BLOODHOUNDS #3: THE MALICE

Chapter 32 - THREAT

Leila Morrow

It was chaos.

Everything happened in slow motion, and I couldn't even help Ares. They took him, and Luke grabbed my body, preventing me from going with Ares. All of this reminded me of everything that happened in the past.

I couldn't say anything, and it felt like I'd lost my voice.

Luke took me with him, and he dragged me into his jet. He didn't even explain what happened to Ares. All I knew was the Ravens took him. I looked out the window blankly, trying to process everything slowly.

"This is my first time seeing you cry so much for someone." I turned to Luke, who sat beside me, "You didn't cry this much when Dad passed away."

"I still remember when I left you that day after Dad's funeral. You were running and begging for me to stay, but I ignored all of it and kept running until I didn't even know where I was going." This is my first time hearing Luke telling his side of the story.

"After the attack, I learned many things about our parents. I was trying so hard to figure everything out. Especially when the person who killed Dad also killed Valerie's dad. There's no way that they killed them without any reason."

"Two days before he got killed, I overheard him on the phone with someone. He talked about delivering people out of the state and selling organs, which shocked me. I hacked into his phone and discovered he was a part of a black syndicate." What?

"I wasn't sure at first. I decided to follow him one night, and for sure, everything was true. There's more to it, but I'd rather not talk about it to you." He let out a long sigh.

"But you never told me that he's a bad person."

"He's the perfect dad for us, Leila. That's why it was hard for me to believe, and I never wanted you to know the truth because it hurt like shit. To this day, Mom has no idea about this too."

"Can you tell me more about Dad?" I asked curiously.

"I'd rather not talk about it. The reason why I left you and did not tell you about it is because it'd be better to keep some things in the dark. I had to blend in to find out what kind of person Dad is."

"But you know that I deserve to know the truth. Pushing me away, leaving me when I needed you the most is pretty fucked up, Luke!" I almost screamed at him.

"Leila, there are some things that you will never understand, and I vowed not to tell you more than this." I looked down at the table before me, "I don't want you to experience all the things that I went through to find out what kind of person our dad is."

"I'm not the only one with the trauma, Luke. You're selfish, and I deserve to know everything even though it'll hurt me." It was clear that he never wanted to tell me.

"Where are they taking Ares?"

"Kaleb is kidnapping him to Beijing."

"Kaleb? As in Kaleb, your friend?" I asked, and he nodded.

"He's doing Ariana a favor by kidnapping her brother to return to Beijing."

"But he never wanted to go back." I turned to him, and he shrugged.

"Why do you care about him when all he did was hurt you?"

"Ares is very complex. There's no grey area in him, and he's either nice or mean."

"You were crying for him. Did you even realize that?" I didn't. I didn't even realize I cried for him like crazy until I looked at myself in the mirror earlier.

"What did you say to Ares until he went crazy like a mad dog?"

"He told me that he'll never listen to me. I told him that I wanted him to quickly get bored of me so I could find a new boyfriend who would listen to me." Luke let out a low chuckle.

"What?"

"He hated that word."

"Huh? And how do you even know that? He's not your friend." I hissed.

"We all know each other's weaknesses, Leila."

"For what?"

"It's pretty clear that we never liked each other, so... we have to know everyone's background, just in case something like this would happen."

"He hated me for telling him I'll get a new boyfriend?"

"He has issues with being replaced. I assumed he had it, and he confirmed it by saying it to me earlier. I mean, there's no use for you to know about it now. You won't be seeing him again." He clapped his hands, proud of himself.

"You know that I'll never forgive you, right?" His face fell.

"What you did to me was unforgivable, Luke. We went through the same attack, the same trauma, yet you put me in the dark, wondering what went wrong. You left after Dad passed away when I needed you the most."

"Not only did you leave, but you never showed up again. Life was hard without you, and I grew up hating you when I only had you. Mom was heartbroken after Dad passed away. We both struggled alone, Luke."

"When you're not around, I struggled with my mental and physical health. I kept having seizures and couldn't stand the sound of a siren." His face changed drastically.

"That's why he covered your ears earlier?" He whispered.

"I barely know Ares, yet he saw everything in a concise amount of time. The reason why he made me move in with him was because he never wanted me to be alone when I had a seizure. He brought a team of doctors to check on me and made sure it was not dangerous for me."

"He might not be the best person, but he treated me better than you did. He showed me all his emotions, even the raw ones. Even I hated him for that, but at least he's honest." Luke looked at me with mixed emotions. He looked away and leaned in his seat, processing my words.

"Did he do all the things he said earlier?"

"No. He did lock me, but it was only for a few hours. He brought me back to our room."

"He didn't even punch me back."

"I was the one who told him you should have killed him, and he called you, luring you to him," I answered truthfully.

"It's better for you not to see him again." He stated, and again, being selfish.

"It's better for me not to see you again. I will never forgive you, Luke." He didn't say anything, "You treated me like your property. You never consider or think about my feelings. I don't even consider you my brother."

"We both belonged to the same circle, Leila. We both kill people for sport, have lots of enemies, and we have no remorse or feelings to begin with."

"At least he cares about me, and you don't." I said to his face, "Take me to Beijing, or I will tell Mom everything and make sure you will never see us again."