A scream ripped Cody from his darkness. It was Hannah. He knew it surer than he knew his own name. He scrambled to his feet, screaming her name.

“Hannah!”

Cody found the keypad and punched in the code with shaking fingers—Harrison’s birthday. He’d always been his parents’ favorite.

Relief flooded him when the door softly groaned open.

“Hannah!”

Her voice rang out clear as day. “Cody! Help!”

He ran toward her voice through the maze of cars. Rage nearly blinded him when he spotted her—Harrison pinning her in the back of his Royce.

* * *

One minute Harrison’s weight was crushing Hannah and the next he was gone. He disappeared as if sucked through the fuselage of an unpressurized aircraft. Cody’s furious voice filled the air as he slammed Harrison onto the hood of the car.

“You piece of shit,” Cody screamed as he pummeled Harrison’s face. “I’ll kill you if you hurt her. Do you hear me? I’ll kill you.” Cody rained down punch after punch into Harrison’s face until blood was pouring from his nose and mouth. “Don’t you ever touch her again!” Cody growled, slamming Harrison into the hood of the priceless car with disgust.

His initial fury drained, Cody turned his attention to Hannah. “Are you okay?” he asked softly. But Hannah didn’t get to reply.

Harrison dove onto Cody. “She wanted it,” he screamed as he swung at Cody. “All your girls want me!”

“Shut up!” Cody scathed landing a sickening punch to Harrison’s face.

Harrison spit blood and smiled before slamming his head into Cody’s face.

The battle had begun.

Hannah righted her dress and tried to crawl from the car but was knocked back in by the war that was raging in the garage. She had a front row seat as Harrison and Cody wrestled each other to the ground, punching and kicking.

This fight had been brewing for ages and all Hannah could do was sit by and watch, trying to not become a casualty.

“I love how easy your girls are,” Harrison jeered unable to resist taking verbal jabs at Cody as well as physical. “They’re all backseat sluts. Hannah couldn’t resist anymore than Elena could.”

Cody’s face turned white and Harrison took advantage of his shock, throwing Cody off of him and getting to his feet.

Harrison circled Cody with predatorily focus.

Get up! Hannah willed as she watched the scene unfold. Get up!

But Cody didn’t get up. He stayed on his knees, blood dripping from his face. He looked up at Harrison with more hurt than Hannah had ever seen.

“I always knew it was you.” Cody’s stunned voice was barely above a whisper.

“The truth hurts doesn’t it?” Harrison mocked.

“Why?” Cody yelled finding his voice again and climbing to his feet.

“Who cares? Just admit that you’ve lost and get the fuck out of my life!”

“What the hell did I ever do to you, Harrison?”

“You were born.” Harrison screamed, the vein in his neck looking like it was going to burst. “You are what’s wrong with me! Your existence is a constant reminder of my ruined family and I won’t stop until I’ve destroyed you, the way your mother destroyed us.”

“What are you talking about?”

Harrison cocked his head, puzzled. Then he unleashed hysterical laughter. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Enlighten me.”

“This is too good to be true.” Harrison clasped his hands behind his back and paced like a professor giving a lecture. “Where to start, where to start. Ah, how about at the beginning, dear brother?”

Cody looked like a fighter about to go down. He wobbled on his legs and Harrison caught him. He wasn’t done toying with him yet.

“That’s right,” Harrison hissed. “Haven’t you ever wondered why our parents divorced the same year? Or why my father’s always been so kind to you? Even going as far as to have his legal team represent you to get your sentence reduced? It should have been manslaughter, but Daddy couldn’t let his youngest end up in prison, could he?”

Cody shoved Harrison off him. “You’re lying!”

“I wish. But your whore of a mother couldn’t keep her legs closed around my father. God knows how she lured him to bed. Probably got him drunk. Alcohol has always been the choice weapon in your family.”

“Don’t talk about my mother!”

“Why? She never wanted you. She wanted my father. You were just a misfortunate byproduct of their affair.”

Cody staggered back from Harrison’s cutting words. Shock and disbelief warred on his face.

Hannah couldn’t take anymore of this nightmare. She slipped from the backseat of the car and edged her way toward Cody, slipping her hand into his. He looked at her, momentarily dazed, like he’d forgotten she was even there.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Hannah begged pulling Cody toward the open garage door.

“Think about it, Cody,” Harrison called. “Deep down you’ve always known it’s true.”

Hannah tugged relentlessly at Cody’s arm, making progress one foot at a time. They were almost out of the garage. Cool air brushed her skin with the promise of freedom, but Harrison wouldn’t stop. He just kept taunting.

“Too bad everyone always chooses me,” Harrison goaded. “Elena, Hannah, Our Father. He knew the truth about Elena, ya know? He knew I got her pregnant, but he wasn’t going to let my record be tarnished. That’s why he let you take the fall. You’re illegitimate and you always will be.”

“What’s to stop me from going to the police about this?” Cody snarled as Hannah clung to his arm, holding him from falling to pieces.

Harrison laughed. “Like anyone would believe you.”

Hannah had enough. She’d tried to stay quiet, but this was too much. She spoke in a deadly calm voice staring directly at Harrison. “But they might believe me.”

“That’s sweet. But you don’t have any proof.”

Hannah slowly reached into her black clutch and pulled out the camera she’d stolen from the back seat of Harrison’s car.

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared with hatred. “You little bitch.”

“Run,” Cody yelled, pushing Hannah out the garage door.

She heard him scuffling with Harrison behind her as she ran as fast as she could toward the house. The sound of gravel crunching behind her made her turn. Cody sprinted after her. But just steps behind him was Harrison.

“Keys,” Cody shouted, throwing them at her. “Get to my car and get out of here.”

She caught them and nodded, not hesitating for a second. She spotted Cody’s Range Rover parked in front of the manor. She got in and started it up. The seat remembered her, boosting her forward as she pushed the clutch into drive, speeding back toward the garage.

Cody and Harrison were rolling around in the gravel trying to kill each other. Hannah laid on the horn and skidded to a stop as close to them as she dared. It had the desired effect. Both boys separated, launching themselves out of the way thinking she was going to run them over. Cody jumped into the car and Hannah hit the lock button, leaving Harrison chasing after them as they sped off into the wild wooded darkness.