Darkness Falls (Darkness Series Book 3) (27 page)

“Later.”

A loud ring echoed down the hallway. I looked at Mom, and we all started to move in the direction of the sound. I was the first to round the corner and see my baby sister tied to a chair in the center of the living room. She was crying, but her sobs were silent since a wide piece of duct tape covered her mouth.

“Mads!” I shouted as I ran to her side. She started to panic, her hand pointing behind me. One moment I was looking at Maddy, the next I felt a jab to the ribs. I whirled around to find Avery pointing a semi-automatic rifle in my face.

Oh shit!

“Sit,” he commanded. I looked over his shoulder to Nicholas, who had raised his arm at someone behind me. I glanced and saw a woman standing there. She had light brown hair, a skinny body, and big boobs. My eyes widened at the gun she was pointing at us.
Who the hell is this?
She stared at my father, then at me, her gaze going back and forth. I recognized her from somewhere.
She’s the girl from the supermarket. Avery’s one night stand. What?

“Everyone sit down, shut up, and do as you’re told.” Avery nudged me with the tip of the rifle. Mom pulled my arm so I would sit. Maddy shook in place. I caught her eye and gave her a little nod to tell her I had this.

Avery pulled up a chair and motioned for my father to take the offered seat.

“Jack, would you be so kind as to take this seat facing your family?” he said. His voice had an oddly formal tone to it.

“What is this about?” my father challenged as he crossed his arms and stayed put. His classic asshole move.

Avery gave us a little smile before he swung the gun around and butted the handle of the rifle into the side of my father’s head. A loud curse flew out of his mouth as he fell to the floor. Avery dragged him up and threw him in the direction of the chair.

“You don’t get to ask the questions.”

I took this distraction to pull my cell phone free.

Seth: 31/32

Garrett: 4

Avery looked away from my father toward the nervous girl and ordered her to remove our cell phones. I had quickly slipped mine back in my pocket. Her hands shook when she collected them. Who the hell was this girl?

Mom let out a little cry as Avery pointed the weapon at her. “Trust me, Martha, you’ll want to hear this.”

My father crawled into the chair and held his head where the blood dripped.

“Now,” Avery stood behind my father, “it’s time for you to confess your sins.”

I glanced at Nicholas, who had the same ‘oh shit’ expression as I now wore.

The letters, shit!

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been…” Avery started for him. When my father didn’t speak, Avery rolled his eyes. “I’ve got all night, Jack.” Avery looked at the girl. “Maybe he just needs a little reminder. Tina Upton.” My father’s head snapped up to look at Avery.
How the hell do they know that name?
I felt my mother shift next to me. “There it is,” he said to the girl, “the recognition.”

“This has nothing to do with you, boy!” my father snapped. Rage flickered across his face.

“This has everything to do with me,” Avery shouted at him.

My mother spoke up. “Who’s Tina Upton?” This was going to kill her, and I felt a pang of hurt for my mother and my sister.

Avery whirled around. “My mother.”

“What?” I blurted without a thought. “Tina Upton was your mother?” I didn’t get to read all the letters. Fuck, in hindsight, I wished I had. Maybe I would have seen this coming.

“Yes.” Avery gave me a hard look, but I could see the wound was raw. “You see, your father met my mother on a business trip.” He turned to my father. “Did you think of Martha while you fucked my mother, Jack?”

Jack’s gaze shot over to Mom’s, as did mine. Her face was shocked, and her eyes filled with tears. I took her hand in mine and held on tight.
My poor mother.

“Did you tell her you had a family?” When my father didn’t answer, Avery pointed the gun at his hand on the armrest and pulled the trigger.

Everyone screamed,
including
the girl who came with Avery.

“Shut the fuck up!” Avery pointed the gun at all of us while my father cried out and held his bloody hand to his chest. “Christ, Jack, all you had to do was answer the question. How will you be redeemed if you don’t wash your soul clean?” Avery shook his head impatiently. “Right, so where were we?”

“No,” my father grunted, “not until the end.”

“But you knew she did.”

When my father didn’t answer, he went for his other hand, but this time the girl stepped forward.

“Alexander, no.” She held up her hand. “You promised.”

“And so did he.” Avery aimed the gun, but not before he shot her a dirty look.

Interesting
.

“Yes, I knew,” Dad cried. “I knew her husband beat her, and I knew he beat his kids too.”

“Then why?” Avery grabbed his face so he would look at him. “Why did you promise to save her, then leave her to die?”

I knew my father was a terrible person, but to know all this and do nothing about it…he was nothing but a waste of human space.

“Because she was crazy,” my father blurted. “Because she wouldn’t see herself for what she was. A piece of ass to entertain me while I was away.”

“Jack!” My mother nearly leapt out of her seat, her expression furious, but I caught her. I didn’t want her getting hurt any more than she was.

Avery laughed. “I know, Martha, I know.”

“Avery,” the girl whispered, and we all looked over. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. “Stop it; this isn’t what you said we’d…”

Avery held up his hand, his expression shutting her down. “Tell me something, Jack, did you leave before or after you found out my mother was pregnant?”

“Oh, God!” Mom’s voice was flat. I didn’t think she could take much more. My mind was swimming laps—this was insane!

“Oh, please, Martha, Jack has fucked many women, haven’t you, Jack? I’m sure this is the only one who kept the baby.”

I looked back at my mother’s face. She had devoted her entire life to us kids and her husband. My mother was old school and stood by her choices. She knew my father was not a good person, but she never thought he would cheat.

“Mom,” I whispered, “breathe.”

“Martha,” my father’s voice felt like acid to my ears, “it’s not what you think, I—” In a flash, Nicholas lunged forward and punched my father square in the nose, then repeated the process. Avery left him to it, enjoying the move, but when he began to step toward Nicholas, I leapt up and pulled my brother back to the couch. Poor Maddy had her eyes closed tightly, sobbing through the duct tape. I knew I would find a way to tear Avery apart piece by piece, like he was doing to my family.

“As much as I love a good, old-fashioned family fight, I need Jack awake for my grand finale.” Avery reached for the girl’s arm and pulled her to stand in front of my father. “Alyssa, I want you to meet Jack. Jack, say hello to your daughter.”

Everything went quiet. I thought we all stopped breathing at that moment. My father’s gaze went from Mom, to the girl, then to Mom again. Holy shit, this girl was our half-sister! The fact that it also made her Lasko’s half-sister wasn’t lost on me either. I felt sick. Then a rage bubbled up inside of me, making my stomach roll.

“Holy shit,” I hissed. There was no damn way I could be connected to this fucking freak show of a family. Sweat raced across my hairline. This was not happening.

“Did you know about her, Jack?” My mom suddenly found her voice, and it pulled me off the ledge.

“Don’t lie, Jack, the Lord is watching and judging. Plus, I have letters to prove that you did.” Avery looked at Mom. “He’s known for years. My sister was two months old when my parents were killed. Jack here promised our mother he’d come and take us away. He knew her husband would hurt us. He told her we would be a family, that he would protect her. But that never happened, did it, Jack?” Avery kicked my father’s leg, then kneed him in the nose, and blood spurted across the floor.

As much as I wanted to kill my father myself, I needed even more to know what the hell Avery wanted out of all this. “What is it you want, Avery?”

“What I want, Connors, is my goddamn life back. I wanted to have my mother raise me, not my psychotic grandmother, who beat me on a regular basis. I want my brother. I want the life my sister deserved, to grow up with her own mother and brothers, not passed around like a toy through the foster care system, not to end up a runaway and forced into prostitution. What I want is a goddamn payment for all the shit your father put us through!” He dropped a paper onto my father’s lap. “A half a million in this account, now.”

My father started to laugh. “You stupid fool,” his bloody head flopped back, “do you know who I am?”

“A coward.” The words dropped from my mouth without a thought. My father snickered something, but I ignored it. Avery gave me a smile, and I shot him a dangerous look. “You may have the face of my friend, Avery, but you are proving to be the son of the Devil.”

“Oh, Seth, you have no idea.” He pulled a bag free from behind the couch, then he looked at the girl and nodded. “Tie them up.”

Her face fell. “This wasn’t the plan.”

“Plans change.”

“Avery.”

He moved to stand in front of her, but made sure he could still see us all. His hand moved to her chin, and he took it roughly in his hands. “Alyssa, you bounced around in foster care, new daddy after new daddy, only to get caught up with Donald. How many men did you sleep with to keep your place at that seedy motel?” Her gaze dropped to the floor. Jesus Christ, he was trying to brainwash her. “Who saved you from that hell? I didn’t have to do it, but I did because I loved you.”

“No, you’re right, Avery.” She nodded, but something about her tone made me look over. She took the bag and dropped it by Nicholas’s feet.

“Start with him.” Avery pointed to me.

“Hands,” her small voice demanded. Avery raised the gun, but then moved it over to Maddy, who was now staring at the wall. Moving my hands into place, she started to wrap the rope around my wrists, though she didn’t make it very tight. Gretchen, who I’d completely forgotten, was on the other side of my brother, and she started to cough and draw Avery’s attention. The girl made a strange knot and slipped the end into my hand. She bent down to grab the other rope, and when she caught my eye she motioned to the bag next to her. A handgun was tucked into the corner. I gave a slight nod so she knew I saw it.

I’m not sure what her angle is, but who the fuck cares? I need to get my hands on that gun!

Avery moved to stand in front of Gretchen and shoved the gun in her face.

That’s when I smelled it, smelled the fear that was to come. Nicholas must have caught it too, because his knee pressed into mine and he made a sniff sound. I looked all around to see if I could find it. The girl finished tying Nicholas’s wrists, and I noticed she did it the same way she did mine, loose. Then she moved on to Gretchen. I watched as she did my mother’s. She was extra gentle, but tied hers differently than mine. I had a feeling Avery played mind games with his sister—our sister—fuck, I wasn’t ready for that thought yet. She seemed different than her brothers. She must have more of her mother in her. My impression of Tina Upton, from her letters, was that she loved her kids and would do anything for them. I wasn’t blind, though, to the fact that this girl was pointing a gun to my head and those of my family.

Avery pulled a laptop out of the bag and set it across my father’s legs.

“Transfer the money,” he demanded with a nudge of the gun.

My father didn’t move, he just sat there with a sullen look on his face. My guess was that he knew his life was fucked, so he was fine with taking us all down. Good ol’ daddy dearest.

“Now!” Avery shouted.

“Screw you.”

“Screw me?” Avery grabbed my father’s knee and in a flash planted a bullet in his flesh. My mother screamed and held up her bound wrists.

“I can do it!” I glanced back and saw her expression as she pulled herself together. “Please, let me transfer it.”

Avery set the laptop on her lap and watched her struggle to type the password. “There.” He snapped the laptop shut but froze when he heard a police siren. He raced over to the windows and started to pull the curtains shut.

I glanced at Nicholas, who gave me a little a grin. He knew Garrett would come through too.

“Fuck,” Avery cursed as he looked at all of us. “Change in plans, sweetheart.” He blew past me, leaving us with the girl who went wide-eyed a moment later.

“What are you doing?” she screamed, and then the unmistakable smell of gasoline met our nostrils. Avery began to splash it over the hardwood floors. Panic spread through us, and Maddy suddenly started her muffled screaming again. Even my father finally had lost the smug look.

I quickly stood. “Avery, please just go out the back way and leave. You got what you came for, and you’ve managed to destroy my family.”

My mother started to pray as Gretchen took my seat and held Mom’s hands with her own bound ones. Nicholas started to untie his hands, while Avery poured the second can in a circle around us.