AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m intrigued by the level of concentration and precision he has despite the fact that he doesn’t appear to be in full control of his actions.
He’s asked questions of the guys we have chained up, he’s very clear in what he wants from them, but he hasn’t acknowledged me for hours. It’s like he’s forgotten that I’m in the room.
I watch as he steps in front of the guy furthest away from me. His head tilts, assessing him, I’m not sure for what until he brings the blade up and slits the guy’s throat––it’s only then that I realise he was assessing whether or not it was worth continuing his assault on him.
His posture changes and he takes a couple of steps back, dropping the knife. Seconds later, he follows it, his knees hitting the floor, his head tipping forward, his chin almost touching his chest as his breathing becomes deeper and his arms hang loose by his side.
The guy chained––and still alive––swings his gaze from Ronan to me. He looks nervous, unsure of what’s happening, and the truth is, I don’t know either, but I don’t let on that I haven’t a clue what is wrong with my brother.
I slowly rise from my seat, walking towards him, pulling my own knife from my pocket. I slit his throat, barely stopping before walking past him.
I stop and drop to my knees in front of Ronan. I grip the sides of his face, lifting it so I can look him in the eyes.
“Ronan, can you hear me? Talk to me, brother, what’s going on?” He stares straight at me––actually, he stares straight through me.
Shit, I have no idea what to do. I pull my phone out of my pocket, wondering if I should call Connor, or even Liv. He said she could pull him out of it, but I don’t want to drag her into this, not now. She’s new to our lives, and while we like her, I don’t know her well enough to trust her with this, not yet.
I get up, grabbing a bottle of water for him, opening it and tipping it to his mouth. He instinctually opens and takes a drink.
We sit on the floor of that kill room for over an hour, him not moving, me watching for something, anything from him.
And then I see it, a single tear escaping his eye, rolling down his left cheek. I reach out, wiping it with my thumb.
His eyes raise to mine. “Can we go home, please?”
That one sentence rips at my heart, and I see just how broken my little brother really is.
Chapter 28
Liv
“What the hell?” An incessant banging wakes me from a nap I’d unintentionally taken on the sofa.
Grabbing my phone to check the time, I notice I have missed calls from Bella, Alex and Ronan.
There’s also a couple of text messages from Ronan, and just as I’m about to check them, the banging starts again. Realising it’s the door, I drop my phone on the sofa and go to answer it.
“Girl, what the hell took you so long?” Bella breezes straight into the apartment––a number of bags in hand––the moment I open the door.
“Hi, Bella, nice to see you too. Sure, come on in.”
She looks over her shoulder and offers me a grin and a wink. Dumping an overnight bag on the sofa, she heads for the kitchen.
“The sarcasm is not lost me, I’m just choosing to ignore it. Alex is finishing up at work then she’s going to make her way here, she said she’d be maybe about an hour.”
“Ah, Bella…” I roll my eyes and make my way to the kitchen. “What are you talking about? I said I wasn’t in the mood to be around people.”
“Where are your glasses?”
“What?”
“Glasses, to drink out of, Liv. Where are they?”
“Erm…”
“Never mind, I’ll find them myself. Listen, I know you said you weren’t in the mood when we asked you to come to the club with us, but it’s two days before Christmas and you’re missing your little girl. We don’t want you to be alone right now, and we want to spend some time with you.
“You’re in our lives now, Liv, not just because Ronan and you are a thing, but because we actually like you. So, let’s just have some food, have a few drinks, watch some girly movies and relax. What do you say? Girls’ night?”
