Page 35 of Revelation (Love Isn't What It Seems 3)

“I promise.” The words barely audible, whether from all the fighting, bombs and machine guns or lack of my strength. A relief passed his face and he let go of me.

“Thank you.”

I heard shouting in Arabic, too close for comfort. Glancing up, I saw the enemy approaching from the furthest left side of the mountain corner. Without hesitation, I lifted my gun and started shooting.

Aim, shoot. Man dead.

Aim, shoot. Man dead.

I fucking hated killing. It took a month of being enlisted and I was all for preaching world peace. The deaths were unnecessary, pointless. What in the hell could have any human done to deserve this?

Aim, shoot. Man dead.

I glanced down to check William’s pulse, and the blood in my veins froze, the cold rage seething underneath the sheath of ice.

“What the fuck-” Daniel’s voice reached through my fury and loss.

Leaving William’s body, I shot to my feet. Daniel was fighting three men, one of them aiming for his skull with his gun.

Aim, shoot. Man dead.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, as if that would remove the images. Oblivion and death would be the only thing that would ever erase those memories. Shaking off the thoughts of dessert, blood, and death, I stood up and headed to check on Brandon.

Chapter Thirteen

Layla

The buzzing sound woke me up. Or did I dream of it? I blinked my eyes several times, the fog from my sleep clearing out. Realizing it was my cell phone, I reached for it.

Without even looking to see how it was, I answered it. “Hello.”

“Layla, it’s me.” Liberty’s voice penetrated through the sleepiness and I immediately bolted up. She never called in the middle of the night, unless something was wrong.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Are you alone?”

“Yes, I’m alone.”I’ll probably be alone for the rest of my life.I mentally slapped myself. No sense in dwelling in self-pity.

“Can Brandon and I stay at your place?”

I frowned, confused but quickly answered. “Absolutely. Are you sure you are okay?”

“Yes. We’ll be there in twenty minutes. See you then.”

The call ended and I pushed my hand through my hair. Today has really been a day full of surprises. I got out of the bed, pulled a robe on, and headed into my guest rooms to ensure they were both prepared. Then I headed into the kitchen and put the tea pot onto the stove. It didn’t take a genius to know something bad had happened.

In the late-night hours, I could easily hear the soft humming of the car engine as it pulled into my quiet little street. I tightened the robe around me and headed towards the entrance door, opening it right in time to see Liberty come out of the car with Brandon sleeping in her arms. She looked even paler than earlier when she found out the secret that connected us. Like she would collapse at any moment.

I rushed to her and took Brandon out of her arms. “What happened?” I asked her in a soft, hushed voice, careful not to wake up Brandon. My eyes traveled behind her and I caught the eyes of Alexander’s grandfather.

Something bad, that was for sure. I watched Livy struggle for words, swallowing hard.

Taking a deep breath, I decided whatever it was that happened could wait. “Let’s go inside. I made some tea. Sit down, and I’ll put Brandon in bed.”

She nodded and I could see her tears glistening in her eyes.Shit, everything is a clusterfuck today.

By the time Liberty got it all off her chest, it was a few hours from sunrise. All the secrets surrounding Liberty and our father were finally out. God, there were so many of them. I never fathomed that the secret I kept from her, our sibling status, wasn’t even the biggest one. Alexander was the one that forced her mother into selling her publishing company. Livy’s mother killed our father, in self-defense.

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