Using the pantry shelves for support, she pulled herself up. She stood, leaning against the shelves until she thought she could move without falling flat on her ass. Then with one lingering, backward glance, she stumbled through the door.
* * *
He was going to kill his brother.
That bastard. This was it. This was the last time he’d put up with it. He was as good as dead. Sawyer didn’t care that he’d have his brother’s blood on his hands. Enough was enough.
He slammed open the door to Joe’s study and stormed inside, walking straight towards his brother, who was hunched over the computer.
Joe looked up with a frown of irritation that turned to shock. “Sawyer? What’s wrong?”
Sawyer walked over and leaned his hands on Joe’s desk, moving into the other man’s space. “I’m going to kill him. I just came to tell you. He’ll be dead within the hour. If you want to say goodbye, do it now.”
Joe sighed and looked pained. “What did he do now?”
“He turned my alarms off! Again!” Sawyer threw his arms into the air. “What good is a fucking state-of-the-art security system if he’s just going to turn the fucking thing off whenever the fuck he feels like it.”
Joe grimaced. “Do you think you could tone the swearing down a bit? And you don’t need to yell, I’m right here.”
“No, I can’t tone it down. I don’t know how you can act so calmly!”
“He just got back from town. I’m sure he would have turned them back on.”
“He’s a fucking security risk.”
“Come on, Sawyer. How likely is it that someone is going to sneak in here while the security system is down for a few hours? No one has ever made it past those traps you set, so I’m thinking those odds are pretty low, right?”
“Not the point. This is the last time. He’s a thoughtless, immature little dipshit.”
“Well, yes, but he’s also your brother.”
“I don’t fucking care.” He turned and stormed out the door. “He’s a dead man walking.” He strode towards the kitchen. Even though the alarms had all been turned off, the cameras had still been running. He’d tracked Garret down to the kitchens as of ten minutes ago. He strode in, Joe hard on his heels, trying his best to talk Sawyer out of inflicting bodily harm. But it was time Garret grew up and faced the consequences of his actions.
“Garret! Garret!” he boomed.
“Jesus, Sawyer, I think they heard you in Oldstown.” Joe winced.
Sawyer rolled his eyes. Joe was turning into an old man. A boring, conservative old man. He guessed, at least, Garret made life interesting. Still, that wasn’t enough for Sawyer to want to keep him around.
“Garret!”
He strode into the pantry and came to a stop. Garret lay on his back on the floor, his arms sprawled out at his sides. Sawyer’s world screeched to a halt, his breath leaving him in a whoosh.
He’d failed him. Failed them. He hadn’t kept them safe.
Joe pushed around him. “Sawyer! Get out of the way.”
Sawyer stumbled to Garret’s other side as Joe knelt and felt for a pulse. “He’s still alive. There doesn’t look to be any blood.” He slapped Garret’s cheek. “Garret! Wake up!”
Sawyer looked around, assessing the situation. He spotted the pan lying on the ground. “Looks like he could have been knocked over the head with that.”
“What?” Joe looked over at the pan then at him. His eyes were wide. A little wild. They’d both become complacent, Joe and Garret. They thought nothing could touch them here. But Sawyer knew better.
“You think an intruder did this to him?”
Sawyer gave him an incredulous look as Garret groaned. An alarm sounded, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Someone just triggered the alarm in the south wing.” He stood. “I’ll get the bastard who did this.”
“Sawyer! Wait! Wait!”