Page 20 of Unchained

Something’s wrong. I can feel it. All day I’ve had a weird feeling that something’s happened to Trevor. I’ve been checking the news all morning, seeing if the cops have picked up his trail or figured anything out, but nothing different has been reported. Though, sometimes it takes a moment for the media to be notified, especially if the police are trying to keep things on the down-low while they chase a lead. The one who would know if there’s been a breakthrough in the search would be my brother, so I give him a call on my way home from work. I’m leaving early today. I can’t even concentrate on my tasks at hand.

“Hey, sis. What’s up?”

“Hey, Bryce. Just calling to check in. How are you holding up? Anything new happen in the case?”

“I wish,” he sighs. “We’ve been hitting a dead end at every turn. I’m staked out in front of his sister’s house right now. If Estavio is harboring my fugitive, I’ll finally get to take him down. That could be the break I’ve been looking for.”

It’s a relief to hear that they still haven’t found anything yet, but it doesn’t shake this feeling in my chest.

“Well, I miss you,” I tell him. “We’ll have to grab dinner on your next day off.”

“Shit, sis,” his voice suddenly tenses. “I gotta go. Estavio is on the move. I’ll call you later.”

The phone goes dead, and I pull up to the restaurant to order the pizza. Kai told me that it’s his favorite food, so that’s what we’re having for lunch. By the time I’m leaving with four pies in hand, one pepperoni just for him, I’m in a near panic to get over to the Brinkley house. I don’t know why but that unsettled feeling is growing more intense by the second.

When I walk into the house, I’m surprised to see that it’s all cleaned up. Everything is gone. The blow-up mattresses are packed up and sitting by the door, along with the pillows and sheets. And the games I brought them are all stacked inside a grocery bag. It looks like they’re getting ready to leave. No wonder I’ve been sick to my stomach all day.

I hear voices coming from the kitchen, but I can barely get my feet to take me forward. I knew this day was going to come, but I wasn’t ready for it. I was still living in denial and enjoying every second of my time with them. When I walk in, the room grows tense.

“Shit. What are you doing here?”

Trevor’s irritation catches me off guard. He’s pissed that I’m here. I’m used to him looking thrilled by my arrival. I thought he’d be happy that I came early today, but he looks mad. And it’s not just him, Kai won’t even look at me, and Shayla has tears in her eyes.

“I brought lunch,” I say, holding out the pizzas. “I got off work early, so I figured I’d come by for lunch.” I’ve been bringing dinner every night, so I don’t see why it’s a problem.

“You need to go. My guy is on his way here.”

Okay, so now I think I know why he’s upset. He doesn’t want me involved in any of this. He doesn’t want to put me in a compromising position where someone could claim I was helping them and figure me an accomplice.

“He’s the one who has your new documents?”

“Yes,” Trevor grits through his teeth. “Now leave.”

“Okay,” I gasp, taken aback by his rudeness. He really needs to figure out how to get his anxiety in check because he’s being an ass right now. “Here’s the pizza. I guess I’ll just come by later tonight.”

“We’re leaving as soon as he shows.”

It’s like another slap in the face. I place the pizza down onto the counter and try to catch my breath. “So, you weren’t even going to say goodbye?”

“Goodbye,” he grits coldly. “Now, go.”

And there he goes driving the knife in deeper. It’s as if this last week was all a lie. I thought he’d be hugging me tight, promising me that one day we’ll see each other again. But he’s acting like what we had meant nothing to him. I’m completely blindsided by his behavior; I don’t even know what to say.

“You… I…” I look over at Shayla and she looks like she doesn’t know what to do or say either.

“Thank you so much for everything,” she says, rushing toward me to give me a hug. I cling to her as the rejection swallows me up. “I’ll miss you.”

She pulls back and goes over to Kai. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go outside and give your uncle Trev some privacy.”

Kai takes her hand and gives me one last look, ripping me apart further with the sad look in his eyes, before he goes outside with his mom. And then it’s just the two of us.

“I fell in love with you.” The words come flying out before I can stop them. When I see his eyes turn darker, more irritated, I wish I’d kept that secret to myself.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” His voice is stone cold. “What did you expect was going to happen, Emberly?” He cocks his head to the side, and the distance between us expands. “You knew this was coming. You knew we were going to be leaving. What you and I had this week was fun, but it was never going to amount to more than just that.”

God, that hurts.

It never felt like it was just about sex. All the late night talking, him holding me while I fell asleep. All four of us spending time together, playing games, laughing, sharing our innermost secrets. It felt like we were becoming a family. But I was living in my own little fantasy world.