Page 57 of Murder & Mayhem
The Uber driver pulled up in front of the bar. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at me skeptically. He was an older guy, probably in his late forties, and he was looking at me like I was one of his kids about to do something I shouldn’t.
“You sure this is where you want to go, kid? Are you even old enough to drink?”
“Not that it’s your business, but yeah,” I lied. It wasn’t like I planned on getting anything.
He sighed. “Whatever. Not my problem. Just be careful, okay? In this kind of place, a lot more than drinking goes on.”
A shiver ran down my spine. I was well aware of what went on in places like this. I couldn’t wait to get Bailey far the fuck away from it. “Thanks.”
I slid out and slammed the door shut before he could say anything. The car hesitated only for a second before speeding off. I gripped the switchblade in one hand and my phone in the other as I headed for the alley on the side of the bar. That seemed like the most logical place for Bailey to hide. It wasn’t until I felt something sharp cut into my foot that I realized I was barefoot. No wonder the driver was giving me looks. I was a fucking mess. I picked the rock out of my bare sole, glad it wasn’t glass or something worse, like a needle. I was more careful about my steps as I moved forward.
I glanced around my surroundings, but the street was quiet and I didn’t notice any immediate danger. Still, I kept my eyes peeled and ready. I squinted into the darkness, trying to find my brother.
“Bails?”
Nothing, then some rattling, then a quiet, “Jamie?”
I used the flashlight on my phone to watch as Bailey crawled out from behind the dumpster. “Oh fuck, Bailey.”
In seconds, my little brother, who was actually two inches taller than me but we’re not talking about that, threw himself into my arms with enough force I stumbled back.
“Jamie!” He sobbed, clutching the back of my hoodie with both hands.
“I’m here. You’re safe.”
Bailey shook his head, “They’re gonna come for me again. They won’t let me go. Especially after what I did.”
“I won’t let them,” I vowed with more conviction than I felt. After all, I’d let him be taken once. How was I going to stop it now? “And don’t worry about anything else. We’ll fix it.”
Bailey shivered hard, and for a long moment, I held him, my own tears freely flowing down my face. Fuck, he was here. He was alive and relatively unharmed and here. For the first time since I’d gotten the text, I allowed myself to feel all the fear and worst-case scenarios I wouldn’t allow myself to think about.
Eventually, I pushed him to an arm’s length away so I could get a good look at him.
His eyes were bloodshot from tears or exhaustion, and there was a nasty looking bruise on his cheek, but otherwise he seemed okay. He was still wearing the clothes he’d had on when he’d been taken, and though they were dirty and a littleworse for wear, they weren’t torn, and I hoped like hell that was a good sign.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?” Besides his face, I meant. “Did they . . . ?”
Bailey shook his head. “No. They didn’t touch us, besides shoving us around. I’m okay, Jamie. I promise.”
Relief hit me so hard it was painful. He wasn’t okay, not really, but it could’ve been so much worse. Bailey knew firsthand how much worse it could’ve been. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to process everything.
We weren’t out of danger yet, so I only gave myself a few seconds to feel and then I shut it all down till later. Till I was positive Bailey was safe and this was all behind us, and then I would fall apart.
“Come on. Let’s go somewhere less in the open. Gideon, one of the guys who’s been helping me, will be here soon.”
Bailey gave a short nod but froze in place, eyes wide. I didn’t need to ask any questions to know why the sudden change because the cold, blunt barrel of a gun pressed into my head at the same moment a hand wrapped around my mouth, holding me completely still and silent.
“Don’t fucking move or your brother gets a bullet in his brain,” someone snapped at Bailey.
That voice. I knew that voice. It still haunted so many of my dreams and was ten times worse than any gun to my head could ever be. O’Malley ground the gun into the base of my spine, causing me to wince despite myself.
Bailey was frozen in place. I tried to meet his eyes, to tell him to run and that it didn’t matter what happened to me, but he either didn’t understand my unspoken pleas or was ignoring them. Knowing Bailey, it was the latter.
“I won’t. I’ll cooperate.” Bailey’s voice was quiet but steady, calm overtaking him in this flight-or-fight moment. Iwished I could feel the same, but Bailey had always been better in these situations. While I shut down, he remained in control, strong in the face of adversity. It was one of the many ways I’d failed him as a big brother. I was never strong enough.
“Run!” I tried to scream through the hand over my mouth, but O’Malley slammed the pistol hard into my skull.
“Shut the fuck up! You two whores caused more trouble than you’re worth. You’re coming with me.” I wondered if he realized that Flame and the rest of the Wraiths were looking for him by now. Probably.
