“NICK!” I shoved open the door, staring at the crumpled front of the Mustang as the armed guard took aim at my brother. “NO!”
I lunged, hands up, desperation roaring through me as Nick slumped against the steering wheel…and didn’t get up. “T!” I screamed. “DRIVE THE FUCKING CAR!”
I stared at the asshole with his gun pointed at my brother, yanked open the driver’s door, and froze. There was blood…so much blood. A moan ripped free before I moved, grabbed his arm, and lifted. The heavy metallic stench of blood filled my nose as his cold shirt stuck against my skin.
Fuck, he was heavy.
There was only a year between us, but a lot of fucking personality, and muscle, it seemed. I drove upwards, my body howling under the strain as I lifted him from a crouch, pulling him from behind the steering wheel to over my shoulder.
Car doors thudded behind me as I yanked the rear door open and dropped Nick against the seat. “Be alive, you crazy motherfucker.” I reached for his neck and pressed my fingers against the warmth. There was a pulse…but it was faint, real fucking faint.
I stepped backwards, shoved his feet inside and slammed the door. I glared at that bastard with the gun as I slid behind the wheel of my brother’s Mustang and prayed like I’d only ever prayed once before in my life. This time, my pleas had to be answered. “Come on.”
I twisted the key in the ignition, and the engine spluttered to life with a roar. Yes! I shoved the car into reverse and drove my boot against the accelerator. The Mustang didn’t move, just roared, until I punched the pedal harder, listening to the squeal of steel until finally the car tore free.
Tires spun, kicking up rocks to pepper the underbelly of the car as I reversed hard and yanked the wheel. I glanced behind me. “Hang on, buddy.” I glanced at the bloody shirt, my heart thundering at the sight.
I shoved the car into gear, hating how we had to leave Ryth behind. But right now, keeping my brother alive was all I thought of. I drove as fast as I could, taking the corners hard as I raced toward the city hospital. The Lamborghini hugged my ass. Tobias was a dark outline behind the wheel.
“You still with me, buddy?” I risked a glance behind me. His lips were pale, his skin graying. Shit, that didn’t look good. “Nick…Nick!”
There was no answer. I forced myself to focus on the road, aiming the busted-up car toward the Hope Emergency Department and pulled up hard outside the doors. I killed the engine and shoved out of the car, bellowing as the double doors opened automatically. “We need a doctor here! Someone help me! WE NEED A GODDAMN DOCTOR!”
“What the fuck happened?” Tobias shouted. The heavy thud of his footsteps was so fucking loud in my ears. But I couldn’t answer him, because the truth was…I didn’t know.
Time slowed, everything slowed. Two men came running out, one pushing a gurney my way as I yanked open the rear door and reached for him, lifting Nick out of the car. Immediately, they took him from my arms.
Voices barked at me, but I didn’t hear a damn word. All I could do was watch as they wheeled my brother into the emergency department. Nick’s arm fell limply to the side as they carried him away. It was all I could do not to fall apart
“Sir, we’re going to need some information.”
I just nodded.
“He fucking did this.” Tobias raked his hand through his hair, pacing back and forth at the rear of the Mustang. “That motherfucker did this…”
“T,” I muttered, staring at the emergency doors as they closed.
My mind was racing, unable to put the pieces together. All that time he was driving, he was bleeding out. I winced, a coldness claiming me until all I felt was distance.
Distance from this…
From Tobias.
From everything.
“We need to go in,” Tobias muttered, glancing at the Mustang’s open driver’s door. “Caleb…Caleb!”
Tobias barked my name, snapping me out it. “I got it.” I walked around my little brother, staring at the blood soaking the seat, and climbed back in. The Mustang gave a whine as I drove it away, pulled into the parking lot, and found a space.
T pulled the Lamborghini into the next space along and locked the car, handing the keys to me as we headed back to the emergency room. I gave my name and my brother’s to the receptionist, taking a seat when she motioned, telling me we’d be notified when they knew more.
It was bad…I knew that.
But how bad was it?
I sat, lowered my head into my hands…and froze. Blood was drying in the creases of my fingers, staining the nailbeds under my fingernails.
“You the two who brought in the stabbing victim?”
I lifted my head to the two cops standing in front of me.
“Yeah,” Tobias answered, taking a step forward, protecting me. “He’s our brother.”
“Want to tell us what happened?” one of the cops asked.
“I have no idea,” I answered. “I didn’t know he was stabbed until I opened the car door and saw the blood.”
“So you have no idea who did this?”
Neither of us answered for a while, then I slowly shook my head. But we knew…we’d both seen the blood on our father’s shirt.
“We’re going to need a full statement at some stage,” the cop said, handing me his card. I took it, nodding, knowing full well they’d wait.
Because they weren’t the ones who needed answers. We were. I watched them walk away, going over and over the conversation in my mind.
I need you to listen to me…they’re taking her somewhere. The Order. Some place called the Order.
The Order.
I’d heard that name before, but right now I couldn’t think. Instead, I sat, staring at the blood on my hands while it dried and my brother paced. Hours felt like a lifetime. I rose, paced the waiting area, and turned when a young doctor neared.
“You’re Mr. Banks’ family?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Tobias answered. “How is he?”
God, the doctor looked like a damn kid. “We have him in surgery. That’s all they told me. But we have moved him to floor four, surgical, if you want to wait up there.”
I just nodded. “Sure.”
The kid lowered his gaze to my hands. “There’s a bathroom up there, if you want to clean up.”
I just stared at him until he nervously turned and walked away. After a few minutes, we made our way up to floor four, stopping at the vending machine to grab coffee before we found some vacant seats in the waiting room.
I strode to the bathroom, scrubbed my hands three times to get most of my brother’s blood from my skin, and stared at my reflection in the mirror. “What the fuck happened, Nick?”
Were they attacked?
They had to have been. He’d never let her go, not knowing my brother. No, he’d fight…and he’d keep on fighting. Christ, don’t let him die. I lowered my head until the howl of the door hinge invaded and some guy walked in.
“Sorry,” he muttered, taking one look at me.
I didn’t respond, just yanked the door open and walked out, finding Tobias pacing in the hallway, running his fingers through his hair once more. If he kept doing that, he’d end up bald if he wasn’t careful.
He jerked that savage glare my way. “I’m gonna fucking kill him. Gonna kill that motherfucker.”
I couldn’t stop it. I just cracked, grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him closer. I kept my voice low. “Hey. That’s our fucking dad you’re talking about.”
T looked me straight in the eyes. “He’s not my father, hasn’t been for a long goddamn time, Caleb. It’s about time you woke up to that.”
I stared at my baby brother and tried to figure out where this all had gone wrong. Him. Dad. Everything. Tobias had been quick to throw Ryth under the bus for all his problems, but the truth was, shit had gone south a long time before she and her mom had moved in.
But this…
This was a whole new level of fucked up.
“What the fuck is that place, C?” Tobias looked at me. “What the fuck is going on?”
I released my hold on his shirt and pulled him close. We may not have seen eye to eye a lot of the time, but underneath all of that, he was still my brother, and right now, he needed me. More than ever.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But you can bet your fucking life I’m gonna find out. I’m going to get Ryth out of there, and we’re going to figure out what the fuck is going on…just as soon as Nick pulls through.
“If he pulls through.”
I pushed Tobias back, seizing his gaze. He’s going to pull through…he has to—I opened my mouth to say the words, but there was nothing, just movement in the corner of my eye.
We both turned at the same time, watching a doctor as he pushed through a set of double doors, swiped the covering from his head and the mask from his face, and headed toward us. But he didn’t smile or look relieved.
He gave a frown, one that made my pulse thud hard in my chest. “Oh, fuck.”
