THE VEX BROTHERS
904 Words
(Season 1)
CHAPTER 6
ZACH saw it immediately.
The way LIORA’S fingers kept pulling at the blanket. The way her eyes darted to the door, to the windows, to each of them.
Questions. Fear. Distrust. All of it sitting behind those tired eyes.
He set his stethoscope down. Finished the last check on her vitals.
Her lungs were clear. No fever. Bruises fading. But she was still running on empty.
When Ryan had called him at 1 AM, screaming _“Zach, I think I hit someone”_, Zach’s first thought wasn’t about the girl.
It was about KALEN.
If this ended in a death, if Kalen found out Ryan was involved — Ryan would be on a plane to *TENEBROUS* by sunrise. And Tenebrous wasn’t a vacation.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Zach said, voice low and steady. “And we’ll answer all of them. But later, okay? You’re still really weak.”
Liora stared at him. Searching his face for a lie.
Then she gave a small nod.
Part of her was still terrified.
_What if they’re the ones who kidnapped me?_
But kidnappers didn’t look at you like you’d break if they spoke too loud.
Kidnappers didn’t have that panicked, guilty look in their eyes.
The worried way they were watching her made her want to scoff.
_If only they knew._
She’d survived Mrs. Brown. Cold rooms. Hunger. Humiliation.
She wasn’t fragile. She was just tired.
“*Kai, tell Travis to make something for... um... what’s your name?*” Zach asked.
“Liora,” she answered. Her voice was rough, cracked.
But the three of them still looked at each other like she’d just sung.
“Who... are you guys?” she asked next. She wasn’t going to blindly trust three hot strangers who pulled her off the road.
Zach smiled. “Okay. I’m Zach. This is Kai, ” he nodded to the one leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “And this disaster is *Ryan*.”
Ryan gave her an awkward wave.
“How... did I get here?”
Zach sighed. _We agreed to wait._
But what could he do? She was already asking.
“Actually, you got into an accident. Ryan ran you over,” Kai said flatly.
Both Zach and Ryan whipped toward him.
“KAI!”
"what? I just told her the truth" Kai said earning a glare from Zach and Ryan.
Ryan turned to Liora, panicked. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t try to kill you! And I wasn’t even driving!”
He was rubbing the back of his head, eyes wide, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
It took everything in Liora not to laugh.
He looked so genuinely sorry it was almost cute.
“Can you stop blaming the poor guy and admit it was your fault for distracting him?” Kai rolled his eyes.
Liora couldn’t help it. A small giggle escaped her.
The sound froze the room.
Zach stared.
He’d seen hundreds of patients. Hundreds of women.
But none of them had ever made him forget his own name with one sound.
She wasn’t even trying. And that was what wrecked him.
“*Zach?*” Kai’s voice pulled him out.
Zach blinked. Stood up too fast.
“Emm... I’ll go check if Travis is done with the food.”
He was out the door before anyone could answer.
Kai frowned. “Since when does Zach run from food?”
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After food, a shower, and being told ‘rest’ three times, Liora couldn’t stay still anymore.
She didn’t belong here.
She couldn’t take advantage of their kindness.
She barely knew them. They were still strangers.
She slipped out of the room.
The hallway was long. Too quiet.
Back at the Brown mansion there was always noise — maids, orders, heels on marble.
Here? Just silence. Like the house was holding its breath.
“*Hello, miss.*”
Liora gasped. Spun around.
A man stood there. Tall. Black suit. No footsteps. No warning.
“*W... who are you?*”
He gave a small bow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m *CAUIS*. Sir Kai asked me to watch over you.”
Her heart was still hammering. “*Wh... where is he?*”
She wanted to thank them. To leave properly. She couldn’t stay. She had nowhere to go, but she also couldn’t be a burden.
Cauis shook his head. “Sorry, miss. Sir Kai and Sir Zach left for urgent work. But I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
Her face fell.
“*Ryan?* Is he here?” Maybe at least him.
“He’s out too, miss. Is there something you need?”
Liora forced a polite smile. “No. Thank you. I’ll... I’ll be in my room.”
She walked back. Closed the door.
She wasn’t scared of _them_.
She was scared of _her_.
Of Mrs. Brown finding her. Of being dragged back.
She couldn’t go back to that hell.
She’d told herself she was strong enough to endure it.
She wasn’t.
And no matter what, she wouldn’t let anyone force her back there again.
Even if it meant walking out of this house with nothing but the box in her hoodie and Beck in her pocket.
TBC
- Writer
