31. April

THIRTY-ONE

APRIL

The few days since the box had been delivered had been terrible. If not for my parents coming to visit, I think I really would have gone crazy. It was the only way Steff would leave me alone. He trusted my dad to watch out for me, and he kept meeting with the guys. They were meeting more often now, sometimes even twice a day. Steff told me they were formulating a plan to deal with everything, but he wouldn't give me any details, even when I asked. He was trying to protect me. I should have been pissed at him, but honestly, I didn't want to know what they had planned. It would have probably put me over the edge knowing they were getting ready to do something dangerous.

My appetite had been shit, and I'd lost almost ten pounds since the incident, which was all the weight I'd put back on since being home. I'd decided to retire, but it looked like I was on a crash diet to get ready for a new runway show. Most days the very thought of food was too much. Every time I tried to eat, I'd get a flash of the bloody gray tongue and teeth. Invariably, I'd have to put my fork down and breathe deeply to prevent myself from puking right at the table.

We'd decided not to tell Mom and Dad or my brothers about the box. They knew I was already freaked out about Luca's alleged assault. We didn't think they needed to know that it was connected to me. I simply let them think I was worried about whatever crazy stalker had done it. I was… but they didn't need to know that he lived in town and was a member of a secret brotherhood of shifter hunters.

If I had to guess, Mom seemed to be buying my story, but I could tell Dad thought something else was going on. So far, he hadn't asked any probing questions, which was a good thing since I might have broken down the moment he pushed.

That morning, I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, waiting for the water in the shower to heat up. I was naked and I could damn near count my ribs. My eyes were sunken, with heavy bags and dark circles underneath. I looked like a junkie.

"What am I gonna do?" I whispered to my reflection.

My parents were downstairs making lunch, and I found it surreal that such a normal activity was taking place. Up here in the bathroom, I was contemplating life-or-death situations. I rubbed at my face and stepped into the shower.

Steff and his guys were trying to figure a way to end this, but what if there was something I could do to stop it? There was no way Ryland would simply walk away. Not now. He had too much skin in the game. The cops knew about him, and he'd had to give up his job at the school and go on the run. No, he was in it to win it.

I wasn't a violent person at heart. I'd never even been in a real fight. Not even in high school. I'd never caused anyone any physical harm on purpose. Still, if Ryland were here right now? I'd have had no qualms about breaking the damn mirror and shoving a sliver of glass into his throat. If he came for me, I wouldn't hesitate to end his damn life.

After lunch, my mom cleared the plates and said, "I was thinking it would be nice to go visit with Aiden a bit. Kellan could probably use a break. He's… well, he was stretched pretty thin the last time I saw him."

I nodded. "That would be good." It had been over a week since I'd seen them. The longest I'd gone without seeing them since being home.

"All right," Dad said, "I'll go start the car."

It felt like the drive over to Kellan's place took days, when in reality was only around ten minutes. I kept looking out the window, checking passing cars, people jogging, and parents with strollers. I was constantly looking for Ryland. It was exhausting, but I couldn't stop myself. Dad kept shooting me worried glances, but he thankfully never said a word.

As soon as we got to Kellan's, I knew something was off. He looked like absolute shit. When I'd seen myself in the mirror that morning, I'd thought I had looked bad, but Kellan was like a walking corpse. He'd lost weight, his skin had taken a sickly pale color, and I couldn't be sure, but it looked like he hadn't showered in days. Mom was right, he did look stretched thin.

Aiden's kidnapping had really done a number on him. I chastised myself for acting selfish. Yes, my ex-boyfriend had been brutally attacked and the evidence had been put on my porch, but my child hadn't been taken. Thinking about it as I walked up the steps into his house, I wondered how that would feel. He loved Aiden, and the thought of losing him must have been almost more than he could bear.

"Hey, sis," Kellan said. His voice was hollow, monotonous, and emotionless.

"Hi, Kellan." I gave him a hug, and there was a moment's hesitation before he reciprocated.

Aiden ran in and jumped into my dad's arms, and Mom ruffled his hair. Aiden also looked a little less like his usual self. He was quieter than every other time I'd seen him. As Dad set him down, he glanced furtively at Kellan, then leaned in close to Mom. Was Aiden afraid of his father? That made no sense. Kellan and Aiden were as close as a father and son could be.

Mom stroked Aiden's back and glanced up at Kellan. "We thought it might be fun to take Aiden out for ice cream. April can stay here and keep you company. Is that okay with you?"

Kellan licked his lips nervously and looked at Aiden. It should have been an easy question. Why wouldn't he want Aiden to go have fun with his grandparents? He would be as safe with our parents as he was with me or Kellan.

After an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity, Kellan nodded, though it looked almost painful for him. "That's fine. I'm sure he'll have fun. Won't you, buddy?"

"Uh… yeah. It'll be great," Aiden said, but his tone suggested that nothing would ever be fun again.

It was strange. He'd bounced back so quickly after the kidnapping that we'd all thought he'd put it behind him like nothing had happened. I rethought that now. Maybe it had only taken a while for the gravity of the situation to sink in.

Mom and Dad left, and I sat on the couch with Kellan. It was almost like sitting with a stranger. My brother sat, hands clasped between his legs, looking like the world was going to end at any minute.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

His eyes darted over to me, and he chuckled humorlessly. "I'm scared, April. I'm absolutely terrified to let Aiden out of my sight. Even with family. Kris and Chelsea offered to have him over for a sleepover two nights ago, and I refused. It was all I could do to let Mom and Dad take him now."

"I thought that might be part of the problem. Aiden looked a little down from the looks of it."

Kellan winced. "That's my fault. He didn't seem to understand what happened. It was like he moved on so fast… I tried to make him understand. I think I scared him." Kellan slapped the top of his head. "I didn't even make him scared of the damn kidnappers. He's scared of me now. I don't know what to do."

I flinched when he struck himself. This was not like my brother. I'd never seen either of my brothers harm themselves. Self-harm was something I was well acquainted with. It ran rampant in the modeling world. From eating disorders, body dysmorphia, mental health struggles—the whole shebang. My brother shouldn't be doing harming himself.

Kellan continued to rant. "I'm screwing up at work. I forgot to order beer this week. I own a fucking bar, April. How the fuck did I forget to order the damn beer?"

I scooted over and put my arm around his shoulders. "Kellan, it'll be okay. The cops are going to take care of it. If not them, then Steff and his friends. You can't keep beating yourself up over what happened to Aiden. You're going to be fine. All of us will be."

Kellan shook his head ruefully. "I'm being such an asshole. I saw what happened to your ex-boyfriend on the news. I've been meaning to check on you. I haven't even had time to call or text Steff. Are you okay?"

I took a breath. He at least sounded more like my brother. He was trying, and I was glad. It meant he hadn't fully succumbed to fear and hopelessness.

"The whole situation is just insane," I said. "I never would have believed in a million years that Ryland could do something like this. He hid it well."

Kellan rubbed his face. "Sick piece of shit. So twisted, sending that box to you."

It was like the oxygen got sucked out of the room. I stiffened in sudden fear and confusion. Box? How did Kellan know about the box? We hadn't told anyone about that. Only the cops, Steff, and his friends knew anything about that. My parents didn't even know. So, how the hell did Kellan know?

The anxiety and shock made me dizzy, but I hid my fear as best I could. As casually as I could, I lifted my arm off my brother's shoulder and stood. Without looking at his face, because I couldn't trust myself to not show my emotions, I stepped toward the kitchen.

"I'm getting some water. Do you want a drink?" I called over my shoulder.

"Nah. I'm good."

All I could do to answer was nod. I turned the corner and leaned against the counter, hidden from Kellan's sight. I was shaking all over. I didn't understand what was happening. The only people who could possibly know were in one of two camps. Camp number one: me, Steff, and his friends. Camp number two: the hunters. Nothing else made sense. I stood in the kitchen like a caged animal, not knowing what to do.

Could Kellan know someone in the police department who had given him the information? That seemed incredibly unlikely. If the LVPD hadn't let the info leak to the media outlets who were probably paying six figures for any insider information, there was no way Kellan could have dug it up. Plus Kellan had, not more than a minute ago, said he hadn't spoken to Steff. How then? How did my brother know what the hunters had done? Unless…? No. I shoved the idea out of my mind before it could even take hold.

I snatched a cup from the cabinet and filled it with ice and water and walked back to the living room. Kellan was sitting on the sofa, his fingers flying over the keyboard on his phone screen. Taking a seat on the ottoman in front of him, I took a sip of water to calm my nerves. He was deep in concentration on whatever he was typing. He still looked like my big brother, like the same man who had always watched out for me and protected me. There was no way he was dangerous. No way he could be involved in what was going on. There had to be another explanation.

While he kept texting, I slipped my phone out of my pocket and dialed Steff, then I put the phone down on the seat next to me. I turned it to make sure the speaker was pointing toward Kellan.

He finished typing and glanced at me sheepishly. "Sorry. Had to send that. What were we talking about?"

I took another drink and did the best acting job of my life. "The box. The one that Ryland sent."

"Oh, damn. Right."

I nodded. "It was really traumatizing. More proof of how twisted and sick Ryland really is." I put my hand on Kellan's knee. "I really think he may go back on his word about not hurting Aiden. He's the type to do anything to get what he wants."

Kellan's face, already pale, went almost completely white. The look of terror and realization on his face was enough to make my skin crawl. With a trembling voice, he said, "Do you really think he'd go back on his word? Even with something so important?"

"I do." I forced myself to maintain eye contact, hoping that Steff had answered and was listening. "You and I both know what he put in that box. Someone who could do that? There's no way he can be trusted."

Kellan froze, as still as a statue, staring back at me. Then he leapt up so fast that I had to jerk back, spilling my water on my thigh. He paced the room like a caged animal, wrapping himself with his arms. It looked like he was trying to hug himself or keep his body from flying apart. I knew that my gut feeling had been right. There was something seriously wrong here. Something that couldn't be easily explained.

"Kellan."

My brother jolted to a stop and looked at me. The shame and guilt on his face hurt more than any physical pain I'd ever experienced. In an instant, he went from being a grown man to a little boy. A boy who'd been caught doing something wrong. Something terrible.

"Kellan, how did you know about the box?"

His eyes widened. "The box? Um… you… no, sorry. Steff, he told me."

"You told me a few minutes ago that you hadn't spoken to Steff. He didn't tell you," I said, keeping my voice calm, almost like I was explaining something to a child.

"Uh… the news. I guess I saw it on the news, right?"

I shook my head slowly. "The cops haven't released that information to the media yet. The only people that know what was in that box are me, Steff, his friends, and…" I paused for a moment, taking a steadying breath, "and the person who put it on my porch."

From beside me a voice screamed from the tiny speakers. Steff's voice. "April, get the fuck out. Get out now!"

Kellan's eyes jerked to the phone then back to me. The look on his face was almost comical. Then I saw his eyes, and my blood ran cold. They weren't the eyes of my brother. They were the eyes of a crazed, panicked animal.

The tears were already slipping from my eyes. "Kellan… what did you do?"

He sucked in breath after breath, literally hyperventilating. When the words came, they spilled out in a chaotic rush. "They said you wouldn't get hurt. Said it was only to scare you. They said if I did it, then Aiden would be safe. He told me that I had to do it or… or… the next time," Kellan started to sob, snot and tears streaming down his face, "that the next time they took my boy, they'd video what they did to him. That they'd mail pieces of him back to me. I had to do it, April. I didn't want anyone to get hurt." He slid to his knees, holding his hands out to me as if in supplication. "But I had to protect my son. My beautiful boy. I had to. They could take him anytime they wanted. I had to keep him safe."

I stared at him in horror and disbelief. My brother had never looked so destroyed. Even when Aiden had been taken. At least then it had been an unknown evil. Now? He'd been threatened, sent to the verge of madness with fear. Ryland had broken him and used him as a weapon against me. I'd already forgiven him. If it had been my own son? I knew in my soul I'd have made the same deal with the same devil.

Steff's voice was still screaming from the phone, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I was about to stand up and go to Kellan, take him in my arms and tell him everything would be all right. Just as I shifted positions, the first bullet slammed through the window. The pop of glass and the puff of drywall happened a millisecond before we heard the first gunshot.

The house exploded in noise and chaos. The pop-pop-pop of gunfire shattered the silence of the afternoon. Holes riddled the wall across the window. I sat, frozen, in shock. My hair fluttered up and a sharp zap sound buzzed in my ear as a bullet missed my head by less than an inch.

Kellan leaped to his feet and tackled me off the ottoman. The breath whooshed out of me as his full weight collapsed on top of my body. I gagged and tried to suck in a breath as I pushed and shoved at him, trying to fight him off. Was he attacking me? Trying to subdue me until the hunters got there?

Then his voice was screaming in my ear. "We have to get out. You have to run."

Finally getting air into my lungs, I gasped, "What's happening?"

Before he could answer, the front door shattered inward. Kellan rolled off me and pushed me behind him. We stood slowly, watching as three men stepped through the door. None of them were Ryland, but they all looked terrifying. The two in the back held what looked like submachine guns. The biggest man in front carried a pistol, which hung casually in his right hand. Kellan inched us backward, keeping his body between them and me.

The man in front shook his head sadly. "All you had to do was what you were told, Mr. Knight. It was not a hard assignment. All you needed to do was keep your damn shifter-loving mouth shut."

My body quaked in fear. I'd never been so close to death in my life. My ears were ringing from the gunfire, but I could still hear the tinny voice of Steff screaming for me through my phone. The man glanced down at my cell on the floor. He then looked at us and grinned. Without hesitation, his pistol swept up toward us. Kellan roared in defiance, I screamed in terror, and the gunshot shattered everything.