Page 53 of Into The Darkness

I was worried because last year I was dating this girl and she was brought in as part of revenge for getting Ash. She was taken from me and “disappeared.” It was one of my men who had hurt her. Nobody knew that except for myself and the guy who did it. He’s now living a nice quiet life in Seattle, doing paperwork for the business.

My dad thinks the Den hurt her, but I knew the truth. I also knew I needed to protect Ember from that truth and from that life. I needed Dad to know I was avenging a death he thought the Den was responsible for. So I needed her to appease Dad while also keeping her safe from the spring bonfire.

I couldn’t let what happened to that girl happen to Ember. “She might, but safeguarding our family is the priority,” my dad stated, a hint of resolve in his voice that mirrored my own.

Time was running short, as I heard Ember’s shoes tapping on the creaky marble floor.

“What happens if Ash finds any of this out?”

“He won’t. You keep your mouth quiet. I’ll ease up on the bodyguards with her. Just keep an eye out.”

“She’s coming back. Gotta go, Dad.”

“Love you, kid. I am so glad you are around to help and protect your sister.” The phone clicked.

Chapter twenty-three

“Was that Dad?” I asked when my brother rushed to hang up the phone. I had dried my tears and composed myself in the bathroom, knowing the moment I came back out I would take control over my life. No one else would be behind the helm of the car, I was in the driver’s position.

“Yes,” Walsh admitted.

“Did you tell him I am not listening to either of your shit anymore? That I am perfectly capable of protecting myself?” I crossed my arms, standing beside the table.

“No.” Walsh stood and grabbed my hands. “I understand you think you can somehow change the way things have been for the last decades, but you cannot, Ember. One person cannot change an entire system.”

I looked him in the eye, mustering all the courage I could. It was easier talking back to Ash because he deserved it, but Walsh was my brother. I knew he was trying his best to protect me, and I had always looked up to him. He was always there for me, but I needed to show him I needed to be treated differently, especially now. I was no longer the young innocent girl who entered Isles; everything had changed.

“Bet,” I replied, and turned to leave before Walsh cried out to me. I stopped. “Walsh, I am not the same Ember that left Dansport with you and Dad. Everything has changed.”

I shook my head before walking out of the Alpha house and heading to the bus to go back to my apartment. It was later in the evening, and after the day I’d had, all I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep.

As I walked onto the bus, I pulled out my phone with a text from my brother.

Walsh:

I am sorry Em. You are right. You are different–in a good way.

Walsh:

I love you.

No matter how my brother treated me, I hoped he meant that he understood things needed to be different. I didn’t want to fight with him, he was my only sibling.

Ember:

Love you too.

A stirring sensation awakened me, a strange feeling that something was amiss in my apartment. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light filtering through the room, the clock displaying four in the morning.

“Maddy?” I called out.

“Ember . . .” A familiar voice, like a haunting melody, sliced through the silent darkness. My gaze shifted, drawn to the obscure figure shrouded in black that stood in the corner. A soft glow emanated from the small night-light beside my bed, casting eerie shadows.

“Ash,” I breathed, as recognition dawned upon me. “How did you get in my apartment?” I asked, sitting straighter on my bed and adjusting the oversized shirt I wore, suddenly feeling very vulnerable with nothing underneath.

“When we were at the diner, I had one of my guys copy your keys,” he confessed, standing still in the shadow of my room.

“What the fuck?” I shouted.

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