Page 80 of Broken Truths

“I—”

The doorbell cuts Leo off, and all three of us still for a brief moment before charging the front door. Somehow, I get to it before the two of them and throw it open, my throat constricting a little.

Disappointment laps at me but anger quickly overtakes it.

Devon Forbes stands in front of me. He’s still the disheveled guy Eden and I saw at his cabin.

I lunge for him, grab him by the sides of his hoodie, and yank him inside. He trips and falls on the floor, and I press my foot on his throat. I don’t know why. We have zero evidence the Forbeses have anything to do with this, and even if they did, Devon is nothing to them. It’s the fear making me do it. It has me pressing on his trachea, watching as his eyes go wide. I want someone to feel the same life-altering trauma that I’m feeling right now. Like life has me in a chokehold.

“Do you know where she is?”

“Oliver…” Alaric starts, approaching me.

“Do you fucking know where she is?” I ask again, my foot pressing down even harder. Devon’s skin is getting paler, and his fingers grab my shoe, clawing at it.

He nods.

Holy shit.

I let my foot off him, grab him by the hoodie again, and throw him against the wall. “Tell us where she is or I will twist your balls off and shove them down your throat.”

He holds his hands up. “I came here to tell you.”

Leo tries to needle me out of the way, but I stand my ground. I pull Devon off the wall, then shove him against it again. His head cracks against the solid surface behind him, his lids fluttering. “The next words out of your mouth better be where she is, or I’ll—”

“F-Forbes,” he stutters out, reaching behind his head to prod at his skull. He brings his fingers away, and I spot a smear of blood across their tips. “Keegan called me.”

“I fucking knew it,” Leo seethes.

“He went to confront his father, but a maid slipped him a note saying there was a girl in the room upstairs. He texted me immediately to tell you guys, but I haven’t been able to get him to respond since.”

I let him go, and he falls against the wall, using it to prop himself up as he checks the back of his head again.

“If he has her, it’s not good,” Devon says, swallowing. He peers away from us, his arms now dangling at his sides. He looks as if he’s aged a few decades since the last time we saw him a few days ago, and his scent is more potent, too.

“We need to go there,” Alaric announces.

“And quickly,” Leo adds. “We need to get her the hell out of there. We have no idea what he’s capable of. Fuck.” He bites down on his lower lip. “We need a plan.”

I push Devon’s shoulder against the wall again, holding him there. “How do we get inside? You must know a way.”

He’s the only connection we have to the Forbeses. According to Eden, he’s been Keegan’s bitch since they were kids, always hanging on. Much like Leo, he’s the bad apple in that family—not because of anything he did, but because his father was the fuck up.

“There’s a trail,” he sputters out. “It leads to a side road. You have to scale the perimeter wall and jump over it, but it’s doable. Keegan used to sneak out that way.”

Hope squeezes my chest. I don’t know how much time we have. Forbes taking Eden all but convicts him of the other deaths, too, right? Why kidnap Eden?

“Grab anything useful,” Leo barks out. “We leave in two minutes. If your asses aren’t out in Alaric’s car, I’m leaving without you.” His voice trails behind him as he runs up the stairs.

“You’re coming with us,” I tell Devon. He’s the only one who knows where the trail is, and he’s also, out of the four of us, the one who knows the Forbeses house best. I’ve never set foot in it myself, and if Leo and Alaric have, they won’t know it as well as him.

Devon nods, the corners of his eyes welling with tears as his face pinkens. He’s definitely as afraid for Eden as the rest of us are.

When Leo comes running down the stairs, I leave right after him, pushing Devon toward Alaric’s car. He trips over his own feet again but keeps his balance before opening up the back seat. I follow him after to make sure he doesn’t leave. Right now, he’s the best asset we have, and I’m not letting him out of my sight, even if he is compliant right now.

Leo revs the engine, and at the same time, Alaric jogs from the house. James stands in the doorway with a furrowed brow, and I lower the window. “Keep a warm bath. Grab a first aid kit, anything you can think of,” I shout. I’m bringing Eden back, and I’m going to take care of her.

James doesn’t get a chance to respond because as soon as Alaric is inside the car, Leo steps on the gas. We squeal out of the driveway, and Alaric yanks his door shut.

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