Sacrifice
Page 45
“I didn’t! I didn’t agree to any of it! Don’t you know I’d do anything—”
“Not enough!” Gabriel’s voice was full of fury, but his eyes were full. “You could have stopped this.”
“I tried. David tried. It’s already in motion.”
Gabriel looked at the door, then back at his brothers. “Then we can’t stay here. Nick. Chris. There’s a stairwell at the end of the hallway—”
“Stop it.” Michael had hold of Gabriel’s arms before he even realized he was on his feet. Nick’s powers had worked quickly—his body didn’t protest the motion. “Damn you, Gabriel, don’t you understand that I need you?”
Gabriel stared back at him, and under all that anger and bravado, Michael could see the little boy who was scared shitless.
“If you run, they’ll run with you. If you go along with this, they’ll go with you. Don’t you know that? I need you, Gabriel. They need you.”
His brother’s eyes were so full of fury and defiance that Michael was ready for Gabriel to jerk free and tell him to f**k off.
Instead, Gabriel’s face crumpled, and he threw his arms around Michael. “Please don’t do this. Please.”
“We’ll get through it,” Michael said. His brother’s grip made his chest ache, but this was a good kind of pain. “I promise. We can get through this. It’s just a few nights until I can get before a judge.”
“I can’t do this, Michael. I’m not like you.”
Michael’s heart broke a little at those words. “You can. I know you can.”
“What if the Guides find us?”
Michael’s greatest fear, spoken out loud. “Then you run,” he said, keeping his voice as low as he could. “You run, and you hide, and you keep your brothers safe. But that’s the only reason. Do you understand me?”
Gabriel drew back and nodded. “What if they come after you?”
“Then you stay hidden. No powers.”
“No,” said Nick. “What if they come after you?”
“Then you take care of each other.” Michael looked at Nick. His eyes were also red, his shoulders tight. “I need you, too. Someone has to keep Gabriel from veering off the rails.”
Nick nodded. “I know.”
Michael looked at Chris, who was still standing with his back against the side table. His fingers gripped the edge of the table so tightly that Michael could see white across his knuckles. “Chris—”
“We can’t stay with you anymore.” His breathing was shaky, and he wouldn’t look over. “Got it.”
“Chris—”
A gentle knock sounded at the door. The social worker was back. “How is everything going in here?”
His brothers shifted away from her, as if she were more imposing than a hundred-pound woman in a cheap wool suit.
“They’re fine,” said Michael. “They know.”
They didn’t look fine, but he kept his voice casual, and the grip of tension on the room loosened a notch.
She looked at her watch. “They’ll be finishing up dinner in the home, and from what I understand, it’s game night, so now would be a good time to head over, if everyone is ready.”
Gabriel turned steely eyes his way. Michael could read every word in his expression. Game night? Are you f**king kidding me?
Michael looked back at him. “That sounds like a lot of fun. Don’t you think?”
For an eternal instant, Michael waited for Gabriel to snap and turn this whole thing on its head. He’d done it before, and Michael could almost see him charging past the social worker and the police officers, getting thrown to the ground and Tasered, making everything three thousand times worse than it needed to be.
But then Gabriel let his shoulders drop, and he glanced at Nick and Chris. His voice was bland. “It sounds great. Come on, guys.”
And just like that, they filed out of the room.
Silence fell around Michael like a cloak. He dropped onto the side of the bed and waited for something to happen.
Nothing did.
His brothers were gone. He was alone.
CHAPTER 17
Near midnight, Hannah found herself outside Michael’s hospital room. The door was partially ajar, and the lights were off. He was curled on his side, the blanket draped over his form. The monitors cast an eerie glow on the edge of the bed, but she could tell his eyes were closed.
She slipped into the room, moving as silently as she was able. His breathing was soft and even, so she eased into the chair with barely a whisper of sound.
His eyes shot open anyway, and he shoved himself up on one arm.
“Easy,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You didn’t.” His voice was rough, and he ran a hand down the front of his face and pulled himself all the way to sitting. He must have been on a boatload of painkillers to move so easily this soon. His shoulders drooped as he looked at the door. “What time is it?”
“Almost midnight.”
He nodded, but didn’t look at her. “Do you know?” When she didn’t answer right away, he turned his head. “Do you know what they did?”
The pain in his expression took her breath away. She nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
He folded his arms across his stomach and seemed to curl in on himself. His breathing shook.
Then Hannah realized he was crying.
“Not enough!” Gabriel’s voice was full of fury, but his eyes were full. “You could have stopped this.”
“I tried. David tried. It’s already in motion.”
Gabriel looked at the door, then back at his brothers. “Then we can’t stay here. Nick. Chris. There’s a stairwell at the end of the hallway—”
“Stop it.” Michael had hold of Gabriel’s arms before he even realized he was on his feet. Nick’s powers had worked quickly—his body didn’t protest the motion. “Damn you, Gabriel, don’t you understand that I need you?”
Gabriel stared back at him, and under all that anger and bravado, Michael could see the little boy who was scared shitless.
“If you run, they’ll run with you. If you go along with this, they’ll go with you. Don’t you know that? I need you, Gabriel. They need you.”
His brother’s eyes were so full of fury and defiance that Michael was ready for Gabriel to jerk free and tell him to f**k off.
Instead, Gabriel’s face crumpled, and he threw his arms around Michael. “Please don’t do this. Please.”
“We’ll get through it,” Michael said. His brother’s grip made his chest ache, but this was a good kind of pain. “I promise. We can get through this. It’s just a few nights until I can get before a judge.”
“I can’t do this, Michael. I’m not like you.”
Michael’s heart broke a little at those words. “You can. I know you can.”
“What if the Guides find us?”
Michael’s greatest fear, spoken out loud. “Then you run,” he said, keeping his voice as low as he could. “You run, and you hide, and you keep your brothers safe. But that’s the only reason. Do you understand me?”
Gabriel drew back and nodded. “What if they come after you?”
“Then you stay hidden. No powers.”
“No,” said Nick. “What if they come after you?”
“Then you take care of each other.” Michael looked at Nick. His eyes were also red, his shoulders tight. “I need you, too. Someone has to keep Gabriel from veering off the rails.”
Nick nodded. “I know.”
Michael looked at Chris, who was still standing with his back against the side table. His fingers gripped the edge of the table so tightly that Michael could see white across his knuckles. “Chris—”
“We can’t stay with you anymore.” His breathing was shaky, and he wouldn’t look over. “Got it.”
“Chris—”
A gentle knock sounded at the door. The social worker was back. “How is everything going in here?”
His brothers shifted away from her, as if she were more imposing than a hundred-pound woman in a cheap wool suit.
“They’re fine,” said Michael. “They know.”
They didn’t look fine, but he kept his voice casual, and the grip of tension on the room loosened a notch.
She looked at her watch. “They’ll be finishing up dinner in the home, and from what I understand, it’s game night, so now would be a good time to head over, if everyone is ready.”
Gabriel turned steely eyes his way. Michael could read every word in his expression. Game night? Are you f**king kidding me?
Michael looked back at him. “That sounds like a lot of fun. Don’t you think?”
For an eternal instant, Michael waited for Gabriel to snap and turn this whole thing on its head. He’d done it before, and Michael could almost see him charging past the social worker and the police officers, getting thrown to the ground and Tasered, making everything three thousand times worse than it needed to be.
But then Gabriel let his shoulders drop, and he glanced at Nick and Chris. His voice was bland. “It sounds great. Come on, guys.”
And just like that, they filed out of the room.
Silence fell around Michael like a cloak. He dropped onto the side of the bed and waited for something to happen.
Nothing did.
His brothers were gone. He was alone.
CHAPTER 17
Near midnight, Hannah found herself outside Michael’s hospital room. The door was partially ajar, and the lights were off. He was curled on his side, the blanket draped over his form. The monitors cast an eerie glow on the edge of the bed, but she could tell his eyes were closed.
She slipped into the room, moving as silently as she was able. His breathing was soft and even, so she eased into the chair with barely a whisper of sound.
His eyes shot open anyway, and he shoved himself up on one arm.
“Easy,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You didn’t.” His voice was rough, and he ran a hand down the front of his face and pulled himself all the way to sitting. He must have been on a boatload of painkillers to move so easily this soon. His shoulders drooped as he looked at the door. “What time is it?”
“Almost midnight.”
He nodded, but didn’t look at her. “Do you know?” When she didn’t answer right away, he turned his head. “Do you know what they did?”
The pain in his expression took her breath away. She nodded. “Yeah. I know.”
He folded his arms across his stomach and seemed to curl in on himself. His breathing shook.
Then Hannah realized he was crying.
