//EDITED//

I try to wake up Grandpa.

"He isn't dead, he is asleep," I whisper to myself.

I keep shaking him but he won't open his eyes.

"You're not dead. You're asleep."

Getting frustrated now, I start yelling.

"Grandpa, open your damn eyes!!!"

But he doesn't open them. They are still closed. I try hitting his chest, hoping to get a reaction, but nothing happens. His body is still limp in my arms, his chest is still as a rock, and his eyes are still closed, I start crying and bury my face in his chest.

"No...please...don't leave me...don't."

I break into more tears.

I want to scream. I want to scream and let it all out. I want to stop feeling this pain.

So I scream.

I scream so loudly that it hurts my own ears, but I don't care. I scream, but the heavy feeling still remains. I scream until I can't scream anymore and all I can do is shed silent tears.

Then the silence is broken by a groan.

I pull my face up from Grandpa's chest and look at the man lying a couple feet away from me. He has blood on his face and is trying to get up.

Anger surges through me. Pure hate washes over my eyes as I stare at the guy.

He killed him.

He killed my only family.

He's the reason I am alone now.

He's the reason I am feeling this pain again.

My eyes land on the gun next to me. The gun that killed my Grandfather. I reach for it and my hands close around the cold, hard, metal. My fingers wrap around the trigger and I slowly stand up.

The guy's back is facing me so he doesn't see me approaching. Once I am a good distance I raise the gun to his back, but I hesitate.

This is too easy.

He needs to feel pain.

He needs to beg.

Beg for mercy.

I fire the gun at the wall and hit the vase a few inches from the man's face. He snaps his head around and looks at me. I still can't see his face because of the mask, but I can see his eyes. Eyes filled with horror and fear.

Perfect.

I run towards him and punch him in the face multiple times. He tries to grab my wrists but I block his arms. Then I kick him in the stomach, making him curl into a ball. I grab him by the hair and push him into the wall. His body hits it hard and he lets out a scream.

He leans against the wall I stand a few feet away with my gun next to my thigh.

"Please don't kill me," he begs.

I stare at him, unmoved.

"Please. Black sent me. I was just following orders."

Black? That is the third time I have heard that name and I already despise it. Right now he and Walker are in a tie for first place on my kill list.

"You still pulled the trigger," I say coldly.

I raise my gun and aim at him.

"You still took him from me with your own hands."

I fire. His screams fill the room as he doubles over in pain, clutching his right thigh.

"Please..." he begs.

To end him I point my gun towards his chest.

"You made your choice—not Black, you."

Just as I am about to fire, I feel someone grab me from behind me and yank the gun from my hand.

"Thea, what the fuck are you doing?!" Caleb yells.

Raph and Leo come in quickly after him, and stares at the man in shock.

"He needs to die!" I yell.

"Thea. Hey, calm down. Everything is going to be fine." Caleb says calmly.

"No...no it's not, Caleb. He killed Grandpa...he killed him..." I cry.

Raph looks at me then at the man bleeding on the floor. Leo looks at Grandpa with a sad expression. Caleb holds me against his chest to prevent me from attacking the bastard.

"Caleb, take her upstairs and get ready to leave. We can't stay here any longer," Raph orders.

Caleb nods and gently sweeps me up bridal style.

"NO! CALEB PUT ME DOWN! I NEED TO KILL—"

But before I can finish my sentence I feel a light touch on my neck and my eyes close instantly.

***

The number of times I have been knocked unconscious in the past couple of weeks is definitely not healthy.

I wake up with a pounding headache and an unbelievable pain in my back. I slowly sit up and rub my eyes. Once my vision has adjusted to the light I notice I am in an expensive looking room. There is a TV facing a king-sized bed and a comfy-looking couch to the side. There is also what looks like a walk-in closet and ensuite.

Confused, I slowly get up and my feet touch the soft carpet floor.

A cup of coffee with a smiley face is sitting on the table next to the bed with a little note next to it.

Good morning—Caleb :)

I smile for a moment, but my face falls when I remember the events of last night.

Tears run down my cheeks as I picture Grandpa's lifeless body in my arms. Then I remember his words.

'Stay close to Martinez.'

Does he mean Asher Martinez? But why would I want to stay close to him?

'Black can't get them.'

Get what? And who the fuck is Black? The guy who broke in also said he worked for Black.

Then his last word—Cahill. Who is Cahill?

I groan and rub my head—I can feel a severe headache forming. Trying to relieve my stress, I decide to find out where I am.

I am pretty sure Caleb must be here somewhere—the coffee is still hot. I grab the cup and make my way toward the door.

Maybe he has some answers to my questions.

***

If this was where Caleb lives then he is fucking loaded.

I mean, this guy must be swimming in cash if he has all this stuff. Finishing up my coffee I walk down the hall, and faint voices grow louder.

"It can't be her!" I hear Raph yell.

I roll my eyes. Why am I not surprised he is yelling again?

Setting down my coffee on a conveniently placed table, I walk closer to the voices.

"I am afraid it is," an older man says calmly.

"But I thought the Cahill's didn't have any kids," a familiar voice answers.

"That was what they wanted people to think—so they wouldn't go after her, Asher."

Asher? Wait, what?

Curious, I peek into the the room through a small keyhole. Sure, enough Asher Martinez is in there, and so are Raph, Leo, and Caleb. An older man there too, someone I don't recognize. They are all huddled around a table covered with papers.

"So she's the missing key," Caleb says softly.

I have a feeling they are talking about me. What do they mean—missing key? And who is Cahill?!

"I don't understand. She's the one?" Leo asks with disbelief.

"Samantha and James were smart, Leo. They knew that exposing their child would bring danger upon them all."

"That's why Ben and Thea were so close back at the cabin. She's his granddaughter," Caleb says, still trying to grasp the idea.

The names of my parents peak my interest even more. What do they have to do with this? But instead of hearing more, all I get is silence.

What the hell?

I pressed my body up against the door to try to hear better, but nothing. Suddenly, the door swings open and I let out a shriek. My body tumbles through the doorway and onto the floor. The sharp pain in my back makes me stand up quickly, and I am faced with the staring eyes of five men.

The one that makes me shiver most is Asher's deep, calculated, stare.

Well then, isn't this just lovely.