Three. The Perfect Reckoning
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R. S. Aria
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1,4M
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29
Hospital
Madison
Twin brothers Ethan and Levi have found their bliss together with their girlfriend Madison, while their lifelong friends, Madison’s loyal brothers Liam and Ezra, have found loves of their own. They’re all on their way to becoming a big, happy, albeit unconventional family. But another trio from the past is casting a dangerous shadow over their new lives. Will the three be able to weather the storm together?
After the phone call, it takes mere minutes for Madison and Levi to get dressed and jump into the car. Luckily for them, the twins happen to live close to the hospital, so the ride takes less than fifteen minutes.
“Hi, we’re here to see Mr. Davis? He was in a car accident about an hour ago,” Levi said to the woman at the reception desk. He kept his emotions in check. As worried as he was, he couldn’t show it; Madison was wrapped around his waist in shocked silence.
She didn’t say much during the short ride, instead she cried quietly, worried about her brother’s condition. The bond between her and her brothers was the strongest thing she had besides her bond with the twins.
“Room 329,” the woman said after a moment, and with a sympathetic smile she pointed to the corridor for them to take. “Thanks,” Madison answered just before walking away. Something in the pit of her stomach told her that the situation was even worse than it seemed.
“Madison,” Ezra’s voice made her look up quickly, and as she glanced at Levi, who smiled at her, she hurried over to her brother. “How is he?” she asked, and buried her face in his chest she let go of her emotion in a silent sob, the overwhelming sensation of a brotherly hug getting the better of her.
“Shh, little sis, don’t cry. Levi has thick skin. Do you want to go in?” Ezra murmured against her hair, kissing the top of her head a few times. “Can we?” “Of course you can. They gave him something for the pain, so he may act a little funny.”
Ezra’s ability to downplay every situation was his best quality. “It’s okay,” she murmured, looking over to Levi. “You coming?” she asked, looking at him through her long, wet lashes. Her red, puffy eyes were the last thing he wanted to see.
“No, love, you go. Let’s not overwhelm him any further.” The smile he gave her was the purest expression of love. “Thank you,” she whispered and in a second she was out of view, headed to Liam’s room.
“So, do we know what happened?” Levi asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in the corridor. The hard expression on Ezra’s face made it clear that he knew something.
“Well, luckily for us, Liam has one of those dashcams in his car, mostly for safety, so we know where and when it happened. Plus, Sam saw everything.” “Sam did? How?” “Luck, I guess. She was in the right place at the right time.” “What happened, Ezra?”
“What happened is that since we found out the truth, we’ve tried to avoid Marcus and Ava as much as we could. You know all the paperwork that we had you do? Well, they must have found out that no more money was going into their accounts, because they flew over yesterday.” “And why didn’t you say anything?” Levi asked.
“Because we had no idea until this morning, when we received a call to meet them in a coffee shop, just a few blocks away from the gym. They must have planned everything. They must have thought the three of us were together because Sam saw an empty car cutting straight across the driveway the moment Liam's car pulled out.” “What?”
“And what’s worse, is that she saw two women not too far from there, who ran away the moment they saw her.” “Fuck. No one is safe.” “Perhaps. Or perhaps this is our opportunity to get things straight.
“After the accident, Marcus and Ava called to see where we were, so I told them what happened. They pretended to be worried, of course, so they’re coming over in a bit. The best thing for us to do is pretend. Act like we have no idea they’re behind it. We’re having the house security videos checked, but it’s going to take a while; the police said they need a few days, too.”
“Well, I won’t leave Madison’s side,” Levi stated matter-of-factly. “That means you boys are stuck with me and Ethan. He should be here by this evening.” “Thanks, Levi. That really means a lot.”
“We’re brothers,” Levi looked at Ezra directly to emphasize his point. “We always have been.” “Thank you. Should we go and check on the other two? I bet Madison is schooling Liam for not having been more careful.” “Ha, poor Liam.”
“By the way, what took you so long to answer?” Ezra asked slyly. “Uh…you sure you want to know?” “Well, next time just try to answer sooner,” Ezra nudged Levi’s shoulder lightly. “I thought the worst when she didn’t pick up.”
This was only the second time in their lives that Levi saw his best friend cry. He could only imagine what Ezra was thinking in those minutes of chaos.
***
“Hey,” Liam said, slowly opening his eyes. God, this medicine they gave me is strong. “Hey,” Madison answered. A few salty tears still trickled down on her face. “How do you feel?”
Running her hand through his hair, she tried to smile, but her fear still overwhelmed her ability to do so. “Hey, don’t cry. I’m fine, just a few stitches here and there,” he answered with a smile of his own. He hissed in pain as his smile stretched the stitches under his right eye. His face was bruised all over.
“You scared me half to death, Liam. Don’t do that again.” “I’m sorry, Madison.…It wasn’t really my intention. Besides, it was my favorite car!” His playful tone made Madison chuckle, and her face slowly melted into a soft smile at last. “Perhaps next time you should be more careful.”
“It wasn’t my fault. It was a trap.” “Was it?” she asked, eyes widening in shock. She hadn’t asked Ezra what had happened. “Yes, but I’m too mixed up right now to tell you about it. Ezra knows everything.” “Okay. You should rest anyway. Don’t worry about anything. We’re here…”
“I know. And sorry if I interrupted your morning.” He chuckled, looking at her with a wry smile. That medicine was indeed very strong. “What?” Madison asked in surprise. “You smell like sex, Madison,” Liam said with little embarrassment.
Madison’s mouth dropped open the moment he said the words, and to make matters worse, Levi and Ezra had just walked in. “It’s the painkillers!” Liam laughed in a half-hearted attempt to defend himself, but the smile on Levi’s face and the way Ezra rolled his eyes told her that they had that conversation too. “So, someone care to tell me what the fuck happened?”
