Page 45 of Lost in the Light

“Max Kline,” he answered on the second ring.

“Max. It’s Addy.”

“Addy. Sorry. I didn’t look at the caller ID. How are you?” he asked, sounding his usual upbeat self.

“I’m okay, but I could use your help. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just don’t know what else to do,” I admitted nervously.

“You’re never a bother. Tell me what’s going on?”

“Asher and Eli, the police came to take them in for questioning early this morning. Do you know about what’s happened here? About their…our father?”

“Yes. Asher called me a few days ago. He filled me in on everything and asked for some contacts for attorneys in case he and Eli were taken in. He knew the police would likely try to tie them both to the crimes at the house,” Max explained. I let out a little sigh of relief at knowing Max recommended the representation. That meant that Ash and Eli’s attorneys were likely good at their job, at least.

“Asher and Eli aren’t back, Max,” I explained, my voice breaking as tears fought for escape. “It’s been hours and we haven’t heard anything. I’m worried they’ve been arrested and I just…I didn’t know who to call, except for you.”

“Is somebody with you, Addy?”

“Yes. I’m okay. I’m just worried for my brothers. They didn’t do anything wrong. This is all a mistake,” I murmured as I fought to keep it together.

“I know. I want you to leave this with me, okay? I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out,” he offered, and I did cry then, unable to hold it in, overcome with relief that someone was doing something to help Asher and Eli.

“Sorry. I’m okay,” I sniffled. “Thank you, Max.”

“Of course. Try to get some rest. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,” he assured me.

I thanked him several more times before I said goodbye and hung up. At least Max might be able to tell me something of what was happening. Once I knew how much trouble my brothers were in, then I’d decide what to do next. It was time for me to take care of Asher and Eli and no one, not even Kane was going to stop me.

JORDAN

“Okay. We’ll be waiting in the living room for you,” Adam said, agreeing to leave Addy alone, locked in her room. My heart was pounding too hard in my chest as he hooked his arm around my neck and pulled me back down the hall and into the living room.

“We shouldn’t leave her. Last time…” I began to argue.

“Last time she was upset and in a bad place. She sounded calmer tonight. We can’t make her feel like she can’t make her own decisions, brother, no matter how much her being alone terrifies us,” Adam told me and I understood what he meant. Addy was vulnerable at the moment after all she’d been through, but she was still an adult who had spent her entire life surviving alone. She’d not only raised herself from a young age, but she’d also taken care of her bitch of a mom and worked to earn the money they needed to live as she got older.

Behind all of the pain and anxiety caused by the horror she suffered, she was a pretty independent soul, and she wouldn’t appreciate us barking orders at her – well not most of the time anyway. I had noticed the way she seemed to relax just slightly when Kane or Adam told her to do something, when she wasstruggling to cope. It was like it took some weight from her shoulders when they took control when she couldn’t. But most of the time she was defiant and liked to try and stand on her own two feet.

But knowing all of that wasn’t allaying my fears about her once again being behind that locked fucking door. When she’d been in there the day before I had been scared shitless, and seriously considering the idea of climbing down from the roof terrace to get to her, right before she unlocked the door. Images of her hurting herself had run through my mind constantly and I had actually been afraid to walk in the room, terrified of what we’d find when we were finally able to enter. The idea of us all going through that again had me panicking, and I had no doubt that my brother felt the same.

I had believed her when she told us all how determined she was to keep going and find her feet again, the night before, but there was still this wild panic inside of me that she would forget all of that if she sank deep enough into the darkness that seemed to haunt her. I could not loose her. I was falling for her, so fucking hard and I couldn’t stop it, not that I wanted to.

The more I got to know her, and the more she allowed her true self to show through, the more I wanted her. I loved when she smiled and laughed, and she was sexy as hell when she got pissed and angry, just as she had with Kane before. She had fire inside her, even after all she’d been through and that amazed and captivated me.

“Where the fuck is she?” Kane asked sharply as he appeared from the direction of his room.

“You are such a fucking asshole!” I barked as I turned to face him, rage boiling in my veins at the way he had spoken to Addyearlier. I considered punching the bastard, but Adam beat me to it, walking right up to Kane and laying him out with one swift punch to his face.

“What the fuck?” Kane yelled as he lay sprawled on the floor, blood trickling from his nose.

“You ever speak to her like that again and I will fucking crush you!” Adam hissed, quietly, but filled with rage.

“Yeah? Try it, fucker,” Kane smirked as he got to his feet and squared up. He was no match size wise to my brother. Adam was a huge fucker with several inches and about thirty pounds of pure muscle over Kane, but I still didn’t know who’d win if they had it out. Kane was highly trained and he knew some martial arts shit. He was also fast, probably much faster than Adam.

“Enough!” I intervened as I got between them. “We’re not putting Addy through you two fighting like kids in the fucking school yard.”

“Why would you talk to her like that? You know what she’s been through. Why do you have to be such a fucking dick to her?” Adam demanded as he stepped back and took a breath.

Kane grabbed at some tissues from a box on the side table and wiped at the blood on his face. Thankfully, it looked like the bleeding had stopped already, so his nose wasn’t broken.

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