Wayward Brothers: Book 2: Raven Brothers of Fallen Mountain Read online

  Wayward Brothers

  Book 2: Raven Brothers of Fallen Mountain

  KT Strange

  Copyright © 2021 by KT Strange

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover by CJ Strange.

  Heartcandies Publishing

  Heartcandies.com

  To everyone who ever hurt you:

  get fucked.

  Contents

  Stay in touch!

  1. Cordelia

  2. Cordelia

  3. Cordelia

  4. Cordelia

  5. Cordelia

  6. Beau

  7. Cordelia

  8. Kyron

  9. Delia

  10. Grady

  11. Cordelia

  12. Kyron

  13. Cordelia

  14. Cordelia

  15. Cordelia

  16. Cordelia

  17. Cordelia

  18. Cordelia

  19. Cordelia

  20. Cordelia

  21. Beau

  22. Cordelia

  23. Cordelia

  Acknowledgments

  Stay in touch!

  About the Author

  Stay in touch!

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  1

  Cordelia

  Being terminally ill is like being on a ship you know is going to crash. You can feel the wood shudder under the soles of your feet and you know that any minute the bow will break on the rocks, tossing you into the cruel, cold waters.

  You just don’t know when. Your world is shrouded in a fog that won’t let up. You’re sailing blind.

  You have no idea when it's gonna happen. I remember the noise in my ears, the first time the doctors told me that I was sick and I wasn't going to get better. That the coughing in my lungs, and the feeling like I couldn't get enough air to exist, was never going to go away. It would fade now and then, but every time I had a flare up, I'd get sicker. And my body would get less capable of keeping me alive.

  That noise, though, in my head. There's nothing else like it. It wipes everything else around you out. It's high pitched, and it makes you sick to your stomach.

  When I'm not feeling like I can’t breathe, it’s easy to forget what's coming for me. That the wave is going to crash over me and pull me under.

  But death comes for everybody. And I have to remember that I'm not immune. And that my clock is ticking down faster than anyone else I know.

  Now it seems like death is going to come for Lacey.

  Beep, beep, beep…

  The steady, droning tone is drilling its way inside my skull. As I sit here, fingers clenched together, across from me stands Kyron, tapping his foot on the floor and looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here. I don’t blame him. It’s a small medical outpost, one I didn't even know that Fallen Mountain had.

  I guess there are enough people that injuries and illness aren't going to be a big city trip for most. Still, from the looks on the doctors’ faces when we came in, I don't think stabbings are on their list of injuries that they treat on the regular.

  “Come the fuck on,” Kyron says. “How long is it going to take for someone to talk to us…?”

  He glances up and down the hall. And I can practically sense the way his skin itches.

  He’s waiting to get out of here, and get some news about how Lacey’s feeling. He's not such a jackass, I think, that he’s pissed it was a boner killer for him — a half dead girl ending up on my doorstep.

  But, still, he has to be feeling a little bit uncomfortable with where we left things…

  The sound of footsteps makes me peer up. Grady is coming down the hallway, led by Beau. Behind them, I see Officer Asshole. I'm not even surprised he's here. Really, I should have expected him earlier.

  “Incoming,” Grady says under his breath as he approaches me. Kyron glances to the officer and then back at me, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't need to say it. Hey, guess we're about to be asked where we were and what we were doing when we found Lacey. Or rather, when she found us… My cheeks are burning at the memory. And this is not exactly how I wanted Grady and Beau to find out that me and Kyron were…

  Well.

  We were… doing stuff.

  I am a mature adult, I swear, and I can talk about sex without blushing. Maybe just not in a hospital at the bedside of a girl who may yet live or die, and certainly not in front of a cop like him.

  “So,” says Officer Asshole. “Why is it always you four?” His gaze skips over the three men and then zeroes in on me. I give him my best, most bland smile. I don't want him to think I'm nervous, because I have a feeling he can smell blood in the water.

  Or, uh, other bodily fluids…

  I'm not sure exactly why I feel this way, especially because we never did anything wrong. I was with Kyron the entire time.

  That thought ricochets inside of my mind and I think it over again, before looking at the other two. I was with Kyron the whole time. But I wasn't with Beau and Grady. In that split second, my throat starts to close up. My lungs get hot. It's like a flare. And I know if I'm not careful, if I don't keep calm, I'll be coughing in no time. Struggling to breathe. And nothing says completely fucking suspicious like choking your lungs out when a cop comes to talk to you.

  “I'd like to speak with you,” he says. “Alone.” The emphasis is heavy on that last word, and I can see Kyron stiffening up.

  “Now wait a fucking minute,” Kyron says. Beau holds up his hand.

  “It's all right,” I say. I glance up at the officer. “Although I think I'd be more comfortable if I spoke with you in front of everyone. I have nothing to hide. Period.”

  The officer raises an eyebrow. “That's what everyone says,” he comments dryly with a shrug. The cool air of the medical center shrouds my shoulders, and I fight off a shiver. “But I think doing this with just the two of us might be better.”

  “Fine. Where do you want to talk?” I ask in annoyance. I get to my feet and stare up at him.

  He doesn't meet my gaze but looks down the hall. “There's an empty room close by,” he says. “Follow me.” I tag along after him and shoot a look over my shoulder at the guys. Beau has his arms crossed. Grady, he just looks confused. And Kyron, he looks irate. In fact, he kind of looks like he's about to punch the wall…

  My steps speed up. I want to get out of there before Kyron has a chance to say something stupid and get himself in trouble with the law. In the little time I've known him, I’ve learned Kyron tends to be the kind of guy who gets himself into sticky situations with authority pretty quickly and fairly often.

  I step inside the room and notice the officer’s already leaning against a medical bed, waiting for me. He looks more casu
al and comfortable here. Away from the guys.

  My gut is turning but I'm trying to hide it and not look like I'm stressing out. I've never been good at speaking to authority figures either. Like Kyron, except instead of lashing out, I shut down.

  “What can I help you with?” I ask, hating the way my voice has zero breath support beneath it. He nods to the chair across from the bed, a utilitarian thing that's all metal and plastic and clearly wasn’t constructed for comfort. I sit timidly on the edge of it.

  “So,” he drags out the word. “What can you tell me about living with the three of those guys?”

  My cheeks darken with heat immediately, and I shake my head. “I live in their cabin, their guest cabin. That's it. I don't actually live with them.”

  His mouth quirks upward and he looks like he's about to laugh. “I wasn't implying,” he drawls. “Wasn't implying…” He clears his throat. “Ma'am,” he said in a more sober undertone, “there are a lot of women going missing around here. Something tells me that you got something to say about it.”

  I stare at him. Cat caught in headlights.

  “Nothing at all,” I say calmly. “All I know is that Lacey disappeared, and then she showed up with a knife in her back. Literally. Before that, me and Kyron were talking…” I pause. I really wish I had someone I could consult with before spilling my guts to this guy, like a solicitor or a lawyer or something… legal. I feel like I'm somehow going to implicate the guys in this, even though I'm sure none of them had anything to do with it.

  Are you actually sure though? that negative voice in the back of my head pipes up. Can you really be sure about anything with them? I chew on my lower lip without thinking. The officer's eyes snap to my mouth.

  I know he's seen it. And I know he thinks it's some kind of nervous tic… which, well, there’s really no denying that one.

  “If you know something,” he says softly, “it's better off for you in the long run if you talk now.”

  My throat tightens so hard I have to swallow. “The only thing I know is that she showed up at my cabin. And I hope she'll be okay.” I stare at him intently. He gives a slow shake of his head, a motion which sends all sorts of squirrels racing around in my stomach.

  “You weren't here when she initially disappeared. So you don't have to worry about being considered a suspect in that.”

  “I'm being considered a suspect in general?” I ask, stupefied. I give him a look. One that tells him I'm not a small town girl. And I kind of know how this rolls, even back home. We don't like cops. They're never on your side. They only look out for the strong and the rich and the powerful. You know, the people who don't actually need protection.

  “I think I’d like a lawyer present,” I say slowly.

  “There's no lawyer in town,” he grunts. “So, are you saying that you had something to do with this?” he asks.

  I get to my feet. “Am I free to go?” I ask.

  Both of his eyebrows rocket toward the sky at my exceedingly simple question.

  “Can you hear me?” I say. “Yeah, if you have no legal reason to keep me here, I think I'm just gonna stop talking.”

  Without another word, I walk toward the door.

  “Where do you think you're going?” he demands, but I ignore him. He hasn’t said the magic words: yes, I have a legal reason to hold you here. Ergo, I’m leaving.

  Just as I get to the threshold, his hand wraps around my shoulder tight from behind, clamping down. His fingers pinch into my skin under my shirt. He whips me around so hard that I nearly stumble.

  “What do you think you're doing?!” I ask, pitching my voice higher than normal. I stare up at him and he glares at me, like he has a right to touch me like this.

  A knock rings at the door. He lets out an exasperated sigh, and goes to answer it.

  There’s a much younger officer waiting anxiously behind it, his eyes dark.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” he says, “but the girl—”

  He shakes his head.

  My heart drops. I can’t breathe.

  Lacey, no…

  2

  Cordelia

  My throat feels like a vise is clamped around it as I walk down the long hallway, hot tears biting at the corner of my eyes.

  They stand there, all three of them, and I know the news isn’t good.

  The officers are ahead of me, and the one who’d been questioning me pauses, pointing at the men.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” he growls, voice curt. He keeps walking, and Kyron snorts under his breath.

  “Fucker thinks he owns us,” he mutters.

  “Don’t,” Grady says, and Kyron glares at him.

  “You’re not going to take any shit from that walking blowjob, are you?” he demands, almost offended at the notion.

  I shuffle up beside him.

  “C’mon,” I say quietly, “let’s get some coffee.”

  The officers have disappeared mostly from sight and are talking to a woman in a white lab coat — a doctor, from the looped stethoscope around her neck. Kyron grinds his teeth, and then releases the pressure with a sigh.

  “Sure thing, beautiful,” he says, giving me a brief smile. Grady and Beau lift their heads, and Beau’s eyes catch mine, his eyebrow on the edge of rising up.

  “Coffee,” I say again, more firmly, grabbing Kyron by the wrist. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a medical center here?” I ask as we walk away, leaving the other two behind us. Grady leans against the wall as we go.

  “Didn’t much think there was any reason to mention it. I don’t come here unless I have to. When someone else is sick or hurt,” he adds quickly, eyeing me up. “Why? You need to see a doctor?”

  I think of the ticking time bomb in my chest.

  No, there’s no point. It’s like re-reading the day’s horoscope, hoping it’ll change. Madness is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting to reach different results. Futile, and in the end, heartbreaking.

  “Not really. I just didn’t know Fallen Mountain had enough people to warrant a medical center. Like, a real one, and not just some doc or midwife.” We enter into the small cafeteria, which is more like a few vending machines and a snoozy-looking woman doing crosswords and watching the honor-system brownie tray with hawk eyes.

  “It’s not like people are much in the mood to make the trip to Twocities, and for some things, you’d die before you got there,” Kyron says, hitting the button on the carafe. Hot, steaming, brown liquid spurts down into a mug and he wrinkles his nose. “Smells like shit.”

  I try not to make a face, because he’s not wrong, but I need to get something into my belly. It’s doing little hiccups and flips. It’s not just that Lacey’s injured, somewhere in this building, possibly dying…

  It’s that he was the only one with me when it happened.

  She was out in the woods by herself. And I didn’t have eyes on Grady or Beau either. It’s making me sick to think…

  It couldn’t possibly have been one of them?

  Could it?

  All those messages she’d left hidden in code, for someone to find. It wasn’t about them… right?

  “You’re thinking loud,” Kyron says, “here.” He shoves a mug of coffee at me, a bit sweeter-smelling with sugar and loaded with cream. “I can practically hear those gears grinding off the rust in there.” He taps my temple.

  “Ha ha, not funny,” I say and take a sip. He was right. It’s gross, but I need the jolt of energy too much to complain. My whole body is exhausted after we got interrupted… doing stuff.

  I really don’t know how to bring that up with him, either.

  Right now, I’m locked in a weird holding pattern, while Lacey’s either living or dying.

  “I wish I’d gotten the chance to meet her,” I say idly and Kyron jerks, nearly spilling his coffee. He clears his throat and takes a big mouthful.

  “She’s annoying as hell,” he says, but his eyes are soft and he’s speaking with affection. He doesn’t reall
y think that. He’s just defending his heart.

  It’s hard when you feel like you’re losing, have maybe lost, a friend. I don’t know what he’s going through, but she’d been missing for awhile…

  “Do you think they’ll get who’s done it?” I ask, after not speaking for a while. He gives me a sharp look and glances around the room. It’s just us and snoozy-brownie woman. He walks away toward the windows at the far end and stares out of them, despite the falling darkness outside. There’s nothing out there to look at, but he’s making a good effort at being enthralled by it.

  I glance around the room, a small scattering of tables and accompanying chairs. Empty, and worn out, waiting for people to come and sit in it.

  But, it’s only the two of us.

  I edge closer, and then pull up to the pane next to him.

  “Where are they looking, Delia?” he asks, staring outside, his voice low.

  “Who, the—”

  “The cops. Where are they looking? You think Officer Dickstain is out there in the woods, hunting for a killer?” His words are bitter.

  “No,” I say, that sinking feeling in my chest.

  “No, he’s here, questioning the four of us. He’s already made his mind up, and so whoever’s done it is gonna get away with it.” His fingers are white on the joints, hanging onto his cup of coffee so tight I’m worried the flimsy cup is going to explode in his hand.

  “I—”