~AUSTIN~
"How could Maya do this?" I ask Lucy. "I know I shouldn't have said what I did, but she should have known that I was only concerned about her. She's my sister; I was only trying to protect her. She's been through so much, Lucy, so much, and I haven't been able to be there for her. She must have seen how happy we were with our sweet baby boy; it must have made her think that she was alone. I regret the way I handled everything. Again, I let my anger get in the way of my actions. Again, my stupidness has cost me to push someone I love dearly away from me. Why do I always do this?"
Lucy rubs my back, "we will find Maya back. She couldn't have gotten far. You saw how much she's been through, and still, she has proven how strong she is. She's your sister, after all. You may have sheltered her for her entire life, but I see a grown woman now; she knows how to take care of herself. She knows how to stand up for what she truly wants. Give her some time; she may return on her own. We can start searching for her, but I don't think we will find her unless she wants to be found."
"I don't know what I will do with myself if something happens to her again, Lucy. I wanted to protect her, but I only made everything worse. I feel horrible. I feel like I'm the worst brother out there. I know this is all my fault; I'm the one that upset her. I'm the one that made her think leaving is the better option than staying in the company of her family. I'm so stupid. She needed me to be gentle, to understand what she was going through, and instead, I was a dick."
Lucy pulls me in for a hug and places her cheek against my chest, "I hate to see you beat yourself up over this. Maya doesn't hate you; she loves you. I'm sure she knows that you were only trying to protect her. You may not have said the right thing, but she knows, just like everyone else, that you were only concerned about her. She knows her brother gets overprotective at times and that he will not intentionally harm her. Trust me, Austin, everything will be okay."
James walks in then, and Lucy lets me talk to him. He hasn't been in a good state either since we read the letter Maya left behind for us. We were worried about her. The last time she left, she was taken, hostage. We have enemies lurking everywhere, waiting for the opportunity when we are alone to pounce on us. I have no idea who else has been watching my family. We had many more enemies now than we had a few years back. Our enemies were growing and getting stronger. If we weren't careful, we could lose the fight. I turn towards James, and it's only then that I notice there are tears in his eyes. I've never seen my brother look this distraught before. Something terrible must have happened. Something tells me that it has to do with Maya. Did he find out where she went? Was it somewhere we should be concerned about? Did she go back to that asshole? Would I have to kill him this time for keeping her from us? James wasn't saying anything, and it was making me a lot more anxious.
"What's going on?" I demand.
"Maya," he gasps like he's fighting for air. The mention of our sister's name turns my body into a panic mood. I'm scared, actually scared of what he's about to say to me. He drops to the ground before me, and it's only then that I realize what's in his hand.
There were pieces of clothing on the ground; I knew that it was from the dress she had on her body the day that she left home; it was cut up into tiny pieces. There were also strands of her hair all over, telling me that whoever left these things for us to see had also chopped her hair off. The more I study these items, the more my mood darkens. I grab the note in his hand and read through it thoroughly. The handwriting was not one that I recognized; I had no idea who sent this to us or what they wanted.
' I regret to inform you that your sister is no more. I have repaid you for killing my sister. Have a great life Austin and family! I've left these items that we took from her body so that you can keep them as souvenirs. We aren't as heartless as you people to leave you with nothing like you left us with nothing. If you try to find her body, it's burnt to the ground; I wouldn't recommend you try to search for it because you will find nothing, and you will only be wasting your precious time. Who knows who we will come for next, so be prepared.'
The letter drops from my hand; my body feels like it's just been electrocuted.
I drop to the ground before James, my eyes wide in shock. My body is shaking, and I can't wrap my mind around this. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that my sister is dead.
How could that bastard do this? Why the fuck did I let him live?
My entire body shakes, and Lucy falls to the ground beside me. She pulls me into her arms and holds me against her. I feel the tears pour out of me in great waves.
"He took my sister." I cry. "He took my sister from me, Lucy."
I'm bawling her name, begging for her not to be gone. I'm regretting my actions even more now. If I hadn't suggested that she put her baby up for adoption, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have run away from home and got herself into this mess. This is all my fault. Everything is my fault.
My sister is gone because of me.
"I'm going to kill him." I roar. "I'm going to kill fucking Kane!"
"How could he do this?" James asks. "How could he kill his mate? How could he kill his own child? We should have never let him go that day. We made the wrong decision by letting him live. Why the fuck did we let him live, Austin? Why?"
I close my eyes and see my sister's innocent face. "I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. We will get him this time. I promise you. We will get justice for our sister."