Page 92 of Blood Ties
The more I imagine the scenario, the tighter my chest feels. My hand wanders to my stomach and curls there protectively. I’mnotgoing back to that basement.
I take a couple deep breaths, trying to calm myself and stop imagining worst case scenarios. But my eyes wander back to the keys, again and again.
I should at least make sure the car starts, right? If any of his family members are around, the sound could attract them, but... I have to make sure. I hold my breath as I turn the key.
And — nothing.
I blink. Try it again. The car sits still and dead. I swallow and climb out, trying not to panic.
For a moment I swear I can hear Felix’s voice in my ear, feel his calming presence at my back.“Hey, you’ve watched me fix up my piece of junk a hundred times. You’ve got this. You know what to look for.”
I take a deep breath, nod to myself. Maybe I can figure this out. I climb out, head to the front, and pop open the hood. Nothing leaking where I can see. My eyes dart to the alternator, the battery, to... where the starter fuse should be, but isn’t.
Fuck.
Then I see a flash of color. Something that shouldn’t be there. I frown, leaning in, and pull it out a sticky note.
Jagged letters scrawl out:TOLD YOU TO WAIT KIDDO.
My heart skips a beat before starting to thump double-time.
He knows. Knox knows.
But if that’s true, then—
This is a trap.
Just as I whirl around, a body presses into mine. A hand darts up to grab my wrist, and twists so hard I drop the bolt cutters.
Knox reaches behind me to slam the car hood shut, and then shoves me onto it, standing between my legs. One of his hands is still gripping my wrist hard enough to hurt; the other caresses the side of my face. But there’s a hard look in his eyes, a deep-seated anger different than his usual volatile temper. I curl my free hand around my stomach again, sucking in a shaky breath.
“Where’s my brother?” he asks.
I bite his hand. He jerks it back with a curse, and then slaps me across the face.
“Little bitch,” he grits out. He grinds his teeth together, runs a hand through his hair as he looks around. “Fucking Kai,” he says. “All he had to do was wait. We could’ve done this together. We could’ve started somewhere fresh, just the three of us, together. But now... now...” He turns back to me, his expression darkening. “You did this. You turned him against me.”
“Kaichose me,” I spit at him. “And if you hurt me, you’ll lose him forever.”
He only smirks. “And if I tell him you left without him? You think he won’t believe me?” He leans in, grabbing me by the throat. “But where the fuck is he? Did you do something do him?”
I hesitate for a split second. Am I willing to give up Kai to save myself?
“Come on now, you’re smarter than that.”Goosebumps prickle over my skin as I hear Caleb’s voice in my ear. I can practically see him pushing his glasses up his nose.“Think this through, Ry.”
I take a breath. Of course — Knox won’t kill his brother. Hewillkill me. And I might have leverage I can use against Knox. “Kai’s getting your mom.”
Knox stares at me, his grip on me loosening. “...What?”
“Your mother. YourMomma.” I stare at him, waiting for a reaction, but there’s a look of dull incomprehension on his face. “Did you know she’s a prisoner here?”
Knox’s grip tightens again, but his expression is still. “I’m not as stupid as my brother.”
And obviously not as empathetic as him, either, but I still assumed he’d feel something for his ownmom. “Did you know your dad cut her fucking legs off when she tried to run?”
He twitches. Not quite a flinch. But there’s no surprise on his face. Heknew, and that makes disgust curdle in my stomach. “Of course I do,” he says, his voice low and dangerously soft. “I wasthere.”
“And you haven’t done a thing about it?” I search his face, but there’s nothing there to indicate any kind of emotion. It’s sickening. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I breathe. “It’s your mom. Your brother. Just... just let usgo, Knox!”
