The Secretary and Her Boss

Chapter 33

Dread seeped into every part of me as I began to replay the events of the last few days, with one key aspect at the center as we drove in a dash to Laurence's house.

My fault.

My brothers were missing. Carter had used who I loved most against me like a bargaining chip, and it was my fault. The guilt made it hard to breathe.

How? How did he get them?

It didn't make sense. I pulled up the messages about Carter's earlier locations, trying to wrap my head around what detail I was missing, hoping I would find something that would click into place.

How did Carter get ALL of them? My brothers fight over everything, and that's just for fun. How could he have taken every single one of them in a real fight?

My fingers paused on a specific text. The blurry picture Sam had shown me of the man Carter was paying off. I squinted at it, remembering Sam's words. "He feels familiar."

Where had Sam seen him? The man felt familiar to me too now. Something that hadn't been true a few days ago. I pounced on the new detail, the change. That blurry picture of the man was the key.

I turned the phone toward Will. "Have you seen this guy before?"

Will's brows puckered. "He looks familiar."

"That's what Sam said a few days ago. And now he feels familiar to me too. Why? What's changed in the last few days?"

Will's brows shot up. "Oh! That's the guy who fixed our AC a few hours ago."

"The one who owns the place? The one who smelled like rotten eggs when he was leaving?" I asked.

Will nodded. "Yeah."

Bex's eyes left the road for a beat. "Rotten eggs? Like the smell of knock out gas?"

"How do you know what knock out gas smells like?" Will asked.

My heart pounded. Knock out gas?

Bex paused. "I considered using it on you as a prank at one point," she admitted breezily.

Will took it without a blink of concern. "That would have been good."

Bex sighed wistfully. "I know."

"Knock out gas?" I asked, trying to focus both of them. The truth hit me a moment later, and I shouted, nearly causing Bex to swerve off the road. "Carter paid off the owner of the AirBnB to install knock out gas into the vents! That's why everyone was so sleepy when you and I were leaving! That's why you weren't taken! We left! You were out and they missed their shot to take you too!"

My wheels spun faster. "The gas started. We left. They fell asleep. The owner unlocked the door... and," I swallowed. "They were taken..." because of me.

They'll be at Laurence's house. Something tells me Carter will want all the pieces in the same place. He wants me there. To watch whatever performance he's going to create.

I closed my eyes for a beat, another wave of guilt coating my insides, thick like tar, making it hard to breathe.

If something happens to them...

My fault.

He wouldn't have known about my brothers without Liam's help.

My fault.

My brothers wouldn't have been in this mess if it wasn't for me.

My fault.

I've heard that a lot of people live in a state of neutral, where their feelings are normally a five out of ten. And then there are those that feel everything at a ten. Ultimate joy or sadness that either tugs everyone around them down, or up— like an emotional yo-yo, yanking emotions around in a way that can't be ignored.