Page 107 of Tell Me Why
“The basement.” He looks directly at Eve. “But he’s not going anywhere.”
Eve tenses beside me. “I want to see him.”
Jackson’s jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he might refuse. Then with a curt nod, he turns and heads toward the kitchen, expecting us to follow. Eve moves to go after him, but I catch her arm, holding her back.
“I’ll handle this,” I say.
Her eyes flash with both anger and determination, which is a dangerous combination. “I’m going down there.”
“I know how to talk to them.”
Sin is being held in what we call the Panic Room—a cement room in the basement with a vault door, and a drain in the floor. We call it the Panic Room because anyone down there is usually panicking. And if Sin is down there, then it’s not pretty. I don’t need Eve to see that.
“I’m coming with you,” Eve says, and at this point, I know better than to argue with her. If I deny her this, I know she’ll scheme and plot until she finds her way down to her brother. Might as well get this shit over with.
We make our way down to the dank basement, past the decked-out home gym, all the way to the room in back. The vaulted door is closed, and Cash is leaning against it casually, smoking a joint. His knuckles are raw, and there’s a distinct smile on his face.
Fuck, this isn’t good.
When he spots us, his eyes immediately settle on Eve.
“Why are you still here?” I ask him. “Your job is done. You should be long gone.”
He shrugs one shoulder. “I was given a new assignment.” Then he nods at Eve. “She shouldn’t be here.”
“Open the door. Give her a few minutes with him,” I say forcefully.
He pinches off his blunt and pushes off the wall. “That’s not a good idea, man.”
“What have you done to him?” Eve seethes, trying to push past me. I hold her back, my arm across her chest.
“Cash,” I say, my tone dangerously low. “That wasn’t a fucking request.”
Cash glances over at Jackson, who gives him a slight nod. What the fuck? I’m goneless than a week, and Jackson’s suddenly the one in charge?
Cash lifts his hands. “Alright, man. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Five minutes,” Jackson says.
Cash pulls the heavy door open, the metal creaking, echoing through the basement, revealing a dimly lit room beyond. Sin is tied to a chair in the middle of the room, right above the drain. His head hangs limply, and his hair, his clothes are covered in blood. He doesn’t stir when the door opens.
Fuck. Me.
If he’s dead, I swear to God…
With a broken sob, Eve pushes past my arm and rushes over to her brother. She mumbles something, trying to get him to look at her, her hands hovering, too afraid to touch him.
I face Jackson. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I motion to Sin. “This kind of shit should have been sanctioned byallof us. You’re going to start a fucking war.”
Jackson laughs. “Dude, wake the fuck up. The war has already started.”
Sin rouses a little when he hears Eve’s voice, and I motion for Jackson and Ash to follow me into the gym area. When we’re far enough away, I turn on them both. “What the fuck?”
“You disappeared, man,” Ash says, not angry, just matter-of-fact. “Someone needed to handle things, so we did. Simple as that.”
“And anyway, Lucas signed off on it,” Jackson finishes.
My jaw tightens. “Lucas doesn’t speak for me.”
