CHAPTER 20. MY BROTHERS' HERO
1025 Words
Ava
"R-Rae, you really do not have to choose between us." I stammered amidst sobs. "I'll be on my own from this moment, but thanks for every help."
I believed that asking for Rae's help to search for my kids had been a grave error. I knew I couldn't stay here any longer, even if I didn't understand why he was helping me. I had to make a decision. Either I stay here and become a problem, or I go alone and without Rae's assistance in the endless hunt for my kids.
He meant to stop me. "Ava, you can't do this alone."
I gave Rae a sad look as if I were saying goodbye.
"You don't actually expect me to remain in a place where I've never been welcomed," I said, gathering up my bag and my dirty clothing from the floor.
After giving him one last glance, I left the room. Rae tried to stop me, but Annie moved her own body in front of him to block his move. She looked like she was pleading with him to stay. She gave him a tight hug, sobbed, crying her eyes out in front of the alpha by letting all of her feelings out.
Rae was standing there, staring at me. And I just knew that he was going to come after me.
The heat from the city streets burned my feet as soon as I set foot on the heated ground. I discovered that I had left my shoes in the main building and was now barefoot. It was too risky for me to return there though. Now I had to get over this and avoid Rae as much as possible. I was about to seek cover under a tree when I felt a hand tug me. I thought for a moment that it was Rae and he was trying to stop me again. I looked up and was astonished to see the man standing in front of me.
"Jay!" My heart was pounding so hard that I was out of breath. "I thought you were locked up."
He looked directly into my eyes and stated, "I escaped, and it appears you're running away too. I'll assist you in finding your kids if you come with me."
Logan found it tough to watch his siblings cry from starvation while there was nothing he could do. The issue was that it was getting late in the day and their mother was taking too long to find them. They wouldn't last very long if things carried on this way.
Logan could smell the meal as well as the sound of hurried footsteps approaching. They only needed to eat in order to survive, so it stands to reason that they wouldn't even care if the meal tasted terrible or looked terrible.
The man who walked into the room had a distinct scent. Logan sensed it. Because the men were always hiding their identities behind masks, Logan was able to identify them. Even at a distance, he could identify his kidnappers by the smell coming from their bodies.
The man moved quietly into the room, dropped a tray containing four plates on the floor, and walked out.
Logan's eyes widened when Noah remarked, "This man smells so weird."
"You were able to smell him too?" Logan inquired.
"Everyone can smell people, Logan," Kyler remarked as he walked over to the meal and quickly ate it.
As he watched the brothers eat, Logan said, "But you have to get really close for that. Even before he walked into the room, I could smell this man."
With a mouth full of food, he observed his brothers appear content as they moved away from the plates.
"Logan, you need to eat. When Mom comes to get us, you need to be well." Noah remarked.
"What's taking her so long?" Jamie questioned, tears welling up in his eyes. "Logan, why are we here?"
The boys were undoubtedly unaware of the true nature of the situation.
Suspecting the cause, Logan took great care to explain to his brothers why they were kept in a far off place. "Maybe Mom doesn't know where we are. And it could take her some time to locate us."
"Will we have to spend a lot of time here?" With tears in his eyes, Jamie enquired.
"I'm not sure, Jamie," Logan said, growing agitated for a little while. "This doesn't seem like a place for vacation like that man said, so you guys better be strong."
Kyler proposed, "Why don't we try and escape? Just like we do in our cops and robbers games."
But Logan bemoaned, "This isn't a game, Kyler and we're just kids. Those men are big and dangerous."
Noah, who was already weary and about to go to sleep, added, "Logan is right. We should wait for Mom to come get us here."
The four became silent shortly after. Logan attempted eating the food they usually served, while Noah, Jamie, and Kyler rested on the narrow mattress that barely accommodated the three of them. They had been there for three days, and their mother had not shown any signs of coming to get them. He considered getting away from that place and heading back home, as suggested by Kyler. How would they go about it though?
Logan considered a strategy that would offer them a chance to get out of that awful place as he tried as much as possible to swallow the food and occasionally had to grab his nose to prevent him from vomiting.
He was unable to consume even half of the meal. His brothers were fast asleep, seemingly unaffected by anything, as he turned to watch over them. Logan yearned for sleep and rest, much like they did. But his young mind searched endlessly for a solution as the minutes went by.
Finally, he was sleeping before he knew it. The sound of tires crunching on dirt outside and rapid footsteps approaching the door startled him from his sleep. He gave his brothers a brief shake to wake them up.
He muttered, "Listen, Kyler, let's do what you said."
- Writer
