PROLOGUE
Reid
Astrong gust of windthrows the hood of my ‘Hayes Removals’ hoody off my head as I step out of the pick-up and glance up at the converted warehouse owned by my brother’s girlfriend, Rebecca.
At first glance when we pulled in, it looked a little sketchy.The brick building with a black trim still holds the original, large, mirrored bay windows on the lower level, which don’t look to have been cleaned for decades.There’s a steel door to the left of the building that has been upgraded to have a window in the top centre.Industrial bins are lined up to the side; one for rubbish, one for recycling.Not far from them are two black letterboxes with the paint rusting off, attached to the wall.
From an outsider’s perspective, this seems like an abandoned building.I’m not sure if Rebecca did that intentionally or not.This is the first time I’ve ever been here, so the only thing I know about it is that it holds two lofts on the top floor, and there are storage units on the bottom floor.Wyatt once mentioned something about them being used by the golf club Rebecca’s father owns.
As we step into the building, the inside looks nothing like the outside.The walls are plastered, painted in white with a few art pieces to give it colour.There’s a rustic table that runs along the wall, a few knick-knacks artfully displayed on top.
I’m not sure what the urgency is that has us being summoned here, but Rebecca is with Eli, and for that, I got my arse in the car.She’s been through enough.It wasn’t too long ago that she had been held captive.Since then, everyone has been on edge, keeping a closer eye on her.
That said, they were fine when they left with the baby this morning, so I have no idea what could have happened between then and now.
I turn to Jaxon since he’s the one Eli called.“Do you know why we’ve been summoned?”I question.
Not even forty minutes ago, I had been balls deep in a girl I met on a house removal.I couldn’t complain about being cock-blocked since I promised Jaxon I wouldn’t sleep with the clients again.And listening to him tear me a new arsehole isn’t on my to-do list today so I kept my complaints inside.
“They didn’t say much, just to get here quick,” Jaxon responds, and by his tone I can tell he’s distracted.Andworried.
“Not even a hint of what it could be about?”Isaac asks.
“Wait, isn’t this where the girl who Black attacked lives?”Luke questions before Jaxon can respond.
“Yeah,” Jaxon answers.“She lives across from Lincoln, Rebecca’s friend.”
We reach the top of the stairs, and before we can knock, Eli steps out.His gaze goes straight to Wyatt.“You didn’t bring Evie, did you?”
Wyatt straightens.“No.What is going on?”
“Brace yourselves,” Eli warns and opens the door wider.
Jaxon steps inside first, and I hear him suck in a breath.A tall, brown-haired guy is shaking in the corner, his face pale.His gaze seems to be frozen on something in the middle of the floor.
What the fuck?
I side-step Jaxon and inhale sharply.“What in the Carrie is going on here?”I blurt out.
“That’s what I said,” the guy shaking in the corner mumbles, coming unglued.
The girl can’t be more than eighteen.Her face, top and hands are covered in blood, and in her hand is a fucking knife.
“I killed him.I killed him,” she rants, her voice shaky.I’m not even sure she’s aware we’ve entered the room.Her eyes are vacant.
Rebecca pulls away from the trembling girl.“She’s been like this since we found her.She won’t let go of the knife.”
“Why did you bring us to a crime scene?”Isaac accuses.
Luke shoves him.“We could be here to collect the body, asshole,” he grumbles.
“Oh yeah.”
I roll my eyes.“Like fuck am I carrying a dead body down those stairs.”
“Start talking,” Jaxon warns, going into boss mode.
Eli runs his fingers through his hair.“Black came here.He tried to hurt Mina again, and take her.He had a knife.She used the manoeuvre Drew taught the girls in self-defence classes and got the knife off him.She thinks she killed him.But there’s no body, just a spot of blood.”
