I close my eyes, despair drowning me at the familiar phrases. I tighten my grip on the gun.
I’m okay. He can’t hurt me again.
West stops, a large rock braced in both his hands, his mouth open as he breathes hard. The moment Liam’s message registers in his brain, his back stiffens. He’s realized that he’ll have to follow all Liam’s rules if he wants to eat.
How will he act the first time he goes in the box?
But the box is gone. Destroyed. I imagine Liam staring at its ruins, and happiness warms me.
Because of me, no other child will suffer in that box.
“Not like that! Set them down gently! Don’t make me punish you for not doing it right.”
My stomach heaves, and I clench my teeth together.
I can’t listen anymore.
I step around the tree, my heart in my throat, my hands shaking. I move the gun from hand to hand and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, not wanting the weapon to slip. I walk closer to the river, the gun in front of me. I grip with both hands and my arms instantly ache because I swung the sledgehammer.
The sun touches my hair and shoulders. “Stop!” My voice is louder than I expected, and adrenaline races through my veins. I halt several yards away.
I can do this.
Liam turns. Surprise flashes in his eyes for a split second, but then a wide smile crosses his face. “I knew you’d come back. Especially once you realized the boy was missing.”
Acid builds in the back of my throat.
“I had no doubts. I’m your family and we are committed.” Liam points at West. “And now there are three of us.”
West is frozen in place, the water rushing around his ankles, unable to see me because of his blindfold.
“But since you ran away, I’ll have to punish the new boy. That’s how it works now. Listen up, boy, this is your uncle. When he disobeys me, I have to punish you.”
West’s shoulders heave as he holds back sobs.
Liam smiles. “You should tell your uncle to be good.”
“Be good!” West shrieks. Tears stain his blindfold.
I see red. My vision tunnels on Liam and anger burns hot through me.
But I am in control.
“You stole my gun,” Liam states, gesturing at me. “That means I have to punish the boy.”
“No!” West cries.
“Not sure what you think you can do with that,” Liam drawls. “You’ve never fired a gun. Did you even check to see if it’s loaded?”
I didn’t. I’m not sure how.
But I don’t think he’d lock up an unloaded gun by his bed. “I checked,” I lie.
He smirks, and I fear I’m holding an empty weapon.
“I know she’s alive,” I tell Liam in a calm voice.
“Who?”
“Rowan. She wasn’t killed by animals.” I catch my breath and breathe deep. “You lied to me for twenty-five years! I’m thirty-two years old and I never knew my age! Why do you do this? Why did Jerry start this . . . this family?”
Liam rests a foot on a rock and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Looks like a gun in your hand gives you a big mouth. You’re racking up hours in the box.”
Instant fear makes my temples sweat. Then I remember the box is gone.
Gone like his power; I hold the power now.
The power is in my clasped hands, black and heavy. “What was Jerry to you? You call him family, but you got him sent to prison. The rule was to never betray the family!”
“Jerry was the closest thing I ever had to a father, and I was committed to this family. I’d do anything for the family. Jerry, Ken, and I were a solid unit!”
“Yet you got Jerry arrested.”
“Jerry went against the family first! He let Ken leave after the first girl died. Just walk away. That wasn’t right! No one walks away from us!”
I have no idea who he’s talking about.
“Jerry said Ken agreed to stay silent if he was allowed to leave. That’s not how we were brought up! Jerry changed the rules for him.” He slapped a hand on his thigh, anger in his face.
“Sending Jerry to prison was payback for letting another guy leave?”
Liam looks away, and I know I’ve struck a chord.
He was jealous because Jerry let someone walk away from their twisted little family.
“Then you thought you could just walk away too.” Anger infuses his tone. “That’s not how it works. We stay together.”
That phrase has been pounded into my head nearly all my life.
“It didn’t work out so well for Ken,” Liam sneers. “He visited Jerry in prison and asked if I was involved in . . . something. Next thing I know, Ken wants to meet with me. Claimed Jerry was pissed about some women who’d recently died.” He raised a brow. “Ken thought he could enforce Jerry’s orders? I don’t think so. Cocky idiot. I took care of him.”