Page 99 of Tempt Me

Judas looked around, confused. “Where is Larry?”

Exchanging a look with Goliath, we both shrugged. “Maybe he needed a nap, Judes. Just get some sleep.”

Taliah had to be okay. She was a tough mother fucker and often rivaled even us. She practically raised our dumb-asses, and that was triple trouble. I would never be able to repay her debt when she kept Xenia safe all those years until I led the monster right to her doorstep. Maybe if I saved her from my girlfriend’s psycho ex, we would be slightly even.

Please be safe, Little Voyeur.

We drove the rest of the way to the cabin in silence. It was daunting, and every minute in the car was helpless. I hated being unable to know what was fucking happening.

“Shit.”

I followed my brother’s gaze. Cops were all over the property, and a fire truck and an ambulance were included in the entourage. Quinn was leading the parties, but…they looked angry and concerned. No one was inside the ambulance and cops were walking canine units over by the side of the woods.

“What the fuck is going on?”

I didn’t bother waiting for Lith to stop the car. I opened my door and jumped out. Catching myself before I stumbled, I ran straight to Quinn.

“Micah. What happened? Where’s my sister? Where…”

Wheeze.

“Is.”

Cough.

“Fallon?”

The cop, with a kinder heart than anyone I’d ever met, looked defeated. My stomach filled with dread, and I prayed that I wasn’t about to live through another fucking nightmare that entailed cops, paramedics, and death again.

“Please,” I said. Whether I was speaking to Micah, myself, or a clearly spiteful god, I didn’t know.

Micah sighed. “Roe, I am not going to bullshit you. It is bad, man. You need to prepare yourself.”

I swallowed, nodding my head for him to continue.

“We found blood trails leading into the woods. There is DNA linking all three of them. We can’t assess any of the injuries, and we can’t find them. There’s a heavy storm warning, and the dogs can’t pick up their scents either because everything is changing. We’re trying, brother. I promise you…”

I looked down on the ground. “But?”

Quinn sighed again, reaching forward to give me a comforting shoulder squeeze.

“But you need to prepare for…”

I let the tears fall. The amount I fucking cried had me rivaling the damn babies at the hospital. I couldn’t hear this.

“I left her. It was supposed to break the fucking curse! Why Quinn? Why isn’t she okay? Why wasn’t she spared?”

Quinn held my arm as I slowly lowered to the ground.

I saw in the corner of my eye the blood trail. I had to find her. I had to find her and throw that asshole that hurt her off the cliff behind these woods. If I could only give her this and nothing else, I would find her…

But…

Will it be to hold her in my arms again…

Or to bury her?

We searched for hours. The rain was pouring down now, and the wind was so strong it was making the dirt cling to us in a sticky, caked-on layer.

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