Chris pushed the ache in his chest out of his mind as he drove. He slowed the car as they got close to the MesoAmerican.

“Where's the remote?” He had to ask twice be-fore Rachel realized he was talking to her.

“Sorry, what?”

Chris asked again.

“There.” She pointed to a small cubby under the stereo that he'd missed. He hit the button and swung the vehicle around so he could back it into place once the door rolled open.

Chris watched as Rachel and her brother exited the car, then followed them into the main tunnel, not sure if it would work, he pressed his hand against the scanner panel. The door started rolling shut. Good, he wouldn't have to call Rachel back to do it. He noticed Ricky constantly looking around anxiously. Not that Rachel was any less uneasy, but she kept checking to make sure Ricky was still there.

Chris couldn't fault her much for that. He'd only witnessed a few days of her month-long search, but he knew she had missed her brother. Rachel pushed open the door, which led to the waiting area before the elevator. The small space seemed to amplify the musty, dirty scent that clung to Ricky, far more than Chris had noticed in the car, probably because the air in here was still. Chris hit the call button while Rachel wrapped one arm around Ricky and hugged him again. The short wait for the lift car only seemed to make Ricky more nervous. When the elevator arrived with a soft ding, Ricky jumped and gasped.

Ricky jumped again, though not as badly, when they reached the floor with Rachel's apartment. Soon, the three of them made it into Rachel's apartment, where Ricky seemed to relax a little. Rachel fetched several bottles of water from the refrigerator in her small kitchen and handed them out before retrieving a blanket and wrapping it around her brother as she walked him to the couch and sat down.

“What happened to you?” Rachel sat on the couch beside Ricky.

Ricky sighed and seemed to deflate, as if someone had let out all the air that had been holding him up. “What hasn't.” He glanced at Rachel then his gaze settled on Chris and stayed there. “I started out looking for Emily.” He paused as if waiting for some-thing.

Chris nodded, hoping to get him to go on.

“It took me a while to find her because she was hiding.”

“Hiding from who?” Chris frowned.

“A were named Kyle.”

“Why was she hiding from him? Do you know?”

“I never got a clear answer.” Ricky gave his head a slight shake. “He seemed to think she owed him something, but I never figured out what. She apparently didn't have whatever it was to give though. I found her the same time he did, and he captured us both.” Ricky shuddered at the memory.

“He locked us in a dark room for a long time. I don't know how long. They fed us sometimes, but there were no windows, and the only light we saw was when he visited.” He fell silent for several long moments “He tried over and over to get Emily to contact her brother, to get him to retrieve whatever he was after, but she refused.” Ricky's gaze dropped, and he stared at the floor. “I didn't even know she had a brother.” His voice had gone soft as he spoke that last bit to himself.

Chris's chest ached with the loss of the girl he'd watched grow up, and he regretted that he'd been a stubborn kid who had always refused to call her his sister. At the same time, he was proud that she'd managed to stick to her convictions and not give him up. Although, depending on what Kyle had wanted, Chris wished she had. Kyle was muscled, but he was weak; someone who took orders rather than give them. This time however, he'd chosen to take them from the wrong person. Chris would see to it that this was one of the last wrong choices he made.

“How did you get from you both imprisoned to Emily dead and calling me?” Rachel's voice brought Chris back to the present. Ricky let his head hang. He muttered something Chris couldn't make out, even with his superior hearing.

“What?”

“They beat her to death,” Ricky said, louder this time.

Chris blinked, sitting back in his chair as Ricky's words sunk in. It took a lot of work to beat a were to death. Far more than a normal human, which was no mean feat.

“They beat her to death?” Chris had to make sure he'd heard the other man right.

Ricky nodded. “Not all at once, it took them a while. They would drug our food. We knew it was drugged, but we were too hungry to refuse it.” Ricky rolled his shoulders. “Sometimes we woke tied to chairs, but not always. They would set us facing each other and use us against each other. You know, hurt one of us to get what they wanted from the other.”

“So, they beat you too?” Rachel peeled back the blanket wrapped around her brother, then lifted his shirt revealing dark purple bruises covering his abdomen.

Ricky fumbled as he pushed her away and covered himself again. “That doesn't matter. What they did to me was to get her to talk, when they realized it wasn't working, they just tortured her.” Silent tears flowed down his face as he stared unseeingly into the distance.

“She never did tell them. She never broke. After she died, they seemed to lose interest in me. I found my way out of the room, and then I found a phone.” He turned to Rachel. “That's when I called you. I tried to stay out of sight, but they found me, and I was certain they were going to catch me. That I would be killed just like Emily. So I ran.” Ricky turned to meet Chris's gaze. “There aren't a lot of places to hide on the dam, but there are a few ways to avoid getting caught.” The tears flowed un-checked down his face as Ricky looked at Rachel. “I can't believe she's dead.” The silent tears became quiet sobs as Rachel wrapped her arm around her brother, and he buried his face in her shoulder.

“I'll leave the two of you.” Chris stood.

“Wait.” Rachel's voice stopped him before he reached the door. He turned to find Rachel standing as Ricky scrubbed his hands over his face. “Are you going to tell Emily's mother?”

“No.” Chris gave his head a slight shake. “I'll wait on that until I know more, maybe have some kind of proof, or have taken care of Kyle.”

“I'd like you to stay.” Her voice trembled slightly, and she glanced down at her brother.

“You're busy. I'll come another time.”

“No.” Ricky stood and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. “I need to go home. I need a shower, clean clothes, and to try to get some sleep.” He shuffled toward the door, Rachel right behind him. She looked up at Chris with pleading eyes.

“Just let me get him settled, and I'll be back. Can you wait a little while?”

“I can. I've got a few calls to make, but I can wait.”

“Good.” She followed Ricky to the door. “I'll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself at home.”

Chris watched as she herded her brother out, fol-lowed him, and closed the door, then pulled out his cell and dialed Adam.

“What can I do for you, sir?” his investigator said as he answered the phone.

“I have been told Emily's dead.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, sir. The source?”

“An unknown, but I trust him on this. I want you to find Kyle. He's been spending time near the dam.”

“Yes, sir. What do you want me to do once I find him?”

“Take him into custody, along with anyone and everyone he's with. I don't care if they're dragons, djinni, werewolves, vampires, or angels, take them all.” They discussed details and disconnected, then Chris called Maggie and told her to clear his schedule for the next week, reschedule everything she could, and let him know if there was anything that couldn't be canceled, or rescheduled, without giving her any more details. He knew it was going to come out soon, and he would have to deal with Tiffany, her grief, and the funeral arrangements.

Chris may not have claimed Emily as his sister the way she had claimed him as a brother, but that was mostly because of the stubborn nature of teenagers and males in general. Besides, by not giving Kyle whatever he was after, she had proven her loyalty to Chris. The only way he had left to honor that was to give her the farewell she deserved. Chris sat on the sofa, buried his head in his hands, and let the emotions he'd been holding back for the last hour go.