From what he’d told Taylor, he’d been in a panic.He hadn’t stopped to think about what was happening or why Jimmy hadn’t returned.He’d freed himself, had made his way through the house to the back door, and hadn’t looked back.He’d probably thought he’d never see this place again, yet here he was, standing in the kitchen where he’d eaten with Jimmy.
Ben cleared his throat.“Well, as you can see, this is the kitchen.I wouldn’t open the fridge if I were you.”
“I can smell it from here, even though it’s closed.I don’t think any of us is eager to open it.”If Jimmy hadn’t been home in months, whatever was left in the fridge would be far from edible.Taylor had no intention of dealing with the cleanup.It wasn’t his job.
He followed Ben when he stepped out of the kitchen.Ben hesitated.Taylor could hear Jacob and Tony talking somewhere to the right, while someone—Peter—was moving on the left.
“I think Peter’s in the living room,” Ben said.“And there’s an office on the other side, so maybe that’s where Tony and Jacob ended up.I don’t know if we’ll find anything interesting upstairs.There are just bedrooms and bathrooms, and Jimmy never spent a lot of time there.”
“What about downstairs?”Taylor asked.Downstairs was the basement where Ben had been locked up.
Ben shook his head.“I don’t think I can be in that room again.”
“You won’t have to be.I do have to check it, though.Can you show me where it is?”
The last thing Taylor wanted was to see the room where his mate had been locked up, but he didn’t have a choice.He could ask one of the others to do this, but it was his job as Ben’s mate, and he’d do it to ensure that they got everything they needed and wouldn’t have to return.Hell, Taylor was tempted to set the house on fire once they were done.If Jimmy was dead, he didn’t need this place anymore.
Ben nodded and walked down the hallway.It didn’t take long for Taylor to see the open door.No one had closed this one, either.They wouldn’t have been able to because the lock and handle hung off the splintered wood of the door.
He peeked in.The basement was dark and smelled of dust, mold, and public toilets.He wasn’t surprised when Ben didn’t come closer.He wished he could avoid going down there, but they needed to make sure that Jimmy wasn’t hiding something else.
He turned to Ben.“You stay here.I’ll be right there.”
Ben nodded.Taylor could feel his mate’s gaze on his back, so he did his best not to show how horrified he was as he faced the darkness of the basement.
There was a switch on the wall by the door.Taylor flipped it, relieved to see that the light turned on and that the stairs were in good condition.He was careful as he walked down, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to look around.
There was a dirty mattress in the corner with no sheets or pillows.A blanket had been abandoned half on it and half on the cold cement floor, the cheery flowers on it a stark contrast with the rest of the room.A broken chain hung from the wall next to it, and even though the floor was so dirty that Taylor couldn’t see it, he could smell blood.
His mate’s blood.
His mouth tasted like ash.He ignored it, just like he tried to ignore the corner in which Ben had been locked up once he was sure he wouldn’t find anything there.It wouldn’t help to obsess over it.Ben needed Taylor to be focused, even though it was hard.He needed Taylor to remember that he wasn’t chained to the wall anymore and that he was safe.
Taylor slowly made his way around the basement.Apart from the mattress and the chain and a tiny, disgusting bathroom with no door, there was nothing odd there.There was a stack of boxes in a corner, some tools, and a table with no chairs.It was grim, but that was because of what Taylor knew had happened here.If he didn’t, he’d probably just think that Jimmy had been a messy pig.
He moved slowly, but he still managed to trip over something.He stumbled and reached out to catch himself, but unfortunately, the only thing for him to hold on to was the stack of boxes.They were heavy, but not heavy enough to hold his weight.The one on top slipped, crashing to the floor and spilling its contents.Taylor almost tripped on one of the books, and when he looked down, he realized it was a diary.Well, maybe more of a journal.Jimmy wasn’t a teenage girl.
Taylor leaned down to pick it up.As little as he wanted to know what went on in Jimmy’s head, this felt important.
* * * *
BEN HEARD THE SOUNDof something falling.He desperately wanted to join Taylor and ensure he was okay, but he also didn’t want to go down into the basement.He didn’t think he’d survive it, not a second time.
“Taylor?”he called out, leaning over the stairs as far as he could without falling.
“I’m fine,” Taylor answered.“I bumped into something, but I’m fine.”
“Are you coming back upstairs?Did you find anything?”
“I think I did.”
Something in Taylor’s voice raised Ben’s hackles.What had he found?Ben had been locked down there for weeks.He’d never noticed anything weird.Of course, he’d been chained to the wall, so he hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to explore, and when he’d run, he hadn’t wanted to stay one more minute in that place, so he hadn’t looked.
“What is it?”he called back when Taylor didn’t explain.
“I’m coming back upstairs.”
That was good, but it was also worrying.Whatever Taylor had found, he wanted to show everyone else.Was it that important?Why?
