Yesterday in the corridor.
They’d huddled together…discussing Jethro.
Jasmine sighed, “I was a freaking mess when Cut shot them. I’d wanted to walk again ever since I lost the ability, but in that second I’d wanted to fly. To soar across the room and tear out his motherfucking heart.”
My hands curled around the box of muesli bars. “I know that feeling.”
“Afterward, Bonnie took me upstairs and tried to calm me down. The rest I’m not entirely sure about, but Flaw was given the task of cleaning up.” She swallowed, eyes turning dark. “He noticed they…weren’t dead.”
“They had drips and shit…medical paraphernalia down there.” Vaughn jumped in. “Who did that?”
“Flaw again. He dropped out of medical school after he discovered diamonds were a lot more lucrative than sewing up flesh. We had the equipment, but he didn’t tell anyone. He moved their bodies, set up what they needed, then came to me the minute I was alone. Everything went according to plan, apart from the mishap of shutting the cell door.”
That was happening all while she came to save me from Daniel.
How had she come up with a plan so fast? And why did Cut listen to her demands as oldest child?
My mind raced. “So…Flaw kept them alive?”
She nodded. “If it hadn’t been for him, they would’ve drained out on the carpet.”
I shook my head. “But there was so much blood. They were unconscious.”
Jaz rolled closer. “He performed a miracle, Nila. I’ll be forever grateful for that. But there’s no guarantee they’ll pull through. The doctors tried to be optimistic when we arrived, but…”
Vaughn picked up where she trailed off. “The docs’ faces, Threads. You could tell they didn’t have much hope.”
The joy of knowing Jethro and Kestrel were rescued punctured, deflating like a hot air balloon, crashing faster toward Earth. “So…they might still…” I couldn’t finish.
Jaz smiled tightly, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Let’s focus on the positive. They’re away from Hawksridge with people who know what they’re doing. That’s all we have.”
Terrible silence fell, like a curtain already stealing Jethro and Kes from us.
Vaughn finally muttered, “Why keep them down there? It was a fucking dungeon.”
His train of thought gave me something to focus on.
Jasmine jumped to answer, as if unable to handle the quietness when we couldn’t stop our minds from picking at ‘what if’.
What if they don’t make it?
What if we were too late?
“It’s the only place in Hawksridge that has no cameras. All rooms, bathrooms, cellars—they’re all monitored. We couldn’t run the risk of Cut seeing them.”
I straightened. “What about the cameras last night?”
Her hands dived into her hair. Unpinning the clip, she let her sleek bob fall into place around her chin. “A few months ago, Kes taught me how to upload a virus that put the cameras into hibernation for a few hours. After a time, they reboot as if nothing happened. If anyone attempts to fix them while they’re down, the virus hijacks the hard drive and ruins two months’ worth of data.” She shrugged. “Either no one noticed and will think the lack of recording was a technical fault, or someone did and will put it down to a damaged hard drive.”
“Interesting.” Vaughn rubbed his face. “You’ll have to show me that handy trick.” His stomach growled again, even louder than before.
I couldn’t help Jethro or improve his prognosis, but I could help another man I loved. Turning back to the cupboard, I grabbed an armful of apples, biscuits, and another box of muesli bars. I shoved them at my brother. “Here. Have these.” Dashing to my wardrobe, I pulled free a few extra-large jumpers that I liked to wear off the shoulder with a belt and gave those to him, too. “And these. To keep you warm.”
Jaz wheeled forward. “That’s a good idea. That room is freezing.” Her shoulders rolled. “V, it hasn’t exactly been easy dealing with you tonight, but you’ve been amazing. Helping move Jet and Kes, driving the van, filling out the paperwork at the hospital. Don’t think I’m not grateful because I am. But…”
Vaughn had his mouth full with a crisp green apple. “But you have to take me back.”
Jaz nodded.
“No, surely you can just let him go—” I moved between them.
Vaughn swallowed his breakfast. “No chance of a warmer room? Something without a broken window?”
She smiled sadly. “Sorry. We have to make it seem like nothing happened. Cut can’t know Jet and Kes are alive. Any escapes or room changes will make him suspicious. However, I’ll do what I can and move you in a few days.”
I stood in front of V, cutting Jaz off. “I won’t let them keep him in that place.” Putting my hands on my hips, I glared. “Why can’t you just let him go? You were off the estate tonight. Just take him back to London and let him hide until this is all over. Cut can just blame me if he gets suspicious.”
Vaughn grabbed my shoulders. “You think I’d do that? Run away and leave you here?”
I shrugged him off. “If you’re not here, they have nothing to control me with. I’ll be free to do what needs to be done.”
Vaughn’s eyes flashed. “Don’t be so stupid, Threads. I’m not going anywhere without you. End of fucking story.”
Jaz stiffened. “You do realise saying ‘when this is all over’ is accepting your death, right?”
I groaned. Great. Perfect thing to say in front of an overprotective twin.
“What?” Vaughn demanded. “What the fuck does that mean?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not accepting death. I have my own plan to end this. Either way, I need you gone, V. I can’t have people I love here.”
Jaz suddenly shot forward and grabbed my hand. “Don’t do anything reckless, Nila. I made an oath to Jethro to look after you. I can’t break that promise.”
My eyes widened. “When did you make that?”
Her face softened. “There are a lot of conversations and stolen moments in this house that you don’t see or hear. The day the police came for you after the Second Debt, I knew you’d changed him. He refused to speak to me. He pushed me out of his life completely, but he didn’t need to tell me for me to understand.”
“There is so much shit I don’t know about,” Vaughn grumbled. “I need some education. Someone needs to fill me in on what I missed. Second Debt?”
Jaz and I ignored him.
My heart galloped, drunk on the thought of Jethro. Imagining him alive and happy. The fact he’d talked about me…that his sister knew how he felt about me—it made our love so real. Even if it was forbidden.
My voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re like him…aren’t you?”
“Like who?” V asked around a mouthful of hobnob biscuits.
Jaz lowered her gaze. “He told you?”
Her tone was both awed and slightly miffed.
“Does that offend you?” The residual dislike for her tainted my voice.
She shook her head. “Offend? No. Surprise? Yes. But…I knew he’d fallen in love with you. I could feel it in him.”
“Feel it?” V wiped crumbs off his t-shirt. “That’s a strange thing to say.”
I turned to face him. “She’s a VEP.” After Jethro’s lesson the other day, I felt cocky to know the term. To know the technical name for a condition so common in people that it’d become a regular flaw, according to society.
V scrunched up his nose. “What the hell is that?”
Jaz chuckled. “No. And Nila has it wrong. I’m empathic to the point of emotional sensory but nowhere near as bad as Jethro. I don’t call myself anything different. Just attuned to my brother—same as you’re tuned to each other.” She waved at V and me. “You’re twins. There are differences between you, but overall, you share enough genetic make-up to sense each other on a deeper level.”
Vaughn nodded. “That’s twins for you.”
Jaz smiled. “Twins and Empaths.”
A loud noise slammed a few rooms down.
We all froze.
The inhabitants of Hawksridge were waking up.
I hated that answers had to come later, but I would hate it even more if we were caught. “As much as I want to continue talking, I think…it’s time to hide.”
Jaz nodded, rolling toward the door. “You’re right.” Without looking over her shoulder, she said, “V, I’ll take you back to your room.”
My heart twitched at the casual way she called my twin by his nickname. I wanted to tell her she had no right. But, then again, I had stolen her brother. I’d forced myself into his life and replaced her with myself.
Suddenly, I understood Jaz a whole lot more. She liked me because I was good for her sibling. But at the same time, she despised me taking him away from her.
Rushing forward, I opened the door a crack but put my foot out to prevent her from disappearing. Bending down, I whispered, “I just want to thank you. You have my word I won’t hurt him—ever again. I’m in this for life, and I hope you know that I would never take him away completely.” I smiled. “I’m very good at sharing.”