“It changes nothing. She isn’t with me. She is with you. At least, you have that.” I spit.
“It changes everything, Costin! Damn it!” He shoves me to the floor. “She loves you! What I wouldn’t give to be where you are right now! Can’t you see what you have? Stop being a child, and look. You. Have. Her. Heart. You have everything. Can’t you just be patient with her? Isn’t she worth it?”
“She’s worth everything, Jaxx. I didn’t realize-” I stand and freeze when I hear something drop to the floor from my pocket. “Fuck.”
“What is that, Costin?” Jaxx picks up the purple drive from the floor, turning it over in his hand.
“How could I have forgotten? I found that in her closet this afternoon when…”
“Yeah, I remember, thanks. What is it?” Jaxx huffs.
“I don’t know, but I snuck it into my pocket. I figured it was worth a look. I didn’t want to ask her just in case…” Jaxx nods, understanding my reasoning.
“I know. Grab that laptop, no time like the present.”
Eliana
“Time to go, Darlin,’”
“Go away, Abel. Sleeping,” I groan smacking Abel away.
“Is this you fighting back?” Jonah laughs under me.
“Holy shit. Today is-“
“Your wedding day.” Abel pulls me to my feet.
“Holy shit!” I spin. “Are you coming, Jonah?”
“Am I welcome?” He laughs nervously.
“Should probably show up with the other guests, man.” Abel slaps him on the shoulder.
“I’ll be there. You’re sure you want to go through with it? Can still leave with me.” He grins.
“I won’t leave them to drown alone, rock star.” I hug him. “See you in a couple hours?”
“Yep.”
Arriving home, I head straight up to Jaxx’s room but turn when I hear Joshua’s voice from my room across the hall. Running in, I throw open the door and freeze.
It’s complete chaos. The beautiful castle canopy around my bed is hanging in shreds; broken lanterns and strands of lights flicker, casting a haunting light across the devastation, and photos of me blanket every surface and wall. Joshua and me. Costin and me. Me and Jonah… Abel… Jaxx…I gasp when I hear him again… us... playing from a broken laptop laying in the middle of the room. I watch it happen all over again.
“No, Angel, no. Don’t you say goodbye,” he begs.
“Tell me you love me, Charming.”
“With every single beat, Angel. In this life and the next, for all of eternity.”
“Every single beat, even in the next.”
I sob, turning to run from the room. Stumbling and crashing into a broad chest, I feel a pinch in my neck.
“I got tired of waiting, Eliana. You’re not marrying him.” I look up into a set of eyes I have known most of my life. A set of eyes belonging to a man I trusted. Lifting me as my legs go weak, he says, “Rest now. I’ve got you.”
With the last of my strength, I breathe out, “Why?”
“Because you belong to me, sweet girl.” He chuckles, and I sleep.
Costin
We walk to the desk in the far corner and plug in the drive.
“’Watch first.’ Costin, I have a really bad feeling about this. There are hundreds of image files here.” He clicks play on the video, and I want to scream when I hear what Bethany has to say. How could she? Has Eliana watched this?
‘Okay, so I don’t even know why I am doing this… images… they are fucked… shouldn’t look…need to…I hope you aren’t alone right now… help you through this… I love you. I hate you…Be careful who you trust, sister. Things aren’t always as they seem.’
Then… the images start.
“Fuuuck!” Jaxx screams. “Has she watched this? Did she know?”
Image after image flashes across the screen. I can’t look away. I want to. I need to, but I can’t. What if there is something there? What if he is there?
“What the fuck is that?” Andrew steps into my room, marching over to the desk and slamming his hand down beside the computer. “Where did that come from?”
“Andrew, I-“
“Freeze it.” Jaxx barks from behind me. “It’s them. Isn’t it?”
“They were there in the basement with her? Where were they when we found her?” Andrew asks with a furrowed brow.
“That-” Jaxx points to the screen. “-three shadows… Puckett? Smaller one must be female. But the other? Who is that?”
Our conversation pauses when Jaxx’s phone rings.
“Abel, not now. Take her up to her room… Abel? Abel?!” He puts the phone on speaker, and my heart stops.
“Ja… rd ha…” Bang! “uck!... out… now…elp!” we run for the stairs, knowing that we won’t be able to hear him until we are on the main floor. The added walls and sound proofing are great for security but shit for cell phones. By the time we reach the main floor, the call is silent.
“Abel!” Jaxx shouts into the phone, and we all run into the yard, pushing through caterers, planners, and event staff. Where is fucking security?
“You all look out here!” I yell back, heading up to her room. When I get there, I have to grip the door to keep from collapsing. One of our guys and the two women sent to get E ready for the wedding are laying dead by the bathroom door, and her room is trashed. Photos blanket every surface, and a video is playing on loop, of the night Laporte was murdered, in the center of the floor.
I rush through the destruction to turn off the heart wrenching cries coming from the laptop and hoping to find something, anything. Her heart shaped pendant, our connection, our biggest chance of finding her, is hanging from the corner of the shattered screen. Her distorted, tear stained face stares back at me, and I collapse.
“Nooo!”
“Costin! What happened… no,” Jaxx wheezes, taking in the room. The bed we bought our tiny girl is now in shreds. “No. No, no, no, no. Not again. No.” he grabs his head, tears running down his cheeks.
“Andrew!” I yell, standing and pulling Jaxx to face me, looking into his eyes. This time, I will be the one to lend him strength. I am breaking too, but he is right. It is time for me to man up. For her.
“Jaxx.” I shake him. “We are going to find her. We always do. Focus. This is what you do. We raised her and trained her. She is a survivor. A fighter. And we are her always. We will find her.”
His eyes harden, and I can see the cold running through his veins. “I will kill every fucking one of them. Yes, we will find her, and we will eliminate every single threat. Today, their blood will pool at my feet, brother. Let’s go.”
Chapter Seventeen
Eliana
“You need to wake up, Angel.” I hear his voice, but it’s so dark.
“Joshua?”
“You need to wake up and run. You’re not safe! Wake up! Now!”
I jolt awake… a dream? Where am I? Why can’t I move?