Missing Link (The Finders Book 1) (12 page)

"Fine." He replied shortly. I nodded, not knowing where to go next.

"How about you two go sit down in the lounge. Rome and I will make some coffee." Link interrupted, turning and guiding me to a small sitting room. It was sparsely furnished, a couple of large leather couches pointing towards a massive flat screen TV which hung on the wall. I sat on one end of the three seated couch, tucking my legs underneath me. Devon followed us in, dropping himself onto the other end.

Link gave me a small, encouraging smile before he disappeared back from where we came. I cleared my throat awkwardly, the silence in the room was deafening.

"I'm sorry, I thought this would be different." I whispered, staring at my hands as I smoothed down the skinny jeans I had borrowed from the collection of clothes in the draw at Links. They were a little too tight but would do for now.

"You thought you would just come back and we would hug and cry and things would be peachy?" Devon’s harsh tone surprised me and I looked up to see him frowning at me.

"I thought you would be happy to see me, like I am to see you." I reached for his hand, but he drew it away.

"I don't know what I'm feeling right now, Sam" his shoulders sagged, and he leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and wringing his hands together. I gave him time with his thoughts, they were no doubt much like mine, flying through his head at a million miles a minute.

"Things changed when you left." He said finally. "I lived with Aunt May for a while. Went to school. Made some friends. It was okay. But I kept thinking you would come back for me." He sighed. "She got sick. She couldn't work and we started to struggle. I got mixed up with the wrong kids at school, started stealing to try and make ends meet, and then all of a sudden she was gone. And I had nothing.” I tried to scoot closer to him but he held up a hand, before finally turning to me, our eyes meeting. I could see and feel all the emotions burning off him. Frustration, anger, sadness.

"Devon, if I had of known..."

"No. Don't. You never even called, Sam. Not one single phone call, no hey Devon, just checking to see you're okay? It was like after that day you just... vanished. I was too scared to leave the city just in case by some miracle you came back. BUT you never did!" He clenched his fists. "Instead you were living the high life, in your huge mansion with your rich boyfriend."

He screwed up his face in disgust.

"I didn't want to be there, Dev. I thought I was protecting you, I thought you were safe." Tears now ran from my eyes. My little brother thought I had just left him. My heart was breaking knowing that after everything I had been through thinking I was keeping him from being hurt, I could have been with him, protecting him.

"Well I wasn't. If it wasn't for Link and Rome I don't even know where I would be right now. Still living on the streets? Fighting just to find my next meal! You don't know what it feels like, to be lower than the shit on someone's shoe!" He stood sharply and started pacing the room. Rome appeared in the archway and placed a hand tightly on his shoulder. Devon turned to glare and tried to shrug him off, but Rome simply gripped tighter.

"You've had your say." Rome told him sternly in a tone I hadn't heard from him. "Now it's time for you to listen to what your sister has to say."

"I don't need to..."

"Sit your ass down and listen, Devon." Rome growled, pushing him harshly into the leather recliner on the opposite side of the lounge. It was clear already that Devon had respect for these men, he didn't talk back but instead sat grudgingly across from me. Link walked through the archway, handing me a hot cup of coffee before taking a seat on the arm of the chair next to me. I gripped the coffee tightly with both hands. A couple of stray tears slipped down my cheek. Devon sat silently, a scowl present on his face as he waited for me to talk.

"Yes I lived in a large house, yes Charlie has a lot of money but it is all irrelevant." Devon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I understand how you feel Dev. You thought I had walked away with this rich guy to live the high life. But it was exactly the opposite."

I saw confusion cross his face. Link gripped the base of my neck, softly kneading the tense muscles. I was still amazed by how his touch affected my body. Words were not needed. I stared down at my coffee cup, unable to look my little brother in the eye.

"Charlie was controlling and manipulative. All my choices were ripped away, I wasn't allowed to think for myself, talk without being careful of what I said, wear clothes that I wanted. I wasn't allowed to have friends, or even see people Charlie hadn't already approved of. I was to do what I was told, when I was told, and if I even dared to argue..." I let it float in the air, not wanting to have to explain in detail the punishments I would receive if I challenged Charlie's authority.

"He hurt you?" Devon asked his voice cracking. I took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to look at him.

"The last 3 years I wasn't a person, I was a possession." I finally found his eyes, but they were blurred through my now constant flow of tears. "Dogs were given more freedom than I was." I watched some stray tears drop from my cheeks and splash into my coffee.

"I didn't even know if you were dead or alive, you could have called me, sent me a letter, maybe sent some sort of fucking smoke signal. Anything." Devon whispered, anger still clearly evident in his voice.

I shook my head gently, "I couldn't. Charlie said he would find you and hurt you if I dared to leave." I left the part out about him selling me to the highest bidder. There were some things that needed to be left unsaid. Things that I wanted to forget, and I knew talking about them would just make them real again.

"I couldn't risk something happening to you, you were all I had left."

"And look how that worked out." He muttered sarcastically, "For months I lived on the streets. I had no one. NO ONE gave a shit about me!"

He shot out of his seat, pointing an accusing finger in my direction. I sat forward and placed my mug on the glass coffee table before getting up and moving so I was standing directly in front of him. His breathing was deep and shaky. I looked up into his eyes, they were the same eyes I remembered, the same eyes I had seen every day for 16 years, but right now they were shining with resentment and anger. Two emotions I never thought I'd see staring back at me from the little boy I had helped raise.

"I gave a shit about you. I still give a shit about you, Dev." I grabbed hold of his hand before he could rip it away, unfolding his clenched fingers. "Please don't be like this, you're the only family I have left."

I stared into his eyes, pleading with him to forgive me and help us find some happiness. I knew he was torn, he didn't pull his hand from my grasp, but he was apprehensive to let me back in, maybe for fear of being hurt again.

"Maybe now you'll know," he pulled slowly away from me, his hand slipping painfully from my hold, "what it feels like to be all alone."

He shouldered past Rome who just shook his head, a look of disappointment obvious on his face. I didn't move, not even to wipe the tears that now streamed down my already dampened cheeks. I simply stood and watched him walk away. I wanted to yell and scream, to try and explain that it wasn't my fault, explain to him the hell I went through thinking I was protecting him. But I knew right now wasn't the time. He had his mind set. It would take time for us to develop our relationship again, but I hoped that one day he would let me back in.

Chapter Fourteen

"He'll come around, Sam." Link said coming to stand in front of me and tucking a stray hair behind my ear. He hooked his finger under my jaw and lifted my face so I was looking up into those sparkling hazel eyes. "He's just hurting and unfortunately sometimes we take our pain out on the ones we love."

I nodded understanding. But it didn't change the fact that it pained me to hear him talk to me with such venom in his voice and then to see him walk away like he didn't care if I was dead or alive.

"I just can't believe he thinks I would just leave him like that without even a second thought. He's my brother, we were always so tight, I basically raised him when Mum died and Dad started his downward spiral."

"At least you know he still cares. He wouldn't be this angry if he didn't." Link explained, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me tightly to his chest. "Let's give him some space, what do you wanna do?"

I wrapped my arms around Link's waist nuzzling closer to his chest, inhaling his unique smell. We may have only known each other for a short time, but I felt comfortable and at ease when I was around him.

"I dunno. Anything." I muttered, my breath still shaking awkwardly from the ridiculous amount of crying.

"No, you get to choose. Whatever you want." I felt a small wave of excitement course through me and I stepped back.

"I get to choose?" I repeated like an excited child who had just been told she could go to Disneyland. I never got to choose. I had always been told what to do, where I could go, who I could see. It was taking time to sink in but the realisation that I now was able to make my own choices was both scary and exhilarating.

"Is there a gym nearby?" I asked, unable to stop myself from bouncing on the balls of my feet, ready to shoot out the door. The corners of Link's mouth curved up and before I knew it I was being dragged towards the car.

"It's on, pretty girl!" I laughed as he opened the passenger door and I all but dived in. The gym was my happy place. And even now that I had my slice of freedom, it was still somewhere I got excited about going. There was something about working out and fighting that made me at peace. I know they say when you exercise the endorphins you release make you happy (yes, I watched legally blonde a lot when I was younger) but it was more than just that, it was the freedom of running on a treadmill with no end, there wasn't a destination, you just had the space to run until you couldn't push yourself any further. Or getting in the ring with someone and being able to release your frustrations and anger without worrying about repercussions. You didn't have to think about what was going on in the outside world, you only had to worry about putting one foot in front of the other, or anticipating your opponent, or hitting the bag in the right place. It was my escape.

"Wait up!!" I looked up just before Link went to throw the door shut to see Rome running down the path way. “I’m coming with you guys." Link looked at me and we both shrugged as Rome climbed in the back muttering something about "moody teens" and "not signing up to be a parent."

I giggled quietly. "Teens can be hard work." I said turning in my seat. Rome gave me a filthy 'no shit' look.

"I'll give it to Dev. Yeah he had to grow up fast living the way he did. But for fucks sake, he needs to calm those raging hormones." Rome said exasperated.

Link laughed deeply as he pulled away from the curb. The sound was sexy and gruff and came from right down in his stomach, like he thought Rome dealing with a teenager was utterly hilarious. Which it was considering most of the time Rome didn't act like he was much older, all horny hormones and immature jokes.

The gym was on the corner of a busy intersection in the middle of town. The bottom story had large writing across blackened out windows reading "Step Up."

The second story was made completely of glass, behind the glass I could see people running on treadmills and cross trainers and other fitness equipment as they looked out over the bustling street below. Cars went in all directions, as did pedestrians. It was no doubt very entertaining for the gym patrons. Link pulled straight into a reserved parking space. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but he just winked and proceeded to climb out of the car. Rome was still muttering something to himself about never getting laid with a teen boy in the house. We walked up to two large automatic doors. I stood in front of them, starting to feel slightly awkward as they refused to open.

Link pulled what looked like a credit card from him pockets and swiped it across the front of a small black box to the side of the door. They slid open slowly, a blast of music, grunting and the smell of sweat hitting me right away. I bounced through the door excitedly. Rome veered off almost immediately; it was like he had some sort of hot, half naked girl radar, as he found two young girls stretching. I couldn't hear what was being said but his gruff voice followed by fake high pitched giggles was enough to let me know he probably wouldn't need a ride home.

Link made a quick stop to the girl behind the front desk, who blushed as she spoke to him. His smirk made an appearance as he spoke, followed by them both laughing and more stupid blushing. I stormed toward them, not sure why I was feeling so annoyed. Link caught me first, grabbing the clipboard she had now placed on the desk, and redirecting me to a small sitting area with a comfortable suede lounge suite and coffee table. We both plonked down into the two seater couch, Link passing me the clipboard which I finally noticed had enrolment forms attached to it with a pen.

My shoulders sagged, "Link, I've got no money." I whispered, gripping the papers tightly. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"It's lucky I know the guy who owns this place then huh?" I sat up again, surprised. "And he said you can join for free."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he just happens to be a pretty awesome guy." The deep voice a few feet away made me jump.

The man standing there was extremely broad in his shoulders. His arm muscles especially distinctive as he folded his arms, causing them to protrude. I didn't usually like a guy with this amount of bulk, but I had to say, with the rest of him, the whole look was pretty damn sexy. He had short hair and a thick beard that came from his sideburns, around and under his jaw, over his chin and up and over the top of his mouth. He wore a thin singlet that hung so low it barely covered his nipples, even showing off the underside of his welldeveloped pecks. But even with all of that, the thing that drew my attention the most was the amazing decorative designs that covered his entire left arm, not a single spot of skin shining through.