A Loaded Gun

Chapter 14

Brooke POV

There was only darkness. I could hear panicked tones around me, but I couldn't open my eyes to see who was talking. My ribs were aching and I didn't like the anger I could hear in the voices.

"Brooke! Brooke, come on! Lucas, grab some water, do something!"

Cold liquid was splashed on my face and I jerked up, instantly regretting it when my ribs screamed in protest. I gasped, half in pain and half in shock, as I saw my four brothers around me with expressions varying from worry to anger.

"Daniel, don't even start." Marcus shut up Daniel's angry, open mouth. "I'll ask the questions. Brooke, what hurts? What made you pass out?"

I can't tell them about my ribs, they'll figure out the abuse. I just shook my head, "Nothing hurts. I'm fine."
"THE HELL YOU'RE FINE! YOU LOOKED DEAD 2 MINUTES AGO!"

"DANIEL! I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE QUIET WHEN MY SISTER LOOKS LIKE SHE JUST WENT THROUGH HELL AND BACK?"

The yelling. They needed to stop the yelling. Lucas went in between Marcus and Daniel, attempting to calm the screaming match, while Michael looked on worriedly.

I curled up into a ball, breathing heavily and rocking back and forth. I was so engrossed in my panic I didn't notice the yelling had stopped and all four of them were staring at me, shocked. Michael reached a hand out and I flinched violently away, closing my eyes.

"D-did you think I was going to hit you?" Tears welled up in his eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to answer; I only shook my head. Deny, deny, deny.

"I've had enough of this." Marcus advanced towards me. It reminded me of Benny, I couldn't help but back away. I only stopped when I reached the end of the couch, breathing heavily.

"No, get away from me! No, please," All I could see was Benny's face. I no longer was in a mansion, I was in my dirty old room with Benny coming towards me, a wicked grin on his face.

"NO! NO NO NO!" I started thrashing around, barely lucid enough to hear Marcus barking orders at the others.

"Lucas, grab her arms. Daniel, grab her legs. We are finding out what the hell happened right now." Hands reached towards me, and I again flashed back to Benny's wandering grasp going lower and lower. 

I couldn't handle it anymore and retreated back into a familiar shell, going numb as I prepared myself for Benny's assault. I could only whisper, "No, no, no."

Marcus POV

I never cry. When Mom left, I didn't cry. When Dad died, I didn't cry. When I held Daniel as he begged for his mother, I didn't cry. 

But seeing my sister plead with us to not hurt her made tears well up in my eyes. It was heartbreaking, but I couldn't dwell on that now. 

My primary focus was finding out what or who made her like this. She stared at me with wild, unseeing eyes, tensed like a gazelle about to be mauled by a lion, panicked. 

I moved toward her restrained body, Lucas and Daniel looking devastated as they held down her limbs. Slowly, I reached my hand out to her shirt, and she screamed so loud we all jumped. 

Undeterred, I grasped the hem and began lifting.

After one glance I wanted to drop the shirt, close my eyes, and scream bloody murder. Her ribs were blue, purple and green. I couldn't see a single drop of tan skin on her stomach. 

The parts that weren't bruised were painted in healing and healed cuts, varying from white to an angry, infected red. I dropped my head in my hands in despair. Who the hell did this to her? 

I wasn't thinking properly, all I could do was run different methods of murder through my head. I was so engrossed in my homicidal thoughts I didn't notice her punch Lucas, who had let go of her arms in shock, and bolt to her room.

When we finally snapped out of our shock, we all rose in unison and tore up the stairs to her locked door. 

We could hear heartbreaking, terrified sobs emanating from her room. Michael gently knocked on the door, begging her to let us in. Her crying was so loud it drowned out his voice. 

Daniel, who had been turning various shades of angry red, kicked down the door in impatience and scooped her up in his arms. 

He hugged her to his chest and whispered gently to her, attempting to calm her down. Lucas, Michael, and I stood awkwardly in the doorway, not used to seeing this caring side of Daniel.

After 15 minutes of sniffling, she raised her red-rimmed eyes to us and flinched when she noticed the bruise forming around Lucas' eye, lowering her head again. 

Daniel sent a scathing glare to all of us, telling us to go away. We complied reluctantly, shuffling away after one last glance at her shuddering figure.

Shell-shocked, we sat in my office in silence. Finally, Lucas broke the quiet. "So, who are we killing?"

"I-I'm not exactly sure. The most likely candidate is her stepfather, but we won't know until she tells us. We can't do anything about it for now." I couldn't think logically. All I could see in my mind was her injured body.

"To hell with that! My baby sister is sobbing in her room, traumatized, and someone is going to pay! If you're not going to bust Benny out of jail and drag his ass back here to ask some VERY tough questions, I will."

Shockingly, Michael was the one who caused the outburst. He was the youngest and calmest out of all of us, so we weren't used to anger from him. His explosion of emotion snapped me out of my daze, and I nodded.

"Let's make a plan."

A/N Y'all there is no excuse for why I was gone for so long.  I could go on about AP exams, family crap, and starting college, but that's not cool.  

Y'all ever procrastinated so long that you're scared to start the task?  That was me.  I was embarrassed that I wasn't publishing, because I hate it when other authors do that.  

Feel free to complain, yell at me, do whatever.  I'm trying hard to work on this book, but it's so hard for me because I have bad imposter syndrome.  I never feel like what I'm doing is enough, that my work is good.  Totally on me.  Y'all shouldn't have to suffer for that, so I'm back.  I'll try to update regularly again.