Page 49 of Thaddeus

“We’re here to take you home.” I crouched in front of them. “You’re all safe now.”

Nothing. Not even a flicker.

“Is anyone else here?”

Still nothing.

“We’re gonna get you out of here.”

One of the girl’s eyes widened and cold fear flashed over her features. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see what had scared her. Just as my gaze landed on Declan, his body jerked and an arm came around his neck and a long blade was pressed against his throat. Before anyone could react, the man behind Declan stumbled, taking Declan with him. The edge of the man’s knife drew blood at Declan’s throat before his arm went slack.

I was on my feet, Thad shoving me behind him, and Brooks yanked Declan with such force the big beast of a man was tossed to the side and to safety.

But I couldn’t concentrate on any of that. Not how Thad had tried to protect me. How close Declan had come to dying. Not even how Brooks had some super power and was able to get to Declan in a flash and throw him across the room.

Not when there was a man with a knife sticking out of his neck gargling his last breaths and my sister was standing over him.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said.

“What?” I stepped out from behind Thad, but he grabbed my arm, preventing me from running to Autumn.

“Goddamn it, Emerson. You shouldn’t be here.”

“What?” I repeated in a whisper, my eyes filling with tears.

This wasn’t how I’d pictured our reunion. This was so far from how I’d imagined it, it wasn’t funny. I thought we’d run into each other’s arms and the relief of me finding her would bring us to our knees. We’d go on the run and make our way back home where I could finally face my parents again.

I’d bring Autumn back, and everything would finally be okay again.

“Go home, Emerson. You’ve stirred up too much shit. You’re on radar now, a prize to be found. You should’ve never started this shit. You were supposed to go back to living your life. Not… not… do this.”

I yanked my arm from Thad and moved toward Autumn. She took a step back and in the light filtering in from the open door next to her, I saw it.

Nothing.

Vacant.

Broken.

“Autumn,” I cried.

“You have two minutes to get gone. Three trucks are inbound,” she told the room, no longer looking at me. “And take my sister with you. Paul’s offered up a million-dollar price tag. Lock her ass down.” Then her dead eyes came back to mine. “I’m dead to you, Emerson.”

“You’re not. Please come with us.”

“I got nothing left, sister. Nothing you want anyway. Now you got one minute. Go home and forget my name.”

Autumn turned, and with her blonde hair whipping behind her, she took off in a dead run.

“Stop her!” I yelled.

No one moved.

I took off after my sister, but before I could get more than a few steps, I was grabbed from behind, twisted around, and tossed over Thad’s shoulder. Once he had me where he wanted, he took off in a full sprint.

In the wrong direction.

“Please, Thaddeus. Go get her.”