Saven Disclosure (The Saven Series Book 2) by Siobhan Davis Read Free Book Online

now.
    “We’re here.” Haydn maneuvers the vehicle alongside the curb and kills the engine. I haven’t said one word to him the entire journey to the Outer Circle. I squint up at the recognizable high-rise as a nasty taste floods my mouth. I wipe my suddenly sweaty palms down the front of my jeans.
    Haydn hops out and opens my door. “You sure you’re up for this?” His kind eyes search my face.
    I’ve filled him in on the less-than-pleasant aspects of my upbringing during one of our many nighttime chats, so he has some understanding of how difficult it is for me to be back here. But my nervousness is more than that. Potent fear for Ella overrides everything else. I have a very bad feeling about all this, though I’m fervently hoping I’m wrong. I nod. “Come on, let’s get it over and done with.”
    The elevator is broken—some things never change—so we trek up the twenty floors by foot. There were plenty of occasions when I’d had recourse to take this exact journey, and typically, I’d be completely breathless by the time I reached our apartment. This time it’s a walk in the park. There’s no denying I’m fitter thanks to Haydn’s persistent training regime.
    I stop outside the apartment door, blood pooling in my ears. Haydn squeezes my hand, and I look up into his reassuring eyes. “You can do this.”
    Lifting my hand, I rap twice on the door. As it’s slowly opened, I gasp. Mom seems to have aged ten years since I left. Her dark hair is threaded with copious strips of gray, and the fine lines around her eyes and mouth are more pronounced, entrenched and heavy set, making her appear older than her fifty years. Clothing hangs off her skeletal frame and she’s thinner than I ever remember. Wizened lips purse into a typical scowl. “Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up.”
    “Can we come in?”
    “No.” She shakes her head emphatically.
    “What?” My eyes pop wide.
    “You are not welcome here anymore. And his kind are definitely not welcome.” She lobs a sneer in Haydn’s direction.
    “Mom, I know I haven’t been around, but I can help you. Let me help you.” I take a step forward.
    Her hand pans out in front of me. “Don’t come any closer.”
    I reach out to her.
    “Don’t touch me!” she screams irrationally, her whole body trembling.
    Haydn places his hand lightly against my lower back.
    “Mom—”
    “Don’t call me that. I’m not your mother anymore. Don’t come back. Ever.” She moves to shut the door, but Haydn implants his foot at the edge of the doorframe. He glares at her and she lurches back, losing her balance and plunging to the floor.
    I bend over to help her. She screams blue murder. Shunting backward along the floor, she frantically inches away from me like I have the plague. “Go! Get out of here or I’m calling the cops.”
    “Sadie,” Haydn says, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Come on.”
    “No.” I wriggle out of his grasp. “Not without Ella.” I duck my chin and stare at the virtual stranger on the floor. “Where is she?”
    “You’re too late. She’s gone. Daveed too.” Mom hauls herself to a standing position. “This is all your fault. I told your father what we should have done, but he refused to give up hope. If he saw you now …” She turns her gaze to Haydn again, but this time the cold sneer has been replaced with fear. “I bet he’s turning in his grave.”
    “Enough.” My voice wobbles as I start to lose control on my fragile emotions. “Where’s Den?” I ask after my other brother.
    “He’s at work. I’ve answered your questions, now go.”
    “You want me to go? I’ll go. But only if you tell me where Ella is gone. Did the government take her?”
    Mom stalks toward the door as Haydn and I back up. “Yes. Now get out of my sight. I never want to lay eyes on you again.”
    And just like that, the door closes on that particular aspect of my life.

CHAPTER 3
    I race out of the building as if a swarm of