Page 100 of Hidden

“You were born at home. Immediately after, Mother went into cardiac arrest and Father was occupied,” Bryce said. “Brayden and I were a few rooms down, in the family waiting room. A nurse brought you to us. She left to help. She was supposed to be right back.”

“She was hardly gone before the first attempt on your life was made,” Brayden interjected. “But the assassin barely made it into the room before Kieran killed him.”

The name washed over me, and bile gathered at the base of my throat. “K-K-Kieran?” Considering recent events, I wasn’t naive enough to assume they were different people.

“He was Mother’s personal bodyguard,” Brayden said, his tone wary. He seemed almost relieved at my reaction, but I couldn’t imagine why.

“Brayden…” Bryce’s voice was low—a warning to watch his words.

“How do you know him?” he asked. “I don’t have the same loyalty toward him that Bryce and Uncle Gregory do. But if he—”

“I’ve told you before, Kieran wouldn’t have hurt her!” Bryce’s harsh words caused my anxiety to spike further. “He would have died first.”

“Wellsomeoneput her in Eric Richards’ path,” Brayden said, narrowing his gaze. The uplifting tenor of his voice had faded—now it was lined with something dark and frightening.

The insinuation that Kieran had doneanythingcaused my stomach to twist. I never wanted to discuss my past, I never wanted anyone to know.

But I couldn’t let this stand.

“I knew him.” It was a miracle my voice didn’t shake. Everything felt numb. I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore, nor my lips. “Kieran was there as far back as I remember. He had nothing to do with… everything. He was gone before that happened.”

“He’s gone? You mean, he died?” Bryce’s question cut through me like an accusation.

Did Bryce and Brayden know that I’d admitted my first parents were killed in front of me? Would the boys have told them?

I still remembered it.

Sorcha haunted my nightmares. I saw her stomach being ripped open with my own two eyes. She’d held me to her as she died, and I watched the life leave her expression.

I saw her spirit when she came back.

But Kieran?

There were spaces where conjecture had been made. I’d only been able to see bits and pieces. But I was certain he was dead. The signs had been there.

I’d never forget the suffocating dampness of the small, dark cellar where he’d locked me. He told me he would come back. And above my prison, I’d heard the fight.

I felt the warm blood dripping through the cracks in the floorboards.

He never came back, and I almost starved to death waiting.

He’d promised. He never broke his promises.

“He’s dead.” My words barely discernible. “I’m pretty sure. But I never saw his body.”

By the time I’d been dragged out, there’d been no bodies left.

There was a heavy silence in the air, and I glanced between Bryce and Brayden. But my brothers were only watching each other.

Bryce suddenly leaned forward, and my heart pounded at the barely concealed glint of determination in his eyes.

He wanted answers. The problem was, I didn’t know if I could provide them.

Sure enough, the questions continued. “Who was he to you?”

“My first foster father…” I nervously twisted my fingers over the edge of my sweater as I stared at my knees. The air was pressing in around me, and my throat threatened to close.

But I could handle it, for now.