before releasing it. This was going to fucking suck. “Chief Matthews asked me to watch his son.” It took them a minute to make the connection.
“That’s why you’re not at work,” Aeron spat out.
“No, that’s not why.” I ran my hands through my hair and clenched my jaw.
“You’re fucking undercover again.” Slash stared at me, his eyes blazing with ire. I couldn’t even blame him as he let out the words I hoped he wouldn’t stumble upon, “On our case.”
Aeron stood up straight, real close to picking up one of those shards and staking me through the heart. I wouldn’t blame him. “Fucking hell, Samael. The last time it almost got you killed.”
“It didn’t,” I forced out.
“It did.”
“I didn’t get hurt because of the case. The thing with Jenny and your foster mothers goes back a bit farther than that. I’m not sure if it’s all connected, but—” Why the fuck was I feeling honest all of a sudden? No idea. But I couldn’t keep this shit to myself anymore. It would have been fine if their foster mothers hadn’t shown up. But this was becoming too big, even for me. I needed – dare I say it – help.
“You mean to tell me that there’s been someone actively threatening you? Us?” Aeron asked, concern washing over him. It wasn’t an emotion I thought I’d see. Anger. Disappointment. Distrust. Sure. But concern? Slash was still seething by my side as I nodded. “Shit.”
Aeron’s shoulders dropped as he tried to wrap his mind around the revelation, and Slash was rigid against my side, except for his trembling left hand. We would all fly off the handle if we didn’t do something soon.
But if Slash broke first… I’d never forgive myself.
“I think it’s time for a few more sets of eyes,” I huffed, heading for the stairs. We’d reconvene in the office. I’d give them the case notes. I didn’t want to, but fuck… our lives were on the line. Killian’s life was on the line.
“You never ask us for help.” Slash finally said.
I glanced back at him, watching the wavering confusion in his eyes. “There’s a first time for everything.”
CASEY
I blinked a few times, the bitter taste of sawdust and gas at the back of my throat. I gagged against the stench stuffed in my mouth as my eyes cleared. Squirming helplessly against my restraints, I surveyed the scene. We were in some kind of empty warehouse, the large expanse not offering any clues as to where we were located. The cold from the concrete floor bled through my knees, sending a shiver up my spine. Biting back a cry of discomfort, I continued to look around and found my wife strangled in a small heap on the floor, her head blood-crusted, a small puddle beside her body.
Talia?
The attacker was standing there with an evil grin, most of his face covered, a rather large knife dangling from his right hand stained with crimson droplets. I didn’t recognize him as he tilted his head to the side, a sloppy expression dominating his strangely pure features.
“What are you doing?” I rasped out, not surprised by how hoarse my voice was. I didn’t remember screaming, but seeing my wife’s lifeless body laid out on the floor, I was sure I had fought hard to keep the attacker from doing what he inevitably did anyway.
“You came into town,” the attacker said with such conviction as if it made perfect sense to do what he did.
I didn’t understand why that was a reason to hurt my wife or tie me up. We had been enjoying coffee at one of the small cafes, talking about how we would approach Phoenix and Ryker. And then, as we returned to our hotel room… that’s all I remembered. Oh, and my wife’s scream.
Fear licked up my spine as I struggled against my restraints, realizing that no one would even know where we had disappeared to. We had left under the pretense of a vacation. Everyone thought we were in Bermuda or Mexico, sipping martinis and roasting in the sun. Not in little old Primrose, searching for our former foster children. None of this was adding up. There was no reason to kill us when we had just come by for a visit.
Granted, that wasn’t entirely true, but…
The swoosh of a knife through the air drew my attention, the attacker giggling to himself, watching my reactions. I could barely think with the way my heart was pounding in my chest, my entire life flashing before my eyes. The man was waiting for an answer, wasn’t he? Fumbling for the right words, I gave him a portion of the truth, hoping it would be enough. “I just wanted to see my foster sons,” I cried.
The attacker threw his head back and laughed. I noticed the stains on his shirt… specks of blood splashed on his dark shirt and gloves. My wife’s blood. His face turned toward me again. “No, we’re not going to do that. We’re not going to lie here.” He kneeled and grabbed my wife’s chin until a low groan hit my ears. Talia wasn’t dead. She sat up fast, silently pleading with the man. “Tell me, what are you truly doing here?” His question was almost as if he knew the answer. Like this was all a game to him.
“I really did come for my foster sons,” I stated again, with as much conviction as I could muster. My gaze kept darting to Talia, hoping and praying this wouldn’t be our end.
“Yes, with your fake version of helping.” He giggled, the strange sound akin to nails on a chalkboard.
“We are helping. Vinnie and Jason need help. Timothy is corrupt, and they’ll never be able—”
“Oh, sweetheart,” he purred, and it just felt evil. “You think that by using their old names, you’ll be able to preserve some part of their purity? That was gone when you decided that physical and mental scars could heal them. Your sense of help killed a part of them.”
