Page 72 of Unleash You

“Luisa gave it to you?”

“I bought it off her, same as your plane. You’ve been in your little castle for too long, little sister. The world isn’t what you think.”

“It isn’t what you think either.” I glanced down at my hands. Luisa wouldn’t betray Wesley like that. Would she?

“You don’t know Luisa at all. They used to be fuck buddies. Did you know that?” He sat on the bench under the window.

“No.” My stomach churned. I blinked several times to make the image of them together go away. Of course, Wesley had a life before we got together. I propped myself on the seat next to me, peering at the people on the side of the makeshift runway. “What’s going to happen to them?”

“Not your concern.” He lay back and put his arm over his eyes. Did he really intend to take a nap right now?

“What about Rebecca? Where does she fit in all this? You can’t just turn her in. She left home for a good reason.”

“Whatever you think you know, you don’t.”

“I know that what you’re doing is horrific.” I wiped my cheek and jerked to my feet. “I’m glad my parents are dead. I’m glad they didn’t get to see the pathetic shell of a human being you have become.”

He laughed, a dark laugh that chilled me to the bone, before he covered my entire face with his hand and shoved me down onto my seat. When he turned around to knock on the bathroom door, I jumped on his back, punching every part of him I could reach. I hated him. I hated that I wasted a big part of my life waiting for a brother who no longer existed, waiting for him to love me again.

I hooked my arm under his chin and squeezed with all the anger and craziness I felt. He cursed and swung his body around, but I kept my hold on him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He fought for air, arms flailing as he tried to reach for me.

The pilot rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed me off Charlie. I bucked against him and managed one more kick to Charlie’s face. “Take them back. Take them all home. Right now. Why are you even doing this? You don’t even need the money.”

“This isn’t about money. Get her back in there. I don’t want to see her face.” He wiped the blood off the scratch on his cheek.

He’d said before he wanted to have a purpose. But all this was about control. As if controlling the people around him made him immune to pain or loss. He was wrong.

“You’re not my brother,” I screamed over and over. “You’re not my brother.” I banged on the door until the engine rumbled beneath my feet and the ringing in my ears got louder.

Sometime between takeoff and the rough landing in Atlanta, I fell asleep on the toilet. My neck and back ached from being crammed in such a small space for so many hours.

“If you try anything, I will shoot you in the leg and tell everyone it was an accident.” Charlie pulled me out of the bathroom and ushered me out the plane.

I sighed in relief. We were in Atlanta. I peered at Charlie, shaking my head. Be careful what you wished for. My brother was home, and I’d never been more afraid for my life than now. Not even when I sat in the back of Mom’s car while it flipped over and over down into a creek off the road.

Charlie dragged me through customs, making jokes about how an easy hike in Venezuela had kicked my butt. I smiled and shrugged, playing the part of a girl who couldn’t handle her shit in the outdoors. If I tried to warn them, would they believe that this charming man with a heavy southern accent, an accent he didn’t have before, was a criminal? I barely believed it myself. How could I convince others?

On the way home, Charlie took more calls. Whoever he was doing business with was not happy. “God, you’re useless. It’s all set. I just got confirmation.” He glanced at his phone, nodding. “Yeah, they crossed the border with no incidents. All twenty of them. That more than makes up for the ones we lost.”

I blinked tears away.The ones we lost.I rolled down my window and inhaled. If I’d had any food in the last thirty-six hours, I would lose it all right now.

“Well, then explain it to him. I will be in New York tomorrow.” He ended the call, red-faced. After a few breaths, he tossed the phone in my lap. “Call the help at the house and tell them they have the day off.” When I didn’t move, he grabbed a fistful of my hair near the nape of my neck. “If you’re okay with leaving bodies everywhere, I’m okay with it too.”

I jerked away from him and dialed. “Hi, Will. It’s Anabelle.”

“How’s the trip?” he asked.

“Great. We’ll be back early tomorrow. But why don’t you take the night off. I’m sorry I didn’t think to offer before.”

“It’s kind of you to think of us. We’ll take you up on it. Tullie has been wanting to go visit her sister. Don’t worry. We’ll be home before noon.”

“That sounds perfect. Have fun.”

“Is it just the two of them?” Charlie snatched back his device.

“Yes.”

“When we get home, you’re going to clean up and then call Rebecca to come over.” He glared at me. “Do you understand?”

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