Red-Line: The Shift (Volume One)

by J. T. Bishop

  Declan’s head snapped back and then forward again, and blood flew from his lip. He remained upright in the chair, though, and didn’t make a sound.

  “Z,” sighed the lead brother, “go sit down.”

  Z stood over Declan briefly and then, apparently satisfied, returned to the couch as Declan spat blood on the ground.

  X watched his brother for a moment before returning his attention to Ramsey. “Nice try,” he said.

  “I have my moments,” replied Ramsey.

  “If that was one of them, I’m not impressed.” X dropped his arms and moved closer to Ramsey. When he spoke again, it was softly, but firmly. “Now I know she’s back there, and it would be simple for me to send my brother to go get her, but I thought I would give you the chance to do this peacefully. Now what’s it going to be? Do you go get Sarah and that silly nurse, or do we?”

  Ramsey eyed the man standing in front of him. Time was running out. If he didn’t figure out a way out of this, they would all wind up dead. The only thing he knew for sure was that he would never turn Sarah over to them willingly. What he didn’t know was how to do it without bloodshed, or at least without his friends’ bloodshed.

  As he stood there, desperate for ideas, Sarah’s voice sounded clearly and unexpectedly in his head. “Trust destiny.” The strong words popped into his mind unbidden and, just as suddenly, disappeared. Unbelievably, he realized she’d spoken to him telepathically, and it took every effort he had not to react.

  X continued to stare at him. Ramsey, still unsure, but trusting that fate was on their side, continued to try to buy time. “How did you know about her?”

  X rolled his eyes as if the question was stupid. “That is none of your business or concern.”

  “What do you want with her?”

  He smiled. “I’d love to give you all juicy details about that, Ramsey.” He contemplated before continuing. “I know you’re trying to stall, but since you asked, we have some exciting plans for her.” When he saw Ramsey set his jaw and perceived his sensitivity to the subject, X decided to keep talking. “She’ll be very powerful and very useful. Once we mold her and teach her and get what we want from her, then we’ll have to decide.” He dangled that sentence deliberately, so that Ramsey would ask the obvious question.

  “Decide what?” asked Ramsey, knowing that X was provoking him, but unable to stop himself.

  X grinned and looked at his brother, who grinned back at him from the couch. “Well,” he said, “which one of us gets to impregnate her, of course.”

  Ramsey reacted without thinking. He lunged forward and grabbed X by the throat, intent on killing him. He felt his momentum carry them both back toward the couch, and he prepared for the inevitable fall to the ground. But in a split second, he felt that momentum shift, and his weight was being lifted off and away from his adversary as he was flung backward into the air. He hit the wall behind him hard. The air left his lungs in a whoosh, and he felt his head hit, too. Before he knew it, he’d landed hard on the ground, but not in the way he’d expected. He leaned forward and tried to catch some of the air he had lost. He found it hard to find, and he wheezed.

  “Guess my brother’s not the only hothead.” X recovered from Ramsey’s attack, straightening his shirt and walking back to where Ramsey sat on the ground to lean over him. “Are we done now with these foolish games?”

  Ramsey sucked in air and raised his arm to feel the back of his head. There would definitely be a knot there soon. He lifted his head and looked up at the man standing over him, and then he moved his gaze to Declan, who still sat in the chair nearby. His brother met his gaze and held it.

  “Don’t do it,” said Declan, his voice shaky. Their shared gaze spoke volumes as they both decided without speaking that they would go down fighting.

  Finally managing to catch an easier breath, Ramsey looked back at X. He didn’t know what would happen next, but he hoped, in some small way, that Sarah’s message to him meant something, and that somehow destiny would intervene.

  “Can I ask one more question?” he asked.

  X looked back with irritation. “Do I have a choice?”

  Ramsey took that as a yes. “Where is Y?”

  That question caught X off guard. He straightened and backed away, his eyes on Ramsey. “Z,” he said, “go get the woman.”

  X’s reaction surprised Ramsey. Evidently, the unknown Y was a sensitive subject. Knowing that gave Ramsey some satisfaction, and he decided to keep pushing X’s buttons.

  “So there is a Y, isn’t there?”

  Z stood up at X’s request and began to walk toward the bedroom, ignoring Ramsey.

  “Of course there is,” said Declan, chiming in for the first time, sensing both brothers’ discomfort. “Who is it? Another idiot brother?” Declan laughed painfully as sweat dripped off his forehead.

  Ramsey picked up where Declan left off. “Don’t tell me you guys are triplets?”

  At the mention of triplets, Z stopped his forward progress and stood next to his brother. The anger flaring from him intensified, as did his brother’s.

  “I got it,” said Declan, gaining some strength as he talked. “Your real names are Mo, Larry, and Curly.”

  “Nah,” said Ramsey with conviction, “I think it’s more likely deaf, dumb, and stupid.” Z and X both stood in the middle of the room, listening to Declan and Ramsey. The tension mounted as both injured brothers mocked the stronger ones. Ramsey didn’t back down. “Which one were you, Norman? Dumb or stupid?”

  That comment rewarded Ramsey with another malevolent look from Z as X put his hand on Z’s arm.

  “So where’s Y?” asked Declan again. “Didn’t he want to join in?”

  “Maybe he didn’t,” replied Ramsey, continuing the pressure. “Maybe he can get women the old-fashioned way, like dating them. Maybe he’s the normal one.”

  “Well,” said Declan, pushing through his pain, “it’s obvious you two are the result of a seriously dysfunctional family. You guys realize you have some repressed hostility?”

  “So who’s Y?” Ramsey probed, feeling their animosity mount, especially X’s, and he wanted to know why. He considered one possibility. “Oh, I get it.” He met X’s eyes as he asked the next question. “You scared of him?”

  X, calm until that point, finally reacted. He narrowed his eyes and focused intently on Ramsey. His lips clenched in anger and he opened his mouth to speak but then stopped himself. The tension in his body betrayed him as he curled and uncurled his fingers. Z said nothing, but one glance at X made him take a step back, as if he sensed the energy his sibling was anxious to unleash.

  X, coiled and ready to spring, directed his attention to his brother. “Z,” he said, “Go find her and do whatever you have to do to bring her here. Kill the nurse if you want. Just make sure Sarah is alive. You understand me?”

  X’s fury seemed only to be fueled by Z’s grin and the nod of his head. X looked back at Declan and Ramsey. “I’ll take care of these two.”

  And with that, both brothers advanced.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  * * *

  HANNAH PUSHED THE shards of glass away with her feet. After shutting the bathroom door, she placed the bags on the counter and turned back toward Sarah, who was still lying in the bubbling tub, her eyes only half open, staring at nothing.

  After pacing a few minutes, Hannah’s nervous energy needed another outlet, so now she kicked the glass, attempting to shove it into a sad resemblance of a pile. She succeeded with the bigger pieces, but not with the smaller ones. She brought up her hands and massaged her neck and shoulders, trying to ease the knots created by the tension of the past few hours. She rejected the temptation to put her ear to the door. Her imagination created enough horrifying scenarios without adding unknown sounds to the equation.

  Worse than that, what if she heard nothing? Her training as a nurse had prepared her for stressful situations, and she had dealt with most, but this brought a whole new level to the equ
ation. She had to consider the possibility that neither Ramsey, Leroy, nor Declan would be the first ones to the door. Despite the minimum threat she posed to anyone who meant her harm, she knew she’d defend herself and Sarah.

  She looked down at the shards she’d kicked into the sad pile. A few of them were long enough to make a significant weapon. She glanced up at the bags on the counter. She thought for a moment and then opened one of the bags.

  “Hannah?”

  The soft mention of her name startled her, and she turned. She was surprised to see Sarah sitting up in the water, making eye contact with her.

  “Sarah?” Hannah turned away from the counter and kneeled next to the bathtub. As she approached, Sarah leaned back.

  “Better not to touch me, Hannah.” Her voice sounded clear and calm.

  Hannah took a second to assess the change in her. She appeared completely lucid, as if her bubbling bathwater and reddened skin were all the results of a hard workout at the gym.

  Sarah also seemed to assess her surroundings. She looked around the room and then leaned forward. After studying the floor for a moment, she looked back at Hannah. “Can you get my shoes, please?”

  Hannah’s confusion must have shown on her face, because Sarah offered an explanation. “The glass, Hannah. I can’t walk on the glass.”

  Hannah glanced at the floor, which was littered with the glass shards. “Sarah, where exactly do you think you are going?”

  Sarah gazed at her as if that was all the explanation that was required, and Hannah understood that this was not a request. Sarah wanted shoes because she apparently intended to leave the room. That, or she planned on pacing the floor with Hannah.

  “Sarah,” Hannah said, “It’s not a good idea for you to go anywhere right now.” She debated how much to tell Sarah, but decided she needed to be honest. “You could be in danger.”

  Sarah managed to push herself up and sit on the edge of the tub. Water dripped down from her wet clothes and skin and pooled onto the floor, and steam rose from her skin as the cool air contacted her heated, wet body. She again looked over at Hannah.

  “My shoes, please.” She looked again at the floor, then up at the counter and then back at Hannah. Hannah realized that Sarah was considering other options if Hannah didn’t retrieve her shoes.

  Hannah made a quick decision and hoped it was the right one. “Okay. Just wait a second.” She stood and moved toward the door. “They’re out here. I’ll need to go get them.” She moved toward the door but hesitated as she reached for doorknob.

  Sarah addressed Hannah’s obvious distress. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Nobody is out there. Just go quietly.”

  Hannah didn’t take the time to think about how Sarah might know that, she just decided to open the door before her fear stopped her completely. She unlocked it and slowly turned the knob. She felt the door unlatch, and she pulled it inward. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt sure that if anyone were nearby, they would hear her. She got the door open far enough to be able to see into the room, and she saw the shoes on the floor by the end of the bed. The bedroom was empty, the bedroom door stood open, and Ramsey was gone. She opened it far enough to slip through, and she tiptoed across the carpet and grabbed the shoes. She froze when she heard a loud thud, as if something had slammed against a wall in the other room. The adrenaline surged through her, and she ran back into the bathroom, staying as silent as possible. She closed the door behind her and handed the shoes to Sarah, who swung her legs over the tub and quickly put them on.

  Once they were on, Sarah stood, and the glass crunched beneath her feet. “Thank you.” She turned and looked at Hannah. “You can come with me, or you can stay here. It’s up to you.” She turned and reached for the knob.

  “Whoa!’ Hannah cried. “What are you doing? You can’t go out there, Sarah. They’re looking for you.”

  Hannah prayed Sarah would understand the seriousness of the situation and reconsider. If she walked out there and got killed, Hannah would be next—when Ramsey got a hold of her.

  Sarah continued as if Hannah had been speaking Eudoran. She pulled back on the knob, opened the door, and stepped into the bedroom. She stilled for a moment, but then she walked confidently toward the open bedroom door. Hannah’s frayed nerves frayed more as she watched Sarah head for the doorway, her hair wet and clothes dripping water as she walked.

  Deciding she couldn’t stand to sit and wait any longer, Hannah scanned the floor and the bags, grabbed what she needed and moved fast to catch up to Sarah. Her muscles twitched with fear as Sarah entered the hallway and approached the turn into the living area. That’s when Hannah heard the voices.

  “You understand me?” said an angry male voice. There was a brief pause before the voice spoke again. “I’ll take care of these two.”

  It was at that moment that Sarah, with Hannah behind her, turned the corner.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  * * *

  RAMSEY READIED HIMSELF, willing to do whatever possible to keep these men from Sarah, regardless of his own safety. As both men took steps forward, he prepared himself both mentally and physically for the anticipated battle. And despite whatever hold X had on Declan, Ramsey knew he would also fight with whatever was at his disposal.

  As they advanced, Ramsey pulled himself up to achieve better balance. He closed his eyes and took a breath. As he opened them again, he saw with surprise that X and Z were standing still after taking only a few steps, and they stared wide-eyed at the area of the hall behind him.

  “Well, well, well,” X said, “look who we have here.”

  Ramsey followed X’s gaze and found himself staring at Sarah, who was standing only a few feet behind him. Her clothes were wet, her hair sodden, but she exuded the demeanor of a woman who’d just received unexpected guests for dinner. Behind her stood Hannah, who carried a slightly less confident air.

  “Sarah?” said Ramsey, who didn’t know whether to be angry or scared but was upset just the same. “What are you doing?”

  Sarah did not acknowledge him, but X did. “It appears that she knows who her true benefactors are,” he said. “Frankly, I’m not surprised. It was just a matter of time before her interest in you waned.”

  Ramsey heard X but watched Sarah. He felt the words pierce through his gut as he considered the possibility that X spoke the truth; Sarah may have chosen to leave with X and Z. He masked his fears, though, as he looked back at X. “You think she’d rather be with you? You two are just Y’s errand boys. Nobody respects the hired help.”

  X’s smirk disappeared, and his eyes held Ramsey’s, but he didn’t let his earlier show of anger return. After a moment of unexpressed hostility passed between the two, X relaxed and, choosing to ignore Ramsey, shifted his gaze back to Sarah, appearing almost giddy.

  “It’s very noble of you to join us in order to save your friends. You arrived just in time. Had you been delayed, these two would be dead now.” X glanced back at Ramsey, who knelt on the floor, and Declan, who sat in his chair, one hand gripping his midsection. “It’s unfortunate, though. Z and I were looking forward to having a little fun.” He stared again at Sarah, his eyes roving over her. “But I’m a man of my word. You leave peacefully with us, and they will not be harmed.”

  All eyes watched her for her reaction.

  “Sarah,” Ramsey pleaded, “please don’t do this.” Her appearance threw him. He did not have a plan if Sarah decided to leave.

  Sarah continued to stand in the small alcove where the hallway became the living room. Since she had turned the corner and faced the men in the room, she had not moved. She addressed neither X nor Ramsey. As she stood there, she perused the room as if studying it and her face held the look of someone only half paying attention to the events unfolding before her. For a brief moment, her face held a pained expression, and she looked toward the back bedrooms. Finally, she seemed to gather her attention and proceeded to address X with a casual air.

  “Both of you gentlemen shoul
d leave now.”

  X did not react, but Z looked at his brother and began to chuckle.

  “Sure, we’ll leave,” Z responded for the first time. “Right after I swing that pretty, wet ass of yours right over my shoulder.”

  “Z, please,” said X, smiling, “refrain from the sweet talk. You’re not helping the situation.”

  Z smiled back, but stayed quiet.

  “I don’t think you quite understand the situation here, my dear.” X crossed his arms. “We are not leaving without you. Now I know you’ve been through a lot recently, and you’ve probably formed some sort of attachment to this half-wit over here.” He bobbed his head toward Ramsey. “But I can assure you, where we are taking you, you will learn far more than you will ever learn from him. Your abilities could be greater than you can imagine. I promise you that. You just have to trust us.”

  He watched Sarah, but when she said nothing, he continued. “You are in a very sensitive state right now, Sarah, which is why we chose this particular time to come for you. You are highly aware—still very fragile, yet able to function clearly. This is just a brief window, though. Shortly, you’ll revert back to the weakened state you were in, and for who knows how long. Now is the perfect time to get you to where you belong without any serious damage occurring.” He uncrossed his arms and held one out to her. “So how about we cut out the chit-chat, make like a banana, and split.” He smiled at his joke.

  The room remained silent as X stood with his arm out, as if waiting for his escort to join him for a dance.

  Sarah remained unmoving. “You’re right,” she said. “We don’t have time for chit-chat. I’ll say it one last time. If you wish to leave uninjured, please do so now.” She then turned her head toward Hannah, who still stood behind her. “Hannah, please go to the back bedroom. Leroy needs your assistance.”