Page 91 of Where We Ended

“Shoot.” I pulled open my cupboards and double checked the rack. Frustration burned under my skin as I set the skillet to the side and began hunting for red pepper flakes.

“What’s wrong?”

Did I put it in my fridge for some reason? Sometimes I did that when I was cooking. “I can’t find the red pepper flakes, which is a huge part of the flavoring in this meal.”

Heaving a sigh, I stepped over to the door. “Let me go check down in the club kitchen.”

“I’ll go.” Silas pushed off the couch. I shook my head, already opening my door.

“It’s fine, you can stay here.”

He was already behind me as we moved down the hallway. His finger trailed over the skin at my back where my shirt raised, and then it hooked around my belt loop, keeping us connected as I scaled the stairs and veered toward the kitchen.

I paused when I noticed the back door wide open, which was slightly odd. I had started cooking at ten…we were eating late, and while the club usually could be packed and crazy, these last few nights they’d been quiet and nearly empty.

I knew Rachel had already gone back over to Killian’s house, and Red would be in her apartment, which sat over the side garage with Brooks, but maybe she’d snuck over here too for something.

“Everything okay?” Silas asked at my back.

I caught sight of Red’s white hair through the door and started for her.

“Yeah, would you mind looking in the spice rack for the red pepper flakes? I’m going to go check on Red.”

Why was she outside? Was she having an episode?

Fear urged me forward, unaware if Silas was behind me or not. My palms landed against the metal of the exterior door and the dark sky nearly covered Red completely. It was her white hair that made her stand out, but the man she was talking to was hidden.

She laughed with whoever it was, tossing her head back and then she waved the man forward.

“Come inside, Brooks. We need to go feed the kids.”

Oh no.

My heart was nearly in my throat as I registered she was having an episode, and the man with her was not Brooks.

“Red,” I whispered, but my voice wouldn’t come out any higher than a rasp.

Fable was there, smirking like the devil, wearing a leather jacket with Stone Riders patches all over it.

The name sewn into the front said Brooks.

No.

Did Fable hurt him?

No. This wasn’t happening…not them. Not him.

Not her.

Fable looked right at me, and from where I was, I could see the tilt of his lips as he followed Red. This was all wrong, like a dream I couldn’t wake from. They were moving too fast, and I wasn’t moving at all.

Like I was in quicksand.

“Red!” I screamed and finally my limbs seemed to work, so I started to run toward her, but my feet stumbled, my knees found the grass as my eyes remained on her beautiful smile. In her mind, she was talking about her kids with the love of her life. I’d never seen her so happy.

“Redddddddddd!” My throat burned, and suddenly there were arms around me, and a hand covering my mouth right as the gunshot went off.

Red’s eyes went wide as she locked them onto me, as if suddenly she were in her right mind and realized what had happened.

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