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Fifty-One
SHANE
“Will you get that bear’s ass out of my face?” Liam snaps as the four of us crowd into the elevator with a stuffed teddy bear that’s almost as big as Jessie.
“Quit your whining,” Conor replies with a roll of his eyes.
I can’t help but smile at the three of them as they argue good-naturedly between themselves. they're eager to see our girl, and so am I.
“She ain’t gonna appreciate that monstrosity, you know?” Mikey says as he holds up the bear’s arm and then lets it go with a look of disgust.
“She’ll love it,” Conor replies confidently. “And if she doesn’t, I’m sure she’ll love the diamond tennis bracelet he’s wearing.”
She will love it, but not because it’s made of the finest pink diamonds – our girl isn’t really that into material shit. She will love it because he chose it for her.
We step out of the elevator and into the hallway.
“Jessie. We got you a present, Angel,” Conor shouts.
There is no answer.
“Jessie.”
“Maybe she’s working out?” Liam suggests with a shrug as he heads off to the gym.
“Or the shower?” Mikey adds. “I’ll check her room.”
The twins head off to look for her while Conor and I make our way to the kitchen. I see the note as soon as we walk into the room, and my heart drops through my stomach.
She wouldn’t do this to us. Not after I let her in. Not after yesterday. It could be perfectly innocent. Maybe she’s gone to pick something up for dinner? Or some ice-cream for dessert. But why wouldn’t she just text us? Why leave a note?
Conor has a giant teddy bear in his face and doesn’t notice the piece of paper on the table. I walk over to it with my blood pumping furiously around my body and a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Picking it up, I read the words, and it seems like time stops. I’m vaguely aware of Conor talking to me in the background, and then Liam and Mikey run into the room.
“Jessie’s not here,” they say in unison.
“What?” Conor asks as he places the stuffed bear on the floor.
“She’s gone,” I say, handing him the note.
I watch his face as he reads it and so many emotions flood my body I feel like I’m going to explode. He was only just getting back to being something like his normal self again, and she has broken him. She has broken us all.
“No,” Conor shakes his head as Liam takes the note from his hand. “She wouldn’t do this to us. Someone must have taken her,” he snarls as his face turns red with rage.
“Go check the security feeds,” I say to Mikey and he runs out of the kitchen, returning a minute later with a laptop.
I stand in the kitchen staring at the small screen and watching our whole world fall apart. Jessie is there, as clear as day, walking to the elevator, hand in hand with some guy. It’s hard to see who it is. He’s clearly used to living in the shadows and he shields his face from view. But it doesn’t really matter who she left with. What matters is that she left.
She has betrayed us. Torn out our hearts and left my brothers in pieces.
I will never forgive her.
“We have to find her,” Mikey says as he looks up at me.
“Oh, we will.” I place my hand on the back of his neck. “And when we do, she will wish she’d never heard the name Ryan.”
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