Sighing, I smiled at my little brother before ruffling his hair. I should have known he would understand even if Tammy didn’t. Matty always came first. Always. I was all he had, and I for damn sure would not risk him because he was all I had as well. The room dropped several degrees, and I switched my gaze back to Tammy warily. Her icy fury wrapped around me, and I tensed my shoulders to prepare for whatever may come. I was not expecting her to reach into her pocket and pull out something that fit in her palm. Uh oh. Before she flipped it open, I centered Matty behind me, tapping his nose when he tried to peek again.
“Fine, if that’s how you feel, then so be it. Angel, take your brother out of here, or I will kill you. I don’t know why the monsters want you, but I suspect it isn’t good. Therefore, I won’t regret killing you. I hope you use this chance to get the boy to safety, then allow them to capture you. Hopefully, they’ll do us all a favor and kill you on the spot rather than bring you back,” Tammy growled. Her words sliced through the part of my heart that was fond of her like razor-sharp icicles. Tapping Matty’s shoulder twice, I backed away from her once he stepped back. The blade of her knife was bigger than I expected, but if need be, I could get it from her. However, I would sustain a few injuries first. “If you do not leave, I will use this.”
Matty continued towards the door until she barked, “not that one! You know very well that door leads to the rooms and not the front door, Mathew!” I felt and sensed my younger brother’s cringe. He loathed his full first name. Even as a baby, he cried when our father insisted on referring to him only as Mathew. I always called him Matty, because the shorter name suited him better since it sounded more playful. He was born a flirt since, even at only hours old, he flirted with the nurses in the hospital. A soft growl brought my attention back to the present, and I glanced at Matty, quirking my brow at his mutinous expression. Still, he tugged on my right hip to turn us towards the other door, the one Tammy entered the room through.
She followed us, her knife held securely and ready to strike. I hoped she might drop her guard so I could relieve her of it, but she knew me well enough to know better. Ensuring Matty stayed safely behind me, I backed towards the door, following his lead. I sensed his fury that I kept myself between him and the danger, although I also perceived his fear and the rage that caused his body to tremble.
A soft sigh of relief fell from my lips once we went through the door. However, my hopes that there might be someone, anyone, on the other side died a horrible death in the flames of Tammy’s fury. Seriously? How was there no one around? One would imagine a place as big as what I saw so far would have at least a maid to help keep it so spotless. I knew there were cooks in the kitchen, which only made the absence of anyone suspicious. However, Tammy didn’t care in her anger since she stalked us to the front door. Which someone left unlocked. How convenient. Someone planned this, which made me against the idea. What price would we pay for this? Because I doubt we’d escape.
It was still dark when I turned around after closing the front door. I didn’t see any boxes to indicate an alarm, so there was that at least. However, I still did not like the absence of people. No. Someone was playing a game, and we were the unfortunate pawns. Hmph. Technically we could sit on the porch and wait for Ryker to find us, I suppose. Right as that idea occurred to me, Tammy opened the door to hiss, “if you don’t get going, I’ll release the dogs!” I scoffed, but upon seeing the fear in Matty’s eyes and how his cheeks paled, I nodded. He pulled my hand, trying to drag me along, and I smiled, patting his head before kneeling in front of him.
“I won’t let anything hurt you,” I promised, “now stay close.” Nodding, Matty started running, and I sighed before chasing after him. So much for that. They definitely dressed him for this. He wore jeans, running shoes, and a hoodie while I was in a dress and boots. Still, I kept up with my baby brother. Straining my ears, I listened for signs of something following us over the harsh sounds of our breathing, the crinkling of leaves, and the sticks snapping under our feet. My hand tingled again, and I ignored it even though it worried me. It started when we left the house, but it happened more often the further we went. Was it a tracker? Or something more ominous? I glanced at it and forced my eyes back to Matty when it appeared to be growing darker. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Poor kid was trying his hardest to keep running, but I could see he was tired. Since he wasn’t into sports, he never built his stamina. The tingling in my hand became a steady buzz, but I ignored it, I would run for as long as Matty could. He was such a trooper.
The sky was lightening when Matty slowed to a stop, panting with his hands on his knees while I regulated my breathing beside
