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He groaned, muttering unintelligible words.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk. I’m going to get you out of here.” As quickly as I could, I unbound his ankles and wrists.
I startled when a sound like a board creaking came from somewhere upstairs. Tom must have come back. I threw the dirty blanket over the sickly man. “Shh,” I said. “Don’t let him know I’ve untied you. I’ll take care of him. If I don’t come back for you in half an hour, find something to use as a weapon, and get the fuck out of here.”
I hated leaving him there, but he’d at least be safe while I was in the house. I’d told him to leave if I didn’t return, but he was so bony and sickly looking, I wondered if he’d be able to get up the stairs.
But he would. Talon had gotten up those very same stairs.
“I’ll be back for you. I promise.”
I hoped I’d be able to keep that promise.
I walked toward the stairway, the dark walls seeming to pulse and close in.
My God, how had Talon survived this?
And who was the man in the cellar?
I willed myself to get a grip and ascended the stairs slowly. I had come here alone and unarmed. I hadn’t thought about protecting myself. I could kick the shit out of Tom Simpson with a look, and if he had a knife, I could easily disarm him.
But if he had a gun…
The man was a killer. A cold-blooded killer. And God only knew what he’d done to this poor man in the cellar.
Bile nudged up my throat. That was a crock. I knew exactly what Tom had done. The same thing he’d done to my brother.
I shut the door of the basement qu
ietly and walked through the small kitchen. The doorknob to the front door turned slowly.
A man entered, carrying a bag of groceries. As far as I could tell, he was unarmed. The hair on his head was dyed dark brown.
But the eyes…
A maniacal smile crossed my face. I had him.
Finally.
Finally, I would avenge my brother.
My smile became wider.
“Hello, Tom.”
Chapter One
Melanie
I was determined to take my life back. Take myself back. I didn’t for one moment think that Jonah and I were over. I could forgive him for ignoring my call that night. After all, I was the one who had left him, sneaked out of this house because I was too embarrassed to stay and talk with Talon and Jade after they caught us naked by Jonah’s pool.
But one thing I knew more than anything else—I could no longer depend on Jonah for my safety, for my protection. I had to make peace with the ghosts of my past so they would no longer follow me and haunt me.
I drove to my loft in the city. I had gotten a voice mail earlier from my insurance agent, telling me that the police had gotten all the evidence they needed and that I could now go to the loft and take whatever I wanted without a police escort. I would start there. Once my insurance company paid and I got the place fixed up, it was going on the market. Yes, I wanted to take my life back, but I wouldn’t do it in that loft. Too much history there. I would begin somewhere else.
I pulled into my parking spot and went into my building. I took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked toward my door. The police tape was gone, and a new lock had been installed. It was a touch-tone lock, and the police had given me the code and instructions on how to change it. I punched in the four digits and opened the door.
“Dr. Carmichael?”
