Page 51 of Blood & Heartache

“I’m sorry to barge in here when you’re clearly busy. I was looking for brain food,” I said.

“Brain food?” Bernard questioned.

Chuckling, I nodded. “More commonly known as snacks.”

“Ah, yes, of course.” He laughed, smacking his palm against his head. “Follow me. I’ll show you where the pantry is. You’re welcome to take anything you fancy.”

Normally, when I think of a pantry, I envision a small closet filled with various cans of food, baking supplies, and other dried goods. This was no ordinary pantry but a room with rows of shelving filled with all kinds of food you could think of. It was as if this place was a small grocery store or something.

“This section is snack foods, but this whole shelving unit is curated with you in mind, Mistress Astin. Glenda and your late father felt these items would be needed on hand at all times,” Bernard explained.

My jaw dropped as four shelves held all my favorite foods in all categories that could be stored on a shelf—chips, dessert, candy, soda, instant noodles, and so many more that I didn’t know what to choose from.

“Now that you know this is here, feel free to take advantage of it at any time, day or night. There is also the option to call the kitchen, and we’ll have one of the other house staff bring it to you wherever you are in the house. As Mistress of the Caprioni Estate, there is nothing we can’t provide for you. Some things might take a little time to get our hands on, but we will make it happen,” Bernard informed me.

“Are you trying to make me propose to you on the spot, Bernard?” I teased. “This is beyond amazing. Thank you, and I’ll make sure to keep all that in mind. Now I better not keep you too much longer, or your boss might make good on her promise to boil you.”

“Oh, that’s just Rhonda. She’s all bark and no bite. The woman sounds more threatening than she is. Plus, Glenda is my direct boss, so I think I’m safe since I’m helping you find what you need,” he assured me. “However, there is still much to be done and only a matter of hours before everyone starts to arrive, so it’s probably better I get back.” With a bob of his head in a sort of bow, Bernard headed toward the kitchen.

Turning back to the shelves, I tried to decide what I wanted and how the fuck I was going to get it back while using crutches.

“There you are,” Liu snapped as he hurried over to me, wheelchair in hand. “You need to come with me right now.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, refusing to sit until I knew what kind of fresh hell I was getting rolled into.

Liu stepped up to me, cupping my face in his hands as he held my gaze. “Astin, please don’t fight me on this. I promise that I’ll explain everything to you but not here.”

The way his eyes pleaded with me to listen had me giving in. “Okay, give me your hand so I can sit.”

Relief washed over him as he grasped my hand and allowed me to use him to steady myself as I sat. The moment my butt was in the chair, Liu was hauling ass out of the kitchen and down the hall to the elevator. Biting my tongue, I waited as I watched him enter the code to allow the elevator to head down to the basement. Understanding why he couldn’t say anything made sense—no one that we were holding down here was safe to talk about. Barely waiting for the doors to open, Liu was already moving, practically jogging down the hall.

“Can you tell me what’s going on now?” I asked, gripping the armrests as he turned a corner so sharp I had to have been on only one wheel.

“Something happened with Gunner,” Liu shared cryptically.

Making it around another corner, I spotted where we must be heading since there was already a group of people around. I spotted Dr. Hayden and a nurse he’d brought with him, both covered in blood, talking to each other. Panic started to grow in the pit of my stomach clawing its way up my throat, making it constrict. Please, God, don’t let it be what I think happened. Haven’t I lost enough people today? Liu pulled up just before the door to the cell so I couldn’t see what was inside.

“What happened,” I demanded. “Whose blood is that?”

“Lady Astin,” Dr. Hayden started. “I’m so sorry you have to suffer another loss, Ryker—”

I didn’t even let him finish what he was saying before I was out of the wheelchair and flinging myself through the door.

Blood.

That was all my brain could absorb at first.

One whole half of the room was sprayed with blood, and there was Gunner’s body sprawled out on the floor like a bloody angel.

Ryker sat on the cot in the room, a vacant stare in his eyes completely unaware I was even here. His face was splattered red, but none of it seemed to be his. I could see marks where Dr. Hyden must have looked him over, smearing the blood on his skin.

“Someone better tell me what the fuck happened here before I lose my shit.” I growled as I sank to the floor next to Gunner, not giving a fuck that the cooled blood seeped into my clothes.

“He took his life…” Ryker rasped. “He wanted to save you from having to do it.”

Tears blurred my vision as I reached out to cup Gunner’s cold skin. “I don’t understand… w-why would he do that? If he was sorry, then he should have said it to my face. This isn’t how I wanted this to end. There would have been another way. I’m the boss. I decide when people leave the Family, not them. They don’t get to make that choice without asking me.”

“Gunner knew you didn’t have a choice… not even the boss can ignore an act of treason,” Liu whispered as he squatted beside me, resting a hand on my back. “He probably knew you’d try to fight the system and decided to take it out of your hands entirely.”