“Ambulance is on the way,” he croaks out, his glassy eyes meeting mine. His chin wobbles and then he falls to his knees, a loud, guttural shout releasing from him.
He buries his head in his hands and curls into a ball on the floor, quietly murmuring.
“Callum, what’s going on? Is it Callie? Is she okay?” My fingers stay pressed against Kat’s pulse points but my eyes are fixed on Callum, watching him slowly fall apart.
Footsteps pound against marbled floors from behind me and seconds later, Ryker, Connor and Brad enter the room.
Connor and Ryker rush over to Callum, pushing him into a sitting position and his arms cling to Connor’s body. Brad comes to my side, his eyes darting between Kat and Callum.
“Is she okay?” he asks, pulling his phone from his back pocket and dialling 999.
“She’s breathing, and I feel a pulse. Callum’s called an ambulance.” He nods, ending the call.
“Callum, get a fucking grip!” Connor shouts, drawing my attention back to them. “Where is she?” Callum’s red-rimmed eyes lift to his brothers, his expression defeated.
“S-she’s gone. Cameron’s got her,” he wails, dropping his head to Connor’s chest.
Connor lifts his head back up, clasps a hand at the back of his head and presses their foreheads together.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. How do you know that Cameron’s got her?”
Callum’s eyes flick over to the direction of the living room and his face crumples, along with his body.
Ryker jumps up, rushing into the living room with Brad following.
A string of curses erupts, and then the sound of glass shattering.
There’s a few beats of silence, and then the sound of laughter fills the room.
Connor’s body goes rigid, and Callum stops quivering.
“It’s nice to see you again, Ryker. Now, where are those pesky little brothers of mine? I don’t want them to miss the show I’m about to put on.”
The voice is crackly and muffled like it’s coming through a receiver. My brows lower in confusion along with Connor's.
“Has he called you?” Connor asks.
He shakes his head.
“There’s a laptop set up with a video feed.” His voice is shaky, and his chin trembles again as he speaks. “He’s got her tied to a table, Connor.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Callie
"Wakey wakey, Callie.”
Ice-cold water splashes across my skin, jolting me awake.
Groggily, I try to lift my arms, wanting to clear the water from my face, but they won’t move. I groan in pain when I yank my arms up, using all of the strength that I have, but they still won’t work.
Something cold and hard digs into the skin around my wrists and ankles when I move.
I force my eyes open and squint at the light shining down on me.
“Finally, you’re awake!”
My heart jumps, and my legs involuntarily kick out at the sound of Cameron’s gleeful voice.