"W-what?" I whispered, shaking my head.

My dad had been shot.

I felt the air leave my lungs, and soon, I was drowning again. I felt like I was dying. I couldn't regulate my breathing and it terrified me.

"Tarryn, focus on me. Slow your breathing," Carson said, sitting with me on the porch steps. He rubbed my back. "C'mon bub, deep breath in, and hold it ... now let it out. Good, keep going."

My head throbbed and it felt like someone was banging on my heart with a hammer. I forced myself to keep breathing, my focus shifting to the night sky.

Skyler crouched down beside me, brushing a strand of hair that dangled in my eyes. His dark eyes were hard, sadness rippling through. "Tarryn, we can't go see him yet."

"I want to see him," I cried, tears streamed down my cheeks. "I need to see him."

Carson wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face into his chest. "We need to get going, okay?" He murmured, kissing my hair. My brother kept his arms around me, tight and comforting as he pulled me off the porch step.

"Where are we going?" I asked, hiccuping, leaning into his side. An officer in uniform escorted the three of us to a black van, opening the door. Skyler climbed in the backseat first, beckoning me to follow him. "What about the others? Where's Joey?"

"We have to go," an officer said, and Carson gave a gentle nudge. I slid in beside Skyler, my eyes burning from all the flashing red and blue lights. Carson got in next, sandwiching me between him and Skyler.

I kept fumbling with my buckle until Skyler took it from my hands, clicking it into place. "Where are we going?" I rasped, my voice scratching from all the crying.

Carson ignored me. "Don't worry about that right now," he said and the car lurched forward, speeding down the driveway. I glanced over my shoulder, watching my dads house disappear out of sight.

+++

We waited at the airport, Carson and Skyler on either side of me. There were men and women in black surrounding us, armed to the teeth. "Why aren't we going to the hospital? I told you I want to see dad," I said, staring out large window overlooking the runways.

"Tarryn, it's not safe," Matthew snapped, shifting in his seat. He sat across from us. "What do you not understand about that?"

"Matt, don't talk to her like that," Carson hissed. I closed my eyes, wishing I were dreaming. Everything, my whole world, was crumbling right in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

"Where are we going? Why isn't June and Trey here?" I looked at Carson, searching his face for answers. "Please, don't try to hide things from me."

"Someone tried to kill dad."

"Well, no shit," I muttered. "Who shot him? Is this connected to mom?"

Carson pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes ... it's quite possible. Tarryn ... we don't know much either. We are in the dark, as much as you."

"I don't believe you," I hissed, standing up from the uncomfortable plastic seat. I gripped my hair, pulling it.

Skyler leaned forward, frowning. "Don't you think if we knew, we would tell you?"

"No, actually I don't." I scoffed. "Skyler, you spend more time with dad than any of us, and you're telling me you have no fucking idea why someone would want to kill him?"

"Tarryn, we both know mom and dad had enemies. The only thing I know is that dad is laying in a hospital bed and mom is missing. Other than that, I have no idea."

"Who is Eleanor?"

"Who?" Carson asked, his brows furrowing.

"I saw the picture of a woman on dads computer. A dead woman named Eleanor." Skyler paled at the mention of the dead woman's name but he quickly recovered, standing up. "You know her?"

He shook his head. "No, I've never heard of her before. How did you get onto his computer? Even I'm not allowed to touch it."

Matthew laughed. "I think you both forget our little sister can break into anything." I glared at him.

"Yeah, because you taught her how to," Carson grumbled. I stared out the window, exhausted with a migraine coming. I massaged my temple, black dots fading in and out.

"I don't understand," I mumbled, to no one in particular. "It's too much, it's just too much."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Matty stand. I didn't notice him until he was directly in front of me, brushing a stray hair from my face. A few tears of frustration streamed down my cheeks. "Look at me, Tarryn," he ordered softly, cupping my chin and forced me to look at him. "Everything will be okay. It might take a day, a week, a month, but it will be okay. You're not alone, bub."

I melted into him, a sense of safety washing over me.  "Wait - where is Gilbert? I can't leave Gilbert," I said, panicked, looking at my two oldest brothers. Skyler pointed towards Anderson, the woman in charge of  my mother's case. She had frizzy, curly hair and wore plain clothes. She chatted to a younger uniformed officer, but what caught my attention was the small crate next to her feet.

I rushed over, kneeling. "I'm so sorry, Gil," I said, relieved, peeking in to see my cat laying on a soft forest green blanket. Everything has been so hectic I almost forgot him.

"We don't allow cats," Anderson muttered, looking down with a harsh glare. "You're lucky your brother mentioned he's your support animal or he'd be staying at a kennel."

"Don't listen to her," I whispered to Gilbert, rolling my eyes. "She's obviously not a cat lady ..."

"I'm more of a dog person," Anderson said, crossing her arms.

I looked up, smirking. "Really? Do you have any pets?"

"I have a poodle."

I chuckled. "Makes sense."

"Tarryn," Carson hissed, but I ignored him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anderson asked, her tone dripping with annoyance.

"Haven't you ever heard animals match their owners? It makes sense you have a poodle." I bit my lip to keep from bursting into laughter at her baffled expression.

"Tarryn, get your ass back over here," Skyler snapped and I did, picking up Gilbert's crate and took a seat next to Matty.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked Carson. "It's true."

+++

I rested my head on Skyler's shoulder, eyes closed. I tried to turn my thoughts off, but it didn't help as much as I hoped it would. My heart fluttered, spasms and clenching with tight, stabbing pains.

"How much longer?" I asked, peeking up to look at him.

"Half an hour," he murmured, leaning down to kiss my hair. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked and I gave a half shrug in response. I felt my brothers staring at me, their eyes burning holes in my skull.

I felt Carson shift next to me, before he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. I realized too late he was checking my pulse.

"Your pulse is racing," he murmured and I looked up, seeing concern flicker in his grey eyes. "Have you felt nauseous or any pain?"

"No, I'm okay." I blurted out the lie without much thought.

"Do not lie to me," he said and tightened his grip when I tried to pull away. "This is important, Tarryn. You know you can't ignore these things when it comes to your heart."

"Carson, stop, they don't know-"

"Know what?" Matthew asked, taking his seat across from us. I glared at my oldest brother. His eyes softened but the damage was done. "What the hell is he talking about, Tarryn?"

I closed my eyes once again. Skyler nudged my arm and I straightened, looking at Matthew. "Dr. Webber did some tests. That's all."

"Why?" Matty asked, quietly, as if he was scared to hear my answer.

I swallowed. "Dr. Webber noticed some abnormalities at the last checkup. Nothing to worry about."

"Carson seems to be worried," Skyler said.

"Carson is always worried," I muttered, ignoring the glare from my oldest brother. "It's his thing, remember?"

"Tachycardias. Supraventricular tachycardia," Carson spoke when he realized I wasn't. "It means her heart beats 100 beats a minute, sometimes more."

"How do you know this?" Matty asked, glancing at our brother. "How long?"

"Last month," I mumbled. "Mom, Dad, and Carson are the only ones that knew." I didn't even tell Trey or Jonah. "I didn't want you guys to worry."

I had a heart condition, cardiomyopathy. A disease of the heart muscles, making it harder for my heart to pump blood out to the rest of my body. Basically, I have an enlarged heart, since I was born, a miracle baby as my mom would say. Dr. Webber has been my paediatric cardiologist for as long as I can remember and she was one of the best in the state.

"I'm sorry, bub," Skyler murmured in my ear, wrapping his arms around me. "How long has it been happening?"

"A while."

"Are you getting treatment?" Matty asked and I nodded.

"I'm on medication, Dr. Webber hopes it will slow the progression down. Though all of this - mom missing and dad being shot, isn't great for my heart."

"No kidding," he muttered. "Is this why you've been acting out, y'know, like setting the chemistry lab on fire and partying?"

"Shut up," I growled out, kicking out my foot at his knee. He smirked, shifting away.

"We'll talk more about that tomorrow," Carson said. "Why don't you try and sleep for a bit? It's been a long day."

"I know," I said, leaning my head back on Skyler, closing my eyes. In a matter of seconds, I felt my mind slipping into a nightmarish, hollow darkness.

+++

I woke up, groaning, clutching my head, the severe pulsing in my head still there. I sat up, glancing around the bedroom. My brothers and I were in the middle of nowhere, with armed bodyguards stationed around the farmhouse 24/7.

We were forty five minutes outside of Seattle, Washington, in a small town called Edgewick. I remembered bits and pieces of my brothers talking last night as Carson carried me into the house, too exhausted to open my eyes, let alone walk.

The morning sun peeked through the plum coloured curtains. I blinked, trying to adjust to the light, my head pounding and with the slightest move I made, it worsened.

It took me three attempts to sit up against the headboard. I managed to stand, my legs wobbly, taking a deep breath in. Gilbert meowed from the bottom of the bed, stretching his paws.

I picked him up and carried him with me into the hall and down the creaky, old staircase in search for my brothers.

I poked my head into the living room, finding two unfamiliar people crashed on the couches. Next, I headed to the kitchen, letting Gilbert down. I found Skyler in the kitchen.

"Morning, bub," he greeted, offering a small smile from his spot next to the stove, using a spatula to flip bacon. "Did you manage to sleep some?"

I shrugged. "Somewhat, mostly tossed and turned. What about you?"

"I got about two hours. Better than most days."

"You're a workaholic." I walked around the kitchen. The cupboards were eggshell white and worn, the paint peeling. An rustic, antique wood stove sat at the farthest wall, a wood pile beside it. The entire room had a country cottage vibe goin' on that I quite liked.

A painful hiss and a slew of curses from Skyler brought my attention back as the bacon sizzled, spitting grease at my brother. I almost smiled at the sight of him cooking, something he loved to do, but it faded when I remembered where we were and why.

"How long will we be here for? A few days?" I asked, standing by the sink, looking out at the barn fifty feet away.

Skyler looked up, frowning. "I'm not sure, bubba," he said, eyes glazing with sympathy. I nodded, accepting the answer for now. I'd ask again later.

"Where is Trey, June, Jude, and Josiah?"

"They're staying in Cincinnati." I turned and found Carson standing in the entryway and nodded his head towards the screen door. "Let's go talk outside while Sky finishes cooking your breakfast."

"Hey man, this was mine -" Skyler whined but was cut off by the intense glare from Carson. "You want toast, Tarryn?"

I smirked, giving him a thumbs up before following Carson out onto the front porch. Carson leaned against the wooden railing, watching me as sat on the swinging bench. "Why aren't the others here?" I asked.

"They're at another safe house."

"What?" I squinted, not understanding. "Is dad okay? Is he ..." I trailed off, unable to finish, the word alive burning on the tip of my tongue.

My brothers eyes softened. "Tarryn, it's safer if we're not all together. Dad made it out of surgery this morning and doctors suspect he'll wake up in a few hours."

"Good, good," I murmured, nodding. "What about mom?"

"I'm sorry, bub, there's still no leads," he whispered, his jaw twitching, as if it almost broke him to say it. "Detective Hayward and Anderson are here too, they'll keep us up to date on the case, including dad."

"You mean, we aren't going back to Cincinnati? Carson, we have to -"

"No. We are safe here."

"I want to go back. It's my choice."

Carson sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but you are not going back until it's safe, until the person who shot dad is in custody. We are in protective custody, Tarryn."

"I want to go back and stay with dad, Carson," I said, gritting my teeth. "You can't make me stay here."

My brother took two strides, covering the distance between us and crouched in front of me. He took my hands, squeezing. "I know you're not gonna like this, but until mom comes home and dad is better, I have been assigned your temporary guardian."

"No ... no. That's not -" I choked back a sob. Carson sat beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and gently pulled me into him.

"I will make sure you're okay and safe," he said, kissing my hair. "I promise."

"I wanna call June and Joey."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "but you can't."

I pushed him away. "Why? Where's my phone?"

"I took it last night," he said, shaking his head. "I had to give it to the detectives. Skyler, Matty, and I had to do the same. It's for safety, just in case someone tries to track them."

"This is ridiculous," I hissed. "I need to, to find mom and talk to dad. Please, Carson."

"I'm sorry -"

"Stop fucking apologizing and do something," I shouted, pitching myself forward, away from my brothers reach.

"Tarryn, sit back down," Carson ordered, pointing to the seat, like I'd actually listen. I shook my head and walked away from him, heading inside. "Hey - where do you think you're going?"

"To the damn bathroom, is that okay with you?" I snapped, ignoring Skyler who watched as I darted past him and to the bathroom and flinging it shut. A sunflower painting handing on the wall rattled. "Fuck!" 

+++

Hey guys, hope you like the update!!
Thoughts on what happens next? Do you think their mom is alive?

Let me know your thoughts. Please vote and comment, it means a lot. Stay safe and kind - Charlie 🧡