“Fallon, Julie is leaving today, whether you like it or not. You can either help me get her ready and enjoy the last few moments you have with her, or you can wait in the bedroom.”
“I won’t let this happen! You can’t—” I gently place Julie’s hand on the bed and shove up from my chair.
“Bedroom it is,” Markus declares. “You can either go there yourself, or I can drag you there by your hair. Your choice.”
My gaze zips between an upset Markus, an unreadable Felix, and an incoherent Julie. Fuck, Markus is not going to budge on this. My heart is breaking for Julie, but what can I do? Fighting Markus won’t change anything. She’s still leaving here, regardless.
“Can I at least say goodbye?”
Markus nods, but I can tell he is annoyed, and his patience is running low. I’m on thin ice right now. Cradling Julie’s hand between both of mine, I lean in and carefully kiss her cheek.
“I promise I’ll see you again soon,” I whisper. “Goodbye, for now.”
I stand quickly, not wanting to cry in front of either of these men. I briskly escape the room and head toward Markus’s bedroom. I’m almost inside the bedroom when I realize this is the first, and most likely, last time, Markus has let me out of his sight without me being tied to the bed. Could this be my only chance? I know Markus said he would help me, but how much can I count on that? Am I willing to gamble on my sister’s safety? No.
Darting a look over my shoulder, I make sure Markus didn’t follow me before I bypass the bedroom and venture further down the hall. I open the first door I find and peek inside. It’s a gym. I don’t think I’ll find what I’m looking for here, so I close the door and keep going.
I open the next door and pop my head inside. The first thing I see is a wall of books. A bookshelf that stretches from the bottom all the way to the ceiling. I scan the rest of the room and find a large desk sitting in front of a vast window that overlooks the city. Bingo.
Sneaking inside, I close the door behind me and start my scavenger hunt. I pull open every drawer, look in every small space, nook, and cranny only to come up empty time and time again. With every passing moment, my heart beats faster, knowing that Markus is going to find me soon. It’s inevitable. He is going to find me and punish me.
I know it, but I also know that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.
I have to at least try. I have to…
“Looking for something?”
I freeze. My whole body just stops as if my operating system just got fried by lightning. Fear holds me prisoner, tossing away the key. The only movement my body will allow is my eyes lifting to where Markus is standing.
To my utter shock, he seems… calm. Which is extremely alarming. With his arms folded across his chest, he leans against the wall casually, almost identical to the stance he took earlier when he asked me about food. But this isn’t takeout. This is life or death for someone I love, and as much as I don’t want to hurt Markus, my sister means more to me.
Still unable to speak, move, or even breathe, I do nothing. Silence stretches between us as I wait for the moment Markus will snap.
He’ll drag me out of the room by my hair, tie me up, and lock me away for weeks. The images running through my head already look like the preview of a movie, a promise of what’s to come. I feel like a mouse that’s seconds away from falling into the trap.
Instead of all the things I’m conjuring up in my mind happening, he leisurely unfolds his arms and strolls across the room. He stops in front of a modern-looking painting hanging on the far side of the wall. Using both hands, he pulls it from the wall and deposits the picture on the floor next to him.
A safe was behind the picture. Of course.
Markus types in a combination, and the safe door clicks before swinging open. My entire mouth goes dry, and I wonder what is inside. What’s he going to do? The suspense is killing me.
Markus reaches inside, and I’m almost positive he is reaching for a gun. When he turns around, I nearly flinch but discover that there is something small in his hand. Stretching his arm out to me, he shows me the small item lying in the palm of his hand.
“Take it. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? The footage from that night.”
My lungs burn, and I realize I’m still holding my breath. I suck in a tiny bit of air, still unable to get my body to move or act normal.