Look At Me Now

Chapter 18

"So how the hell are we going to get out of here?" Kyle asked his eyes scanning our surroundings.

I bit my lip, nothing coming to mind. "I don't know. I'm sure they've got enough sense to lock the door. There aren't any windows. Even if there was a way out of here I don't have any idea where we are."

"So what are we just going to wait for your boyfriend to show up then?" Kyle was getting more and more agitated with each passing second. I can't say I blamed him.

"Gabriel isn't my boyfriend," I snapped. "And yes, that's the only thing I know to do." I'd been an idiot this entire trip and I knew it. The knowledge of my foolishness was eating at my nerves.

"Well what is he then?" Kyle asked.

"He's my friend," I replied weakly. It didn't seem like enough of a title for Gabriel but it was all I had.

"Avie, do you realize what you did to Mom when you left?" he asked after a few minutes.There was a new harshness in his tone.

"What?"

"Mom can barely take care of herself. She's lost her mind." He let out a breath before continuing. "At first it was like a tornado was ripping through the house. She turned it upside down looking for anything that might tell her where you were.Then she turned to the rest of the town. She questioned everyone, posted fliers, went to the school almost every day, she barely let me leave the house.It was awful, Ave, seeing her like that.

"When they found that body...she was so broken...she swore up and down that you were still alive. She knew. 'A mother knows' she says. Of course I figured she was just over come with the grief of losing her daughter. That day at the grocery store...I...it was scary...I thought she was seeing things. When I saw you I realized why she went so ballistic. Of course I thought that she was just mistaken."

He was quiet for a while after that;until he met my eyes. "Did you miss us?"

I wiped the tears from my cheeks before answering. "Of course I did. I wanted to call or write or do something that would let you know I was alright. But I couldn't. I just couldn't. If it was up to me I wouldn't have ever been there. I wanted to go home."

"What happened?"

"They grabbed me when I was walking home from school. I didn't want to walk but I didn't have another choice. It was dark out and they grabbed me. There was no way I could've out run the two of them. Gabriel and Jason—Jason was the new guy at school. I don't remember what he said his name was. Either way, they took me to the facility that they work at. I've been in training under Gabriel ever since."

"Are you going to tell Mom?" Kyle asked softly. "Let her know you're alright?"

I hesitated. "I don't know if I can,Kyle. I'll ask Gabriel but I really don't think I'll be allowed to. I'm only telling you now because you already it's me. I really wish I could. But if Gabriel says no then that's it. And you can't tell her either."

"Where were you and Gabriel staying?"

"What?"

He shrugged. "Were you and Gabriel living together in town? Were you at a hotel?"

"We were staying in an apartment," I replied. "Why?"

"I don't know if I like the thought of my sister living with the guy that kidnapped her. Where at in town? Not the bad side I hope."

I smirked at him. "It's not like we were sharing the same room or anything; just the same apartment. And no it wasn't...unless the 'bad side' of town changed since I was last here. It's the Hemlock building. You know the one. It's next to Port's Grill."

Kyle nodded. "Nah you're good. It's a nice place. How'd you guys afford that?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea how any of it was put together. I think HQ deals with finances and such. Gabe and I just get the job done."

"Gabe huh?" There was something new in his voice.

I let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah."

"Let me ask you something, sis." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at his deadly glare. "If something were to happen to Gabriel and you,would HQ know about it? Would they come investigating? Would they come sniffing around town? Around the house your family lives in?"

I stiffened. "I...I'm sure they would.If they didn't hear back from us...I'm sure they would come."

"Would they? Or are you just another casualty of the job?"

"They would come. Every agent is like family." By that I meant Gabriel isn't just any other agent.

Kyle reached behind his back and pulled out a gun, pointing at me. "I must say I'm very disappointed in you,sis," he said in mock disappointment. "You didn't suspect your own brother could be involved. All that training didn't teach you not to trust family. How sad."

"Kyle, what the hell are you doing?"

"Taking care of things. That's all I've been doing since you left. Taking care of Mom, of the house, of the bills, of these stupid fucking girls. I'm the one that you should be afraid of. Kale and Paul are just my dogs. They fetch and play while I do the dirty work.It seems the police only notice the ones that do the fetching—the tag them with the killing too. It all works out for me. You see, Avia, you are my biggest problem. My older sister with the shitty attitude. The one that disappeared. I'm just the crazy lady's son."

He let out a loud laugh. "You know I don't think they realized that I was using your dead body as my model for these girls. Maybe if they had more bodies they'd do more searching. I never dreamed they'd send you right to my door. This is just icing on the cake."

In movies these moments happen in slow motion but I know now that's a lie. It happened as fast as a lightning strike. I couldn't quite keep up with the moment. A loud gunshot rang out,followed by another. I let out a scream. I watched my brother fall to the ground, a blood stain growing on his shirt. The world tilted and went blurry as I saw a newcomer race towards me followed by two others.

"Eve?! Eve!" A voice yelled. "Stay with me! Stay awake! Look at me!" I couldn't quite figure out who it was. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. "Eve, it's Jason, can you hear me?"

I could. But I couldn't do what he asked. I felt myself being dragged under a thick world of blackness. Its coldness curled around me, tangling in my hair, moving into my lungs, clouding my vision.