It was from my knees, next to my own vomit, that I watched the rest.Heath refused to give up the safe room override code—until a second knife pinned his other hand to the chair and my stomach rebelledagain.
“Fine!I’ll give ittoyou!”
My brother’s words slammed into my chest, knocking me back on my ass as he rattled off a series of numbers.He ...he gave me up.Sacrificed me to savehimself.
“No family loyalty.Disgraceful.Especially when you rushed here to save him,” Carlos said as he stood above me,lookingdown.
On the screen, they ripped the knives out, unpinning Heath from the chair, and he rose to his feet onunsteadylegs.
He sold me out.Gave me up to these brutal men to savehimself.
The same person who taught me to ride a bike, and cleaned up my skinned knees when I crashed.The brother I always thought would come to my rescue.The brother I was willing to undertake a suicide mission to save.The brother I didn’t want to believe would willingly offer me up to apsycho.
Buthedid.
He’d lied toeveryone.
Me.Dad.Rhett.
But he was still mybrother.
“Where is he?”On my knees, there was no doubt I was begging.“And my dad.Please.”
Carlos laughed and nodded at thescreen.
I stared at the TV as Heath turned his back on the camera and walked toward the door, pain evident in everyunevenstep.
“Tell your little sister good-bye,Heath.”
My brother’s head whipped around just in time for someone to draw a pistol with a long barrel and pull the trigger threetimes.
“NO!”
My screams echoed through the house as my brother dropped to his knees, clutching his chest where the bullets had penetrated, and collapsed on thefloor.
61
Rhett
When we gotto the house, Ari still wasn’t answering.I pounded on the door to the safe room, but no noise came frominside.
“You have the override?”Rixasked.
“No.”
Carver burst into the closet.“I’ve got the override code.”He flipped open a hidden panel to reveal a keypad and punched in thenumbers.
The door slid open silently, and I rushedin.“Ari!”
The room was empty.Shewasgone.
I spun around to face the men behind me.“How did this happen?How the hell did she get out of here and not a single one of younoticed?”
One of the men spoke up.“There was a car that drove by a couple times, real slow.I went out front to check.Then the back sensor went off, and we cleared the front threat to go check thatoneout.”
Rix walked into the safe room.“There’s no sign of struggle.My guess is she left onherown.”
“Why the fuck would she do that?”I strode out of the safe room, but I already knew the answer as soon as I voiced the question.“Heath or her dad.Herrera has oneofthem.”