AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He paused, running his hand over the stitch before looking up at me. “Set a timer for ten more minutes. I’ll take a break and then eat before looking you over, and give another round too. Give me the bag and go rest.”
“I can—”
“Go rest. You’ve done more than enough.”
I frowned. “You do know I’m older than you.”
He smirked, taking the bag and lifting it up. “No, you aren’t. Callahan years are different…but any more days like this and you’ll be an old lady in no time. Go, Ivy.”
Go, Ivy. It felt like the slogan for the night. Putting the phone down, I peeled myself off the ground, feeling…feeling utterly disgusting. I took myself to a room, the evidence of my desperate search for clothes everywhere. Ignoring it, I walked into the bathroom, stripping down and turning on the showerhead. Not caring about the temperature, I sat down and cried, sobbed, wept, just broke down.
WYATT
“Boss? We’ve been expecting your call.”
“It’s me, Greyson,” I said, watching the security video play on Ethan’s laptop, which he’d left in the kitchen.
“Where is—”
“None of your business. I need you to get Elroy Finnegan’s photo out to everyone, let them know I don’t care how, but I want him caught and I want him caught alive. Anyone who kills him will die in his place.”
He was silent.
“Do not make me have to repeat myself.”
“Is the boss—”
“It is none of your business…look, you’ve made me repeat myself. If you don’t respect it coming from me, just know it’s what my brother wants and wants now. Do not ask questions. Do not speculate. Do not act like this is an odd request. A member of the Callahan has asked for a body…bring me the fucking body.” I hung up, dropping the phone to the left of me and leaning back against the wall beside him. Thankfully color was finally coming back to his skin and barely any blood had gotten onto his bandages. I’d already changed them twice.
“It’s your fault. If your sister trips, it’s your fault. If your brother gets a paper cut, it’s your fault. If the sky falls and harms anyone within this family as it crashes down, it is your fault. That is what it means to be family!” I whispered to him. “Remember when Father first said that to you…he almost killed you because I decided to go over to a friend’s house and you didn’t realize I’d left. It wasn’t your fault. And yet you stood there and never once pointed out it was me who snuck out. It pissed me off. Anything I did you’d get blamed and you just told me not to be stupid but never once complained. Ugh. It was like living with a robot. The day we were at school…and the shots rang out, I didn’t even see you outside, but after the first bullet you’d already had both Dona and me, covering us with your body under the table. Why isn’t he scared? How does he know what to do?”
I rubbed my chest as the pain came back. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t sick. But I was in pain. “This is how you knew, right? This…” I bit my lip, inhaling, which hurt, and exhaling hurt worse. “This pain, that’s how you knew. It’s why you never blamed me, why you hovered, even when I came here. Don’t think I’m dumb enough to not notice your moles. I’m sure you even paid off people in the hospital. I told myself to ignore it and you. And I could because I never felt this. You’ve never been the one down before. In fact, have you even gotten the flu, you freak?” I snickered bitterly, again swallowing the lump. “You’ve scared me, you know. I’m never going to get this out of my mind. If Father were alive, would he curse me for this?” I didn’t even need to ask.
He would.
And I should too, I thought, drinking the juice in my hand.
“Sorry for taking so long.”
Ivy walked in wearing a long loose-fitting black dress…she purposely didn’t want anything too tight as her body had just…
“How is he—”
“Were you shot?” I pushed myself off the ground, but I had to brace myself against the wall.
“Careful!” She moved to catch me if necessary, the idiot.
Amused, I leaned back, sliding onto the ground next to him. “Brother, you better wake up quick. You know I have a thing for wounded chicks with big hearts.”
She smacked my head. “I’m your sister! That’s like saying that about Dona.”
“Ugh…” I cringed, wanting to puke. “Forgive me and never make that comparison again.”
She laughed and winced, reaching for her leg, lifting it up, hopping on one foot as she slowly brought herself onto the ground.
“Let me see,” I said, already reaching for it.
“Save your energy. You need to make sure he’s—”
