Shattered (Book two, Broken Trilogy)

CHAPTER ONE

sweetheart, please."

Suddenly the weight of my pain is too much. It makes my hand relax enough that he slips the gun from my grip. He grabs my shoulders and pulls me into him. I feel him start to shake.

"I miss him too," he barely whispers.

This is my undoing; I completely break down.

I am a coward.

***

Mark

Mark races up the stairs and down the long hallway toward Cole's room. He flies into the bedroom and sees Savannah, curled up in a ball sobbing, and Keith looking terrified.

"What? What's going on?"

Keith shakes his head as he holds up the gun. Mark feels the blood rush from his face when he realizes what could have happened. He grips his hair as he tries to think clearly. He needs to speak with Keith and Daniel now.

"Keith," he says quietly, feeling ill, "Cole's office, five minutes." Keith nods.

He turns and runs out of the room and into Abigail's, which she has been sharing with her sister June.

"Abby!" Mark hisses as he snaps on the light. "I need your help."

"Huh?" June squints at the sudden brightness.

Abigail reaches for her robe. "Mark, dear, what's wrong?"

"I need..." He pauses to control to his jumbled thoughts. "Where's Sue?"

"With Savannah. Why?"

Mark shakes his head. "I need you to go in

Cole's room and wait with Savi. Something happened, and I don't want her to be alone. I—"

Abigail pulls on her slippers. "What happened? Where's Keith?"

"I need a meeting. I-I think I found something." He starts to leave, but turns. "Abby, you know better than anyone where Cole might have weapons stashed around his room. Please get rid of them." She looks at June, baffled, then nods at Mark.

Mark bangs on the spare bedroom door, yelling out Daniel's name. Sue answers first, looking exhausted.

"Sue! You need to go see Savi." Her face drops

as she pushes by him and runs down the hall. Mark moves into the room and sees Daniel pulling on a Tshirt. "I need to speak with you now." Shrieks from

Cole's room make Mark squeeze his eyes shut. Holy shit, this is out of control.

***

Mark is busy pulling up the file, while everyone plays catch-up.

"Jesus Christ!" Daniel rubs his head, listening to Keith's story.

"If Mark hadn't called..." Keith's hands drop heavily to his sides. "I-I thought she was all right. She's been so quiet, I thought she was dealing with all this in her own way. I had no idea she'd go this far."

"Guys," Mark interrupts, pointing to the flat screen, "tell me what you see." He presses play on the DVD from The American. Daniel shoots Mark a nasty look. "I know, believe me, I know, but just watch, please."

Daniel takes a deep breath and watches his son's murder all over again, but this time he steps a little closer.

"Wait," Mark says, and Keith moves next to Daniel.

"Oh my god!" Daniel's head jerks toward Mark.

"There's no tattoo!"

"Exactly." Mark nods, freezing the video with the man's shoulder in view. "That man isn't Cole."