The Reckoning by Braylee Parkinson

Author:Braylee Parkinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Braylee Parkinson

6

Ashlynn Breyer's hands trembled slightly as she unlocked the door to her modest home on Detroit's west side, the evening's chill creeping through her cardigan. The low growl of distant city sirens was a stark reminder of the neighborhood's dangers—a constant backdrop to her quiet existence with Rex and Bruno, who now greeted her with wagging tails and eager barks.

As she hung her keys by the door, her mind wandered. Could she help Sierra if prayer and changing her life were off the table? She wasn’t sure. Ashlynn's fingertips traced the scar hidden beneath her sleeve, a memento from the days when she had been entangled with Marcus. Every time she thought of him, it felt like a shadow came over her.

"Can I truly delve back into that darkness?" she murmured to her reflection in the windowpane, the furrowed brow and wire-frame glasses doing little to mask the weight of her decision.

”Hey,” Raymond called from the hallway, startling her.

”Oh, Ray. I forgot you were here.”

”I know. The fridge is pretty bare. What’s for dinner?”

She silently prickled at the level of entitlement in her brother’s voice. There was plenty of food in the house, but it had to be cooked. Raymond expected her to serve him.

”Beef stew,” she muttered, headed for the kitchen. Rex and Bruno followed her, but Raymond headed for the spare bedroom. As she chopped celery, carrots and onions, Ashlynn thought about how she was going to tell Raymond that he needed to get a job or at least help out around the house if he was going to stay there. She was rehearsing a speech in her head when she heard mumbling.

Ashlynn leaned against the kitchen counter, her gaze flitting from the simmering pot of beef stew to the hallway where Raymond had just slipped away. She was happy her brother was safe in her home, but he’d been so secretive since he’d returned. Ashlynn tried to push away the worry she felt, closing her eyes and inhaling the savory aroma of the meal she was making, but that did little to ease the knotted feeling in her gut. She hadn't missed how his eyes darted to the door every few minutes or how his laughter sounded a touch too forced during dinner. Now, as her brother excused himself for the third time that evening, Ashlynn's intuition hummed with alarm.

"Ray, everything alright?" she called after him, but he was already out of sight, his mumbled reply lost in the distance.

From the corner of her eye, Ashlynn saw the shadow of her brother through the frosted glass panes of the backdoor. His silhouette merged and broke apart as he paced, phone pressed to his ear. Her hand tightened around the wooden spoon. She was used to Raymond keeping secrets from her but his most recent past was concerning. He’d relapsed onto drugs and disappeared for weeks, and he was dabbling in the occult.

Ashlynn stirred the beef stew and set the spoon down, wiping her hands on the apron cinched around her slender waist.

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