Betrayed by Kelly Harper Read Free Book Online Page A

were making themselves feel quite at home.
    He slipped through the laundry room and beyond into the kitchen. His eyes swiveled back and forth, taking in as much of the house as he could. There was no movement; nothing out of place. He grabbed a butcher’s knife from the counter and flipped it around, holding it outright in front of him. It was no use against a gun, but maybe he could scare someone off with it.
    The noise was coming from somewhere deeper in the house. He guessed someone had turned up the volume on the entertainment system in the living room. He padded along as quietly as possible. No one could hear anything over the booming bass and the crying guitars, he was sure of that.
    He poked his head around the corner leading to the living room. There, the speakers boomed and rattled, but there was no one to be seen. Ethan moved through the room quickly, keeping his eyes forward as he moved into the main hallway. He had covered half of the house so far and hadn’t seen anyone. Perhaps the person had come and gone - but, why would they have left everything in place? Nothing about the house was different, save the blaring music.
    That was when he saw it.
    The hallway curved and opened onto the guest bedroom. The door was open, and there was a backpack slung onto the bed. It was a JanSport, but he didn’t recognize it. Inside, the door to the guest bathroom was closed, and light could be seen from underneath.
    Someone is in the bathroom, he thought.
    He could see shadowed movement coming from within. Whoever was there, they were standing just on the other side of the door. He crept forward, slowly. He was only ten feet from the door. Five feet. Two feet. His breath came deeply, and his pulse roared.
    What was he doing? He should just call the cops and wait outside. He wasn’t a hero - hell, he had never been in a real fight before. But someone was in his house. Someone had invaded what was his, and something primal in him knew he needed to take action. He couldn’t call the cops and wait for them when there was an immediate threat in front of him.
    He inched closer to the door and reached out his hand. He could feel the heat coming from within - someone had taken a shower. Who would do such a thing?
    Just as his fingertips were about to wrap around the handle, something happened. The light coming from the bottom of the door was blotted out, and the knob twisted and turned. The door opened.
    A man stood there with a toothbrush in his mouth, and a towel draped around his waist. His hair was shorter than Ethan’s, and still damp. He looked like he hadn’t bothered to shave in a few days.
    Ethan screamed and began to launch himself forward. The man screamed in turn and stumbled backward. He lost his balance and slipped on the wet bathroom floor, sliding and sprawling out across the fine tile.
    It was only a moment of clarity that stopped Ethan from attacking the man. For a brief instant, Ethan recognized him, and stopped his attack before it got bloody and permanent.
    “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, as he stood over the frightened shape of his little brother.

Chapter 5

    “Well? Are you going to answer me?” Ethan asked again.
    His heart was still pounding violently in his chest.
    The man didn’t budge. He laid on the floor for a second longer, his hand out in front of him for protection, and the tooth brush dangling from his mouth. Ethan could see the surprised fear in his eyes, and he realized that he was still holding the butcher’s knife out in front of him.
    He shook his head and relaxed himself. He set the knife on the bathroom counter and reached out a hand to help his brother up.
    The man took his hand and pulled himself up. He kept a wary look on Ethan as he rinsed out his mouth in the sink. The towel still dangled from his waist, and Ethan didn’t see any clothes in the sight.
    “It’s good to see you, too, brother,” the man said.
    “Trevor, you can’t just go sneaking into