Chapter 42
Leda
The living room was trashed, the sofa cut up, and the stuffing falling out of it. The kitchen had food littered all over the island, as if Rory had been cooking dinner and forgot to put the ingredients back.
“No!” I cried out, racing down the hall.
“Leda!” Lucas called out behind me, but I didn’t stop, racing to the nursery first. The sight tore me in two. There had been a struggle in here, the pictures knocked off the walls and toys strewn about the floor.
That, and there were no children in sight.
I turned to leave, and Lucas was standing there, his anxious gaze on me. “Stop,” he breathed. “Please, let Emil sweep it first.”
I felt like my skin was too tight for my body.
“I need to see their bedroom.” Maybe they were all hiding in there, away from danger, and we were giving them the okay to leave. “Please. I need to know! Lucas! Let me go!”
My voice broke and Lucas swore, turning.
“Stay behind me,” he stated as we moved down the hall together. Emil had already kicked open the doors, and I bit back a cry as I looked at the disaster behind each door.
No room was untouched. This didn’t bode well at all for my family, but where were they? Had Nico gotten them out before whoever had come after them?
Suddenly, realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.
The cops!
“Lucas,” I stated quickly, catching his attention. “I know what’s wrong. I tried to tell you before we got on the elevator, but… the NYPD didn’t have their uniforms on the last time I was here.”
His jaw clenched tightly as he quickly worked out my words. “We have to get out of here.”
I didn’t think that my brother or his family was here any longer, and what happened to them, I didn’t want to even think about it.
“Emil,” Lucas called out, lowering his gun. “We’re leaving.”
Emil popped around the corner, his own expression shuttered. “Bedrooms are clear. Nobody’s here”
My knees weakened. They weren’t here. I could only hope that they had gotten out, but given the police presence downstairs, I doubted it was under their own power.
“Oh God.”
“No blood,” Emil added when he saw my face. “I don’t think they were harmed. At least, not here.”
“We need to move now,” Lucas cut in, giving me a look. “Are you okay?”
I pulled myself together, giving him a nod. It wasn’t time for me to fall apart right now. One step at a time, and the first step was getting us out of here.
His eyes held concern, but he let Emil go first back down the hall about the time I heard the elevator ding.
Someone was coming.