Page 48 of Ensnared By Silence
“What did you find?” I asked as the vomit pushed into my mouth.
“Four videos on his computer, all of the same girl.”
“Aubrey,” James stated, and Devlin cut his hard eyes to him with a sharp nod.
“It took me eight days to find her, and the night I figured out where she was, I went to the house and killed those fuckers without remorse. I watched her from a distance, and as soon as she was clear of the house, I burned the fucker to the ground after I slit that cunt’s throat from ear to ear and shot that bastard right between the eyes.” He hesitated and swallowed thickly before continuing, “There was an email requesting the latest video and I went to find her. And it. I wanted to destroy it like I did all the copies that were floating around.”
“Did you ever find what you were looking for?”
“No, so I blew the trailer, and that fucking shed in the backyard, straight to hell with those pathetic assholes. Whatever it was, I destroyed it in the fire. For now, I don’t think she needs to know anything about it until we can handle this bullshit with your stepbrothers.”
“I think you’re right, for now. But I don’t want to keep any more secrets from Aubrey. She’s lived in silence her entire life and she deserves to be heard.” They both agreed, and I asked, “So how do she and James connect? Was her father your father?”
“No, my father died in a robbery gone bad when I was six years old. I watched him pull the gun from his waistband, but the clerk was a faster draw. He died on the sidewalk outside a gas station, and a few months later, I was sent to live with Marco.” His eyes were hollow and his words were disconnected.
“So, you share a mother,” Devlin stated and James shrugged.
“I haven’t seen or heard anything from her since the day she walked me into that sadist’s home and left me there to rot.”
Devlin’s jaw ticked, and I stated, “I have to find Aubrey. She needs to know she’s not alone. She needs to know I didn’t betray her with those assholes. Tell me where she is, James.”
He stood from the chair and looked me straight in the eyes. Green fire stared back at me, and for the first time, I could see the resemblance between him and his sister.
“She’ll shut down if she sees you standing outside her hotel room.”
“What do you suggest I do? Let her stay out there all alone?”
“Let me go to her. I’ll bring her home to you. And to us,” James replied, and I shook my head.
“At least let me go with you.”
He looked at Devlin, who shrugged, and finally, he agreed. “You stay in the car while I talk to her and only when I tell you it’s okay do you get to talk to her. She’s fragile right now and knowing what she endured not once but twice makes her fear even more real. We have to tread delicately, Hayden. She needs understanding and our love, but she also needs space and time to think. We’ll give her tonight and be there first thing in the morning to talk to her. Can you trust me on this?”
“She’s under protection tonight? No one can get to her?” I asked, worried she was vulnerable.
“Skid’s brother, Needles, is parked outside. She’s got protection,” James replied, and I reluctantly agreed to wait until dawn to leave.
The sun was already set when I pulled back up to my empty cabin and I crawled into my lonely bed with Aubrey’s perfume still lingering on the sheets as I fell into a fitful rest. I woke the next morning with renewed purpose, and in a matter of hours, I would have Aubrey back in my arms. Then to give her justice.
