The rage is consuming me. It’s past the boiling point, and the knowledge that someone thinks they can fuck with us will be their own downfall. Someone will die by my hand soon enough.
“Do we still have those flashlights?” Ayres asks me as he rummages through the cabinets.
“Yeah, they should be above the sink.” I shine my phone’s light toward him. He rummages through a few more cabinets, throwing crap around.
“Found it.”
“Good, now maybe we can get upstairs.” I stop, turning to look at him. “If you’re done bitching, that is.”
Ayres throws a flashlight toward me, and I catch it with my left hand. I take a deep breath as we move along the right side of the stairs.
“How the hell did the pipes burst?”
“That’s a damn good question, Ayres. Damn good question.”
The floor on the second level is sinking under the weight of the water. It could go at any moment. It’s not safe for us to be here.We keep trudging along anyway.
“Watch your step, little brother,” I warn Ayres as we walk from room to room. We walk into Charlotte’s room, and a sinking feeling takes over my stomach. She’s gone.I know it deep down, she’s not here. Even if she hates us and we terrify her, there’s a light in her that warms this place. It’s hollow in here. My mind shakes with denial as I turn around looking at the window. It’s untouched.
Ayres walks into the bathroom after staring at the bed for a long moment. “Fuck, Kronos, get in here.”
The urgency in his tone raises the hair on my arms. What I see makes my stomach turn faster. Ayres stands there, trembling, and I know any moment he’s going to go on a rampage. I have to keep it together.
“Is he dead?” Ayres whispers.
Focusing on Ayres for a moment, I feel an odd tingle of emotion for him. He’s always been the one to kill on a whim. Hell, I’ve seen him beat a man until his eyeballs fell out. Shit just got real.
“I’ll check.” As I place my gun on the floor, I try to move Hypnos cautiously onto his back. I don’t know if he has a neck injury, and I’m pretty sure just pushing him over would be bad. His chest rises. “No, he’s breathing.” I take a shuddering breath in as I look him over head to toe.
“Looks like he has a gash on his forehead. Ayres, why don’t you get him into the bedroom and clean up the mess?”
Ayres doesn’t move as he looks at me and Hypnos. This is a first. Ayres usually cracks a wise joke at a time like this. I take his bat from him and sit it down on the sink. Gripping his face to meet his eyes, I shake him. He blinks at me.
“Snap out of it, Ayres.” I snap my fingers in front of his face and he blinks. His eyes focus on me, and I frown in frustration. “You take care of Hypnos. I’m going to see if I can find a trace on Charlotte.”
As the eldest brother at thirty-seven-years-old, I must keep my shit together. The only problem is…someone hurt Hypnos. And not only that, but Charlotte isn’t in the house.She’s gone. I’ve never felt this kind of panic or loss before. Hell, I’ve only ever felt regret twice in my life. And both times have been with Charlotte.Fucking emotions.
People think I should feel regret for killing my father. I don’t. The son of a bitch beat the ever-loving shit out of my brothers and me. No way in hell do I feel regret about the blood on my hands. Do I regret leaving Hypnos alone with Charlotte? Yeah, I think I do. I knew Hypnos had a soft spot for Charlotte, and now both could be hurt. Or worse, Charlotte could be at the police station turning us in.
I walk outside and look down. Small footprints lead out toward the fence line. I keep my gun pointed in front of me. Anticipation of what I may find makes me shake. The guards are in a pile along the south side of the property.Fuck.It’s easy to see they are dead. One of the guards necks is sliced from ear to ear. I don’t even go over to them. They knew their job was dangerous.
Is Charlotte dead?
So many questions run through my mind. There’s a cut in the north side of the fence. This wasn’t Charlotte’s doing. There’s no way she would have had the time to pull this off. No, someone planned this. Who the hell took her?
It doesn’t really matter.I’ll find her.
Frozen.I’ve never done this before. I see a problem, and I know how to fix it. I’m the mother fucking fixer. Yet, here I stand justlookingat Hypnos. He isn’t stirring. I’ve yelled, slapped, and thrown water at him. Still out like a light. I’d be worried if it weren’t for his steady breathing. I called Doc, and he told me he would be over in an hour. Sitting around isn’t an option. God, I fucking hate waiting; it’s such a useless way to spend time. I roll my eyes as I stash my phone in the back pocket of my black carpenter pants.
“Damn Hypnos, you weigh a fucking ton,” I grunt out. He mumbles as I lift him and get him over my shoulder.
“Put me down.” His voice is groggy and he makes a feeble attempt to fight me. I don’t think he knows it’s me.
“Stop Hypnos, it’s me, Ayres.”
I sit him down on the bed, and he looks at me with wild eyes. “Where is she?”
“Charlotte isn’t here. Kronos is looking for her.”
