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I check the clock. It’s close to five in the evening, and we haven’t seen Ryker once. We woke up to two trays of food, breakfast still warm on the plate. We ate, expecting someone to show up at lunch, but no one did. Poor Bullet had to go to the toilet on the bathroom floor, and he was not happy about it.

I need to get out of this room. Not just because I’m going stir crazy, but because I need to check Zayden has had more medication. He’s barely spoken these last few weeks, which means Xavier was pretty much alone all night.

The lock clicks, and the door opens. Ryker appears, but something is … off.

His tie is askew, and he runs his fingers through his mussed-up hair as he enters. He looks between us, eyes wide, and he doesn’t speak. He simply gestures for us to follow.

Silence takes my hand, and Bullet follows close behind, stopping once to pee on the carpet. God, I love this dog.

“Everything okay?” Silence asks.

Ryker ignores us, descending the stairs two at a time. We quicken our steps to follow, until we reach the dining room.

And we’re not alone.

Zayden and Xavier are sitting at the table. Both look showered, and they’re in clean clothes, though Zayden is still clearly out of it. His eyes are closed, and when we pass their seats, I notice they’re both cuffed to the arms of the chair.

“Evening,” Xavier says, watching us. I sit to the left of the head of the table, which means Zayden is on my left. Silence sits across from me, Xavier on her right.

Ryker grips the back of his chair. “Are we all ready?”

Silence frowns softly. “Ready for what?”

“Dinner.” He slaps his hands together and takes something out of his pocket as he approaches Zayden. “It’s no fun if you’re not fucking conscious!” He sticks a needle in my brother’s leg. Xavier shouts, and Silence leaps out of her seat, but Ryker holds her back. “It’s adrenaline! It’ll keep him awake.”

Silence shoves him back. “You can’t just shove adrenaline into people, Ryker! He’s already sick!”

Zayden gasps, his eyes widening. “Fucking Jesus.”

“Are you okay?” Silence asks, trying to get to her husband.

“Sit the fuck down, Q. He’s fine,” Ryker snaps, then takes his own seat.

Reluctantly, she does, but her attention is fixed firmly on Zayden.

Silence told me she hadn’t seen anyone else when she’d walked through the house, but within seconds of Ryker sitting, people are bringing us food. Several staff members fill the center of the table with meats, vegetables, and rice, along with bottles of wine and an expensive whiskey.

As food is dished onto our plates, armed men enter. Two of them handcuff Silence and I to our chairs, the chains long enough to reach our utensils, but not much further. The house staff leave, but the armed men stay.

Ryker begins eating.

The silence is thick. Xavier won’t eat, Zayden is trying to breathe, and Silence is staring at Ryker like he might implode at any second. Bullet is pressed into Silence’s side, ears pricked up, eyes alert.

“So, did you two fuck last night?” Ryker asks, cutting into his meat.

I try to catch Xavier’s eye, but he’s staring at Ryker, his expression dark.

“I told you,” I say. “You can’t get between us.”

Ryker chuckles and sips some wine. “You sure? Your brother doesn’t seem too keen to see you.” Xavier’s gaze drops to the table, his handcuffs rattling as he tries to shift in place. “I guess you fucking the girl he loves while he lies in filth isn’t as easy to get over as you think it is.”

“We all love her,” I bite back.

Ryker smirks. “I know. That’s what makes this so much fun.”

“Stop it,” Silence whispers. “He’s trying to get under your skin. We’re tired. We’re in pain. But we love each other.”

Xavier watches her. “But who do you love more?”