Page 101 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

He looks worse for wear than when I last saw him. He’s taken a bit of a beating and looks like he hasn’t showered or shaved in a few days. His usual tidy salt and pepper hair is ruffled, to say the least. No life-threatening injuries, unfortunately, but enough to scuff him up a little.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?” Henry storms towards me, his little fists clenched by his side. I doubt he has ever punched anyone in his life.

“Yep, and it’s only going to get worse for you unless you help me get Verity out of this arranged marriage.”

“I can’t. What part of they will kill me are you not understanding?”

“I understand that part perfectly well; I’m just trying to work out how that is Verity’s problem,” I snap back as I lean over him. When he doesn’t have an answer, I shake my head and go back to leaning against the wall.

“You really are the lowest of the low. I’m just glad your daughter will be far away from here when you fall from the little pedi stool you’ve placed yourself on.” I start walking away from him, needing time to figure out the last few details to share with Nicholson. Cause if Henry is pissed now, he will be well and truly fucked off by the time I’m finished with him.

52

Ryan

I’m going to kill him.

If the son of a bitch doesn’t get himself killed, I am going to do it.

What the fuck was he thinking running off like this leaving us to pick up the pieces of Verity’s broken heart? He knew what he was doing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had been planning it from day one.

Verity seems to have listened to me after reading Travis’s letters. She came out of his room, ate and had something to drink. She also listened in to Ethan and me, discussing our options. She commented on a few little things, then said she was tired. Ethan is now lying with her in Travis’s room while I wait for Calvin to go over a few things and find the best route to getting out of the country without being seen.

When Travis left, he didn’t take the car he drove us here in. I know he had his vehicle hidden close by in case of emergencies, and it seems he walked or ran to that. Logan is trying to track it using their access to CCTV, but nothing has shown up so far, which doesn’t surprise me. He might only be an accountant to most, but Travis has trained himself to be stealthy as fuck when he wants to be. I know he always has fake licence plates to hand and can change them quicker than any car thief.

When we arrived, Calvin told us he had hidden a burner phone with a few guns. One we can use to make calls if we need to, so we can plan ahead if we need to run. I need to put as much in place as possible, ready for the three-day deadline. But I can’t seem to do what needs to be done.

The thought of running when my brother could need us is killing me. We have faced everything together our whole lives. We have always had each other’s backs, no matter what. But Travis was right; we need to put Verity’s safety first this time. If Travis survives this, he will find us. I will leave him a sign each time we move on to somewhere new.

I pick up the burner phone and look at the blank screen. It’s a real piece of shit. When was the last time mobiles had buttons on them? It’s as low-tech as they come, which is perfect for what we need it for. Things like apps and new mobiles with GPS are easy to track and to hack. This piece of shit probably doesn’t even have predictive text. I bet Verity couldn’t even use it. Thankfully, being older means I learned to text on phones with buttons.

I’m just trying to work up the courage to turn it on and start making calls when I hear the knock at the front door before someone enters. I hold out the gun and aim it at the door as I wait to see who it is.

“It’s me, don’t shoot.”

I let out a sigh of relief as Maximus walks into view with his hands up.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snap, putting the gun down on the side.

“I heard about Trav. I’ve come to be an extra pair of eyes and ears until you have a plan or leave,” he says, walking further into the room, shrugging off his jacket as he approaches.

“You actually have no idea how much of a relief that is to hear,” I sigh, rubbing my face. I’ve been contemplating not sleeping at night now we are down a guard for our girl.

“I thought it might be. How’s she doing?” he asks, looking around.

“She’s sleeping at the moment, I think. She has hardly spoken since he left. She got herself so worked up that she vomited everywhere. I don’t know what she will do if he doesn’t return,” I admit as I lean against the kitchen counter.

“Well, just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” Maximus replies, not realising how accurate it is.

We haven’t told anyone about the self-harming; that’s her business, and we are happy to keep it that way for her. But if she starts getting worse, I will get others involved. I just don’t know how to do that while on the run. Fuck, this isn’t going to be easy.

I hear footsteps on the wooden stairs and look up in time to see Verity and Ethan walk into view.

“Maximus? I thought I heard your voice,” Ethan says, greeting him with a handshake.

“Yeah, just come to help keep an eye on things.” He turns to look at Verity, who is dressed in some yoga pants and Travis’s hoodie. “How you doing, Verity?” he asks as he hugs her.

“I’m okay,” she lies whilst stepping back. She knocks his coat from the back of the chair as she does and quickly apologises whilst picking it up and carrying it to the coat hooks on the other side of the room.

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