Sixteen

Sixteen

Parker

I can’t even breathe as Rhys tells me why he showed up here looking like hell. Even though Tony’s the one who hurt him, guilt still weighs heavy on my shoulders. I was the one searching for answers about Rhys. I was the one who let Tony know that Rhys had been lying to him.

“Rhys.” I reach for his hand and squeeze it tightly. His wrist has a purple bruise from whatever Tony used to keep him chained. It looks so painful that my stomach clenches. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Rhys murmurs.

“It is. If I hadn’t—”

“Stop,” Cameron interrupts firmly. “Nothing can be done about that now. Let’s focus on what we can work with. Rhys, tell me about the guy Tony supposedly has tracking your brother. Mike, right?”

Rhys nods. “I only met him a couple of times at the cabin.”

“What cabin?” Cam asks.

Rhys’s cheeks redden. “The cabin where Tony held me when he first took me away from my family. Back then, he said he would take me back home when he was done with me. But then Tony told me that he wasn’t letting me go and that Mike was going to make sure I didn’t misbehave.”

“Okay.” Cameron waits a beat before pressing on. “Do you think if I brought an artist in here, you could describe what Mike looks like?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter. Mike didn’t do anything to Jack so it’s not like he could get in trouble.”

“He helped Tony hide you. That’s being complicit in a kidnapping,” Cam replies. “And you said Tony showed you pictures of Jack that Mike took? That’s stalking, and he’ll have loads of proof of his own crime. We can get him.”

“I-I don’t know if I should do this,” Rhys says, glancing from Cam to me and then back. “If anything at all goes wrong, Tony will tell Mike to hurt Jack. And I can’t stand the thought of that happening.”

Cameron looks at me, and I give him a nod. I can talk Rhys into doing this.

“I want you think about it,” Cam says to Rhys. “I’m going to step out and call a friend who might be able to help you. Just stay here.”

When Cam steps out into the hall and closes the door behind him, I squeeze Rhys’s hand again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about Tony finding out that I was searching for you.”

“It’s okay,” he replies. He chews on his lower lip for a second before asking, “What did you find online? Was it…bad stuff?”

“No. It was about your abduction. Mostly stuff about your parents.”

His gaze flicks up to my face. “Are they still searching for me?”

I nod. “Your mom actually posted about it on social media on your birthday last month. They haven’t forgotten you, Rhys.”

He swallows and lowers his stare back to our joined hands on the table. “It doesn’t really matter. I can never go back to them. Tony forbids it. And even if he didn’t…I can’t go back there. After everything I’ve done, they wouldn’t want me back like this.”

“Rhys, I really think they want you back no matter what. It’s clear they miss you so much. They won’t care about what Tony made you do.”

“How do you know that?” The words are a whispered, desperate plea.

“If you saw what I did online, you’d know it’s the truth. They’ve give anything to see you again. I promise.”

He nods but doesn’t speak again until Cameron comes back into the room to let us know his friend is on the way over to talk to Rhys about getting a sketch of Mike. I can tell Rhys wants to bolt, so I keep his hand gripped firmly in mind. I don’t leave his side once, not even when the artist shows up and spends two hours talking to Rhys about what Mike looks like. She sketches the entire time they talk, showing it to him frequently to make sure it’s coming out right.

“That’s him,” Rhys finally says when Amelia shows him the sketch again.

Cam glances over Amelia’s shoulder. “You did great, Rhys. I’ll find this guy.”

Amelia doesn’t ask anything about what’s going on. She simply gives the sketch to Cam before following him back out of the apartment. I wonder where he met her and how long he’s known her. He’s never mentioned her to me.

Silence hangs heavy in the air for a few minutes, broken only by the soft tones of Cam and Amelia talking outside.

“What if I’m making a mistake?” Rhys asks suddenly, staring at a blank spot on the wall across from us.

“You’re not.”

“You don’t know that,” he snaps, turning his head to glare at me. “I’ve spent the last five years doing every degrading and humiliating thing Tony’s ordered of me to keep Jack safe. I can’t let one moment of selfishness mess it all up.”

“Look, Cam’s not going to do anything until he’s sure Jack is safe. I promise.”

“He can’t get hurt,” Rhys whispers, the sharpness leaving his voice as quickly as it came. He blinks tears back as he says, “I’ll never forgive myself or you if something happens to my brother.”

“I know. But he’ll be safe. And if he loves you even half as much as you love him, then he would never forgive you if you don’t get out when you have the chance. Rhys, look at me.”

When he obeys, I see the tears shining in his eyes. The fear and vulnerability. I wish I could take it all away from him.

“There’s nothing selfish about not wanting to live the rest of your life chained to a monster. You deserve to be free too.”

His breath comes out in a shaky rush, but he gives me the smallest of nods.

It’s not everything I have to say. I want to tell him that he deserves to be happy. To be loved. To feel safe. But I’m not sure he’d hear that right now, let alone believe me. I just have to take it one step at a time.