تسجيل الدخولTHE PERSON WATCHINGJake held his cell in his hands. The last message was still on the screen.OR THE NEXT PERSON WHO DISAPPEARS WILL BE YOUR BROTHER.Ethan reread it once more, feeling his stomach turning upside down."That's not the police," Blake muttered."How do you know?""Because the police wouldn't threaten you like that."Jake stared at the screen. Blake was right. The commissioner was trying to arrest them — he would just wait until they made a mistake. Something else was happening here. Someone new appeared, someone who knew the drugstore and the situation well enough to scare the hell out of them. Someone who knew that Ethan was Jake's weakness.Jake switched off his phone. "We need to leave this place."Ethan frowned. "Where?""Somewhere public."Blake looked around their surroundings, noticing that there wasn't anyone else around. "Why?""Because whoever sent the message knows where we are."Blake's eyes grew wide. "You think they're here?"Jake didn't say anything. He s
THE MESSAGEBlake held the cell phone in his hands. The display had gone black, but the words were still imprinted in his memory.YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR BROTHER IS INVOLVED IN.And below it—ASK HIM ABOUT THE DRUGSTORE.Blake's finger lingered over the screen. There were several seconds of silence."Blake?"Blake turned. Ethan was staring at him from the opposite side of the desk. "You okay?""I'm fine."Blake quickly locked his phone. "Yeah."Ethan squinted. "You don't look fine.""I am."Tom shifted from his side. "And we've all heard this before somebody went completely crazy."Blake smiled. "Seriously. I'm fine."The teacher threw a book on the desk. "Could we please have one lesson without you guys whispering?"Tom instantly sat up straight. "Yes, sir."The teacher gave him a look before turning to the board. Blake hid his phone under the table. He still felt his heart racing abnormally. He shot a look at Ethan. Should he tell him? Maybe. But if Ethan knew nothing about Jake, t
THE COMMISSIONER'S MOVEHayes paced behind the big window of his office and looked down on the town. From his height, the place seemed peaceful. Cars were driving along the streets. Pedestrians crossed the roads. All businesses were starting to open their doors for the morning work. There was nothing in the city suggesting that just a couple of hours ago, two young men came to his station, defied the law, and went out laughing.Hayes' jaw tightened. He turned away from the window.The report of the drugstore case was lying on his desk. Two suspects – Aaron Thompson and Jake Sanders. Murder, drug trafficking, assault, and plenty of evidences against them. Yet they were free.Hayes grabbed the report and threw it on his desk. "Unbelievable."Morris stayed silent behind him. He was standing there for nearly five minutes already and watched his superior pacing around."They didn't even try to hide it," Hayes continued. "The sheriff takes an envelope, makes a phone call, and all traces of
A WARNINGThe following morning, the Sanders house seemed quiet in an unusual way. Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table with an open textbook in front of him, however, in the last ten minutes, he hadn't read a single page. His eyes kept moving towards the clock. 8:17. He needed to start preparing for school, instead of being lost in the phone. There wasn't any message from Jake.He frowned and tried calling his brother once again.CALLING…The phone rang several times until the call went straight to voicemail. Ethan sighed and put the phone on the table. "Come on, Jake." He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face.Since the day of the visit from the police, things started to change. He knew that Jake had something to do with Aaron somehow – he was aware of the drugs, the midnight meetings and the strangers who sometimes appeared, demanding something from his brother. However, murder was another matter entirely.The memory of that day still echoed in his mind: Aaron raising the
THE COMMISSIONER'S REVENGECommissioner Daniel Hayes stood at the big window of his office and watched the police station below him. The day was late and the sun was already setting behind the building. Officers walked along the parking lot, talking in small groups. It all seemed quite normal to Hayes.Except, it wasn't. Not for the first time in his life, someone had put Hayes into an awkward position, where he was unable to do anything to help his department. And this someone was Sheriff Marcus Reed.Hayes turned away from the window and went straight to his desk. The thin brown folder sat on it. Hayes watched the folder for a few moments and took it off. The folder contained pictures. One picture was of the drug store. Another was of the elderly owner. Third one was of Jake Sanders and Aaron Thompson.Hayes looked at it for a few seconds. "Two bastards," he muttered and threw the picture on the desk. The surveillance video had provided more than enough proof. The faces were clearl
RUN AS FAST AS YOU CANMorris drove like a desperate man. Tires squealed as he spun the cruiser into the next turn, missing a delivery truck and speeding down the empty street."Ethan, Jesus!""Dude.""Do you want me to not worry when you're driving like a madman?""Yeah.""You're not making me feel better!"Blake looked through the rear window. Three SUVs were following them. "They're catching up!""I know.""How are they following us if they're three streets behind?""Because they don't want that memory card reaching the commissioner.""You really are working for Hawthorne, then?""He's the one who sent me after you.""So why didn't he come himself?""Because he can't.""Why?"Morris' expression grew darker. "Because someone from the department is watching him."Silence fell into the car. "Then he is trapped too?""Not exactly. He's investigating the sheriff. But he needs evidence."Thomas held up the memory card. "So he sent you because he needs this.""Exactly."Horn honked behind
UNDER THE BLEACHERSThe heavy grunts of the footballers practicing echoed across the field as Ethan dropped down on the grass beneath the bleachers. He spread his notebook across his laps, flipping through the pages as he sipped his soda. The metal beams above him rattled occasionally whenever some
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREET 2The name hit Ethan like a brick and he found himself choking on his own breath. His head snapped up instantly to Tom standing a few feet away. “…Huh?” was all that slipped past his lips as his eyes widened. Tom just shrugged again like it was nothing. "He met me after
KISS ME LIKE YOU HATE MECoach Daniels' sharp whistle rang out, echoing across the empty court. The sound of squeaking shoes and quickened breath filled the space as everyone huddled at a corner. “Alright, y’all pair up,” Coach Daniels shouted in a thick southern accent, as he grabbed a basketball
DREAMS, DESKS AND DIRTY THOUGHTSHis hands were everywhere and his kisses were like fire, burning with passion. Blake ran his hands over Ethan's body before pushing him hard, pinning him against the locker. The cold, metal surface bit at Ethan's skin through his shirt but he didn't mind it. He wan







