Page 4 of When You're Broken
Meredith clasped her hands in her lap, knuckles whitening.“It was about a week ago.He’d come by for dinner.We had a roast, normal Sunday meal.After that, he said he had some errands to run in town and would catch up with us in a couple of days.We never heard from him again.We tried calling, but it went to voicemail.The next day, we got worried.We reported him missing… but the local police said to wait.Eventually, we heard rumors—someone said a suspicious man had been seen near Brendan’s house.”
Gareth rubbed his eyes.“We can’t imagine who’d want to hurt him or abduct him.Brendan’s not involved in anything criminal—he’s just a normal guy.He works at a tech firm.He’s never had enemies.”
Finn exchanged a glance with Amelia.This is the time to bring up Wendell.He spoke up calmly, "We believe we know who took Brendan.It's not because of anything your son did.It's… well, it's a very specific reason.A criminal named Wendell Reed.He's dangerous, and he's escaped custody."
Meredith’s face paled.“Escaped custody… Did… Did Brendan do something that put him in the path of this Wendell?”
Amelia shook her head.“Not at all,” she said gently.“Wendell Reed is after me, personally.Brendan is—unfortunately—someone Wendell found out about, and Wendell used him to get to me.”
The parents looked at one another in confusion.Gareth’s voice hardened.“Why does hurting our son punish you?I don’t understand.”
Finn reached over, brushing Amelia’s arm.She swallowed, summoning the composure to reveal the truth.“I was the one that arrested Wendell Reed.He escaped recently.He’s looking for revenge.When he learned that Brendan is… connected to me, he decided to kidnap him.”
Meredith’s eyes brimmed with tears.“But how exactly is Brendanconnectedto you?”
Amelia flicked a quick, nervous glance at Finn.He gave a supportive nod, placing his hand in hers.She drew a breath.“Brendan is my biological brother,” she said, voice trembling slightly.“I—I just found out about him, after I realized Wendell was targeting him.All this time, I never knew I had a brother.Then I discovered that you adopted him as a child.I’m so sorry if this is overwhelming.”
For a few seconds, stunned silence fell over the room.Gareth gripped the arm of his chair as if steadying himself.Meredith’s lips parted, confusion and surprise warring in her expression.“You’re his sister,” she whispered.“I should have known when you said your name was Winters.”
Amelia shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes.“We were separated when we were very small.I grew up in foster care for a while.I guess we were each told different things.”
Gareth exhaled shakily.“So that’s what this is about… This Wendell thinks by hurting Brendan, he can… break you.”
Amelia nodded.“Yes.I’m sorry.I wish… I wish I’d known about Brendan sooner.This never would have happened.”
Meredith wiped her own tears.She looked from Amelia to Finn.“Dear God.I can see you in his eyes.”She closed her eyes as if grappling with the weight of it.Then, abruptly, Gareth stood, crossing to a nearby dresser in the corner of the living room.He opened a narrow drawer, rummaged inside for a moment.
Amelia’s brow furrowed, uncertain.Finn watched curiously, while Meredith stayed quiet, gaze following her husband’s movements.Finally, Gareth withdrew something—a single photograph—and walked back to them.“When we first adopted Brendan, we found this in his small bundle of personal items.Social workers said it came from… well, from the home he was in.He never wanted us to throw it away.He told us it was precious.”
He set the photograph gently on the coffee table next to Amelia.She leaned forward, picking it up with trembling fingers.The image showed a boy of around four, tiny hands clasped around those of a smaller girl, perhaps two.The background was a nondescript yard, part of a playground structure behind them.Both children wore bright but worn-out clothes.
Amelia’s breath caught.“Is that me?”she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Gareth nodded.“I think so.He used to talk about a sister sometimes, but as he got older, he was never sure if she was real or just someone he remembered in a fuzzy dream.The adoption people suggested it might be too painful or confusing to search for you, especially if your situation had changed.It was only once he was a little older and we felt he could process it, that we told him he had a sister somewhere.”
Tears now trailed freely down Amelia’s cheeks, and she pressed her lips together.Finn felt an ache in his chest watching her.What must it be like to stare at an image of yourself from a past you never knew you shared with a sibling?
She laid the photo in her lap, blinking to clear her vision.“Why did he never try to find me?”she asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.“I… I would have welcomed it, you know?”
Gareth settled back on the edge of his armchair, voice low.“He always talked about it, especially when he became a teen.But every time, he worked himself into a panic that maybe you’d found a good home, a better life, and he didn’t want to ruin that if you’d moved on.He was afraid if he suddenly showed up, it might… cause trouble.I told him if he truly wanted to, we’d help.But he never took that final step.”
Amelia nodded numbly, tears dripping onto her hand."So he kept that photo.All these years, he wondered.And now… he's in the hands of a sadist because of me."Her voice quivered."I— I promise I will doeverythingto bring him home safe.”
Meredith, eyes red, reached across to squeeze Amelia’s free hand.“You’re not to blame, dear.The man who took him is to blame.”
Amelia managed a watery smile, though it trembled.“We’ve put together a special task force,” she said softly.“Wendell Reed’s recapture is our top priority, and that includes finding Brendan.I won’t let him slip away.”
Finn cleared his throat, stepping in gently to shift the conversation to a more procedural note.He sensed that Amelia needed a moment to collect herself, and the parents needed hope.“We want to know if there’s any place Wendell might have singled out.Any remote location Brendan liked to visit, or a property he inherited, anything that might be off the beaten path.That’s often where Wendell set up, waiting until they were vulnerable.”
Meredith exchanged a glance with Gareth.Both shook their heads.“No, Brendan isn’t the kind of man who keeps secrets,” Meredith said, voice still shaky.“He rents a small house in the next town.He hasn’t traveled recently, aside from some short day trips to see us or to go hiking, but nowhere special that we can recall.”
Gareth frowned.“Hiking… but it’s always in busy spots.Well-populated trails.Not something you’d call hidden.”
Finn jotted a note in his small pad.“Understood.So, as far as you know, there’s no place he’d hide, or that a kidnapper could easily exploit.”
They shook their heads again.“We wish we could help,” Meredith whispered.
They fell quiet, each weighed by the enormity of the situation.Then Meredith pressed a hand to her temple.“And he wants to get at you...”
