Page 2 of Lost in the Light

“Yeah. I don’t think I can call him our father again either,” I sighed as I dropped down into the chair opposite Asher.

“I called my contact at the FBI, gave him the names, but he asked for anything else I have.”

“Who was it? I didn’t actually see them.”

“Williams and Dartford. Addy said she thought only one of them hurt her, but she didn’t say which. Regardless, they were both there and likely have some poor innocent, chained up in their homes somewhere,” Asher growled.

“Doesn’t Williams have a family? Two daughters, right? They came to the house once,” I recalled. Both men had been to our family home several times while we were growing up. Our father didn’t have friends, but those two were the closest he had to that type of relationship. They were both heads of their own companies too, but I couldn’t remember what they did. I did know that my father had worked closely with them both though.

“Yeah. Dartford is divorced but he has a kid too,” Asher told me. “Fucking monsters!” He slammed his hand down on his desk so hard the whole thing shook.

“Did you tell the FBI about da….abouthim?” I asked, correcting my urge to say ‘dad’ at the last second.

“I told him everything. I’m not protecting that sick fuck. I don’t care what it does to the business or any of that bullshit. I’m just pissed he won’t be here to face the consequences of what he did.”

“Do…” God, I didn’t know if I could even voice the question without throwing up again. My stomach was already turning violently. “Do you think he was like Hilton? Do you think he held girls like Addy? Is there a hidden annex in his house?”

“I’ve been trying not to think about it, but it’s definitely a possibility. He could also have had another place somewhere. I’ll have Kane look into it eventually, but right now we need to focus on keeping Addy safe.”

“She’s not safe now?”

“Those bastards saw her in the office today, and it was pretty obvious she recognized them. Monsters like that, they don’t want their depravities revealed, and I have no doubt they’ll go to some extreme measures to stop Addy from being able to do that.”

“Fuck,” I gasped as it hit me just how much danger Addy could be in. “She can’t handle this. She already has way too much to deal with.”

“I’m doing all I can to keep it from her shoulders. Kane has increased security and my guy at the FBI is already working on warrants for the arrest of Williams and Dartford. Hopefully, they’ll be taken in before they can do anything that will endanger her.”

“This is all so fucked up, Asher!” I cried as I looked to him with glassy eyes. “He had to know who she was, didn’t he? How could he look at her and not know she’s related to us? To him? He knew who she was.”

“I think so,” Ash sighed as he got to his feet, and rounded the desk. He fell to his knees before me and pressed a hand over my shoulder. “Remember when he told us about Addy? He said he should have helped her. I think he was talking about that day. I believe he wanted to clear his guilty conscience before he died.”

“As if anything or anyone could forgivethat!” I snapped as I lowered my head and buried it in my hands. “His own daughter, Ash. His own fucking kid!”

“Eli, look at me,” Ash demanded and I did, but I could barely see him through the tears in my eyes. “He’s gone. We can’t make him pay for what he did. It’s too late. All we can do is pass what we know to the cops to try and stop all of the other sick fucks out there, and take care of Addy. She needs us right now, and we willnot fail her like everyone else in her life has. We’re going to keep her safe and have her back always, whatever comes, right?”

“Right,” I sniffled with a nod. “You’re right.” I swiped at my tears and took a deep breath. I needed to be strong like my brother. Addy needed me. I couldn’t fall apart.

“I want you to let me deal with all of this, okay? Kane will check out the mausoleum and let the FBI know if there’s anything there,” he went on. I shuddered at the thought of there being some hidden prison and torture chamber in the home Asher and I had grown up in, which we had coined ‘the mausoleum’when we were kids. “I’ll arrange all of the security with Kane too. I want you to focus on Addy, okay? She needs you and you’re better at being there for her than I am.”

“That’s not true. She needs us both,” I argued.

“I’ll be here too, of course, but you’re better at comforting her and knowing what she needs. I want you to concentrate on that. We’re taking some more time away from the office for now. I have some things to work on, and I don’t want to be far from Addy with this threat looming.”

“Me either,” I agreed. “But don’t push me out, Ash, okay? I need to know what you find out. I can handle it.”

“I know you can,” he sighed as he lifted to his feet. I stood with him and couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around him. I needed his strength in that moment. I was relieved when he wrapped his arms around me too. “We’re all going to be okay. I promise you that, little brother,” he told me.

Those words were exactly what I needed to hear. If Asher told me everything would be okay, I knew it would be, because my brother would never let it be any other way. He’d been makingeverything okay for me throughout my entire life, and he had never let me down once.

CHAPTER 2

ADDY

“Look at me!” I jolted at the barked command, my eyes shooting open and panic filling me instantly. I looked around me frantically as my heart pounded so hard it was making me feel light headed. The first thing I realize is that I’m naked. The next is that I know exactly where I am. I look up slowly, not wanting to see the face that I know will meet mine.

Dark eyes, wrinkles on the cold, hard face. Dark slicked back hair, dotted with gray. My father.

“I think I’m going to enjoy this,” he sneered.Oh God! This is where I was before. This is where the memory stopped last time!

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