The shock of being here in this house is beginning to wear off and I’m starting to feel panicky. This was her domain. The boys’ grandmother cherished this library more than she could have ever loved her grandsons. The guys have had it redone, but a house this old holds onto horrors that fresh paint and fancy furniture can’t mask. They’re apparently using it as an office, and a safe place to keep extra weapons, but it still has the same eerie vibe. I know it’s my imagination, but I can smell the old dusty books she was obsessed with, and her obnoxious floral perfume. I’m sitting on the couch opposite Desiree while the guys look over the note they found for the hundredth time, and I try to shake off the intruding thoughts.
It was in this room that I found out that Mrs. Pierce, my guardian, sold me to that awful man. Her cackling laugh rings in my ears and I can feel her long, sharp nails digging into me as she pushed me toward the grotesque man as he apprised my body. She’d bought me a new dress that day, and I should have known that kind gestures don’t come freely with women like her. It feels like my chest is collapsing and all the air is sucked out of my lungs as I remember the way he rubbed his crotch. I would be dead by now if I hadn’t stomped on her foot, shoved her on the ground, and ran out of the library, through the kitchen, and out the side door. The man was close behind me, but I knew the neighborhood far better than he did, especially in the dark. I don’t realize how loud I’m breathing until Killian is in my face.
“Ava, look at me. Look at me!” When I do, it dawns on me that I’m hyperventilating. I try to control it, but I’m shaking when Desiree reaches out to touch my shoulder. Killian turns and glares at her, warning her not to touch me.
“I-I-I need to get out of this room.” I manage to get the words out and breathe in deep through my nose.
“What happened?” Killian allows me to stand up, but tilts my chin up gently so I have no choice but to look him in the eyes. Surprisingly, it helps. His eyes searching mine doesn’t calm me completely, but I’m able to steady my breathing to a more normal rate.
“I’m fine. Just an asthma attack,” I lie to him, mostly because I don’t want to get into the whole thing in front of Kai and Desiree. I also don’t want to incite Killian over the reason I left him.
“Does this happen often?” Desiree asks, and I can hear the genuine concern in her voice.
“Sometimes.” I don’t lie to her. The panic attacks come less frequently, but they’re rough when they present themselves.
“Go out back and get some fresh air with Desiree.” By the looks on both Killian and Desiree’s faces, I know I’m not the only one surprised by Kai’s suggestion. He’s going to let us go out in the backyard, unattended? We could run away. I mean, we wouldn’t get far, but still.
“No.” Killian shakes his head and Kai glares at him.
“We need to figure this shit out, and I don’t want to admit it any more than you do, but they’re a fucking distraction.” Kai’s eyes roam Desiree for only a second before giving his attention back to his brother. “They won’t disobey.”
Kai’s eyes flash to me. “Isn’t that right, Ava?”
I roll my eyes, the shaky feeling slowly leaving my body. “Aye, Aye, Captain.” He scowls when I salute him and that’s enough satisfaction for me. But before I even take a step, Killian scoops me up by the arm and hauls me back against him.
“Don’t make me chase you,” he says, and he doesn’t need to add anything else. His message is loud and clear.
I’ll find you wherever you go.
Desiree and I are both quiet until we make it to the kitchen and head for the backyard.
“Are you okay? For real?” she asks as I struggle to figure out the lock on the back door. If I had to pick one thing that the Peirce brothers don’t fuck around with, it’s security.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just bad memories. I’ll be fine.” I again choose to tell her the truth. I give her my best forced smile and I realize that she can probably see through it, because she wears the same one.
I get the door open and let her out ahead of me. The door isn’t even closed behind us when she lets out a bone piercing scream.
My stomach turns when I see where she’s pointing. In the backyard, beyond all the security systems and privacy fences, there’s a dead man hanging in from a tree.
And he’s wearing Kai’s jersey.
13
Desiree
It feels as if all the air leaves my lungs and my knees shake with fear. There’s a dead body hanging several feet from me. I hear Ava hyperventilating next to me.
I can feel Kai’s warmth against my back. I swivel around to him, furious.
“You need to let me leave!” I scream at him, hitting him in the chest.
Anger flashes in his eyes. “You
