Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 108

As brothers went, Sebastian and Gabriel were far from similar. They could put on a show of brotherly camaraderie but in truth they were polar opposites. They got along fine for periods of time but generally didn’t have much interest in the other outside of being family.

The only time this changed was when they worked together; their teamwork was impeccable. Their differences made them a perfect pair, able to make up for what the other lacked.

As they ate the usual Monday family dinner, minus Laurent and Vivian due to the events from that morning, Samuel had begun discussing the job Sebastian was to complete that night. It was then Gabriel decided to jump in, saying it would go smoother as a two man job.

Convincing their father to let him join in had been easy and now Gabriel found himself standing beside his big brother just outside a well lit mansion. They both wore the same thing; a fitted long sleeve shirt with matching athletic pants, boots, and gloves, all in dark grey. Their hair was gelled back to prevent leaving any unwanted strands behind; it was Gabriel’s least favourite part of taking on jobs for his father. Helmet hair was what he called it because it felt like he was wearing a helmet of pure gel.

“I would prefer you taking the parents,” Sebastian said for the third time since they’d left the house.

Gabriel shook his head as he checked everything was where it should be. Gun in the shoulder holster, backup on his right ankle; two extra magazines were attached to his belt. A hunting knife was on the hip opposite the magazines and a smaller one strapped to his left thigh beneath his pants, a hole in the pocket giving him access to it if needed. The zip ties in his back pocket felt like overkill, but he wasn’t about to make a fuss about it, either. Better to be over prepared than under. A few other odds and ends he brought along on a job were secured and he was ready to go.

“You know why you’re getting them and not the kid,” Gabriel pointed out after finishing his mental check list. “We both know you’ll take it too far if she puts up a fuss.”

“Is that really so bad?”

“In this context, yes. We were told to leave no marks. Just… give them a friendly talking to about how they should treat others.”

Sebastian let out a sigh but didn’t object.

Together they walked up to the mansion, skirting around the pools of light that lit the property as they took advantage of a flaw in the security that allowed them to reach the building unseen.

They exchanged no words as they moved along the side of the mansion to a side door with a lock pad. *When will people realize these things are less secure than a deadbolt*, Gabriel wondered to himself as he watched his brother pry off the lock pad’s casing to reveal the wires and computer chips underneath.

A burner phone was then linked to it and Sebastian swiped through the phone’s screen prompts for half a minute before the distinct sound of a lock being opened was heard. In no time he’d replaced the casing on the lock pad.

Gabriel opened the door and peeked inside. No one in sight and he noted the alarm system’s control panel to the right of the door. Slipping inside, he removed the casing on the control panel as it began to emit a faint pinging. This part was the most important; if he was too slow, the system would alert the homeowners of a breach or the company providing the alarm would call. He gave himself ten seconds to remove the casing and turn off the system as a whole.

Using his own burner phone, he did much the same thing Sebastian had with the door — linking it to the alarm via a short cable and turning it off from within. It was a brute force method that overloaded the OS of the alarm itself, forcing a reset that looked like it was done by the user; this was important because if the alarm company realized it wasn’t the user doing the reset they would immediately notify the authorities.

Finishing with a second to spare, Gabriel let out the breath he’d been holding. Once everything was back in place, the brothers exchange nods before going their separate ways. The goal was to hit two birds with one stone; have Sebastian chat with the parents at the same time Gabriel was with the kid. No one else should be in the home that night, leaving them plenty of time to deliver their father’s message and really drive home the severity of the situation.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Gabriel arrived on the second floor and glanced right, then left. They’d memorized the layout of the home before coming and it wasn’t anything complicated. Most large homes like this were set up in much the same way; the issue was knowing which rooms were being occupied and by whom.

The room he was looking for should be at the very end of the hall and as he approached it Gabriel took note that no light was coming from the crack under the door. Good. That meant the occupant should be asleep.

Gripping the door knob, he turned it with the upmost gentleness. It was luck that the occupant hadn’t locked the door, something he was more than glad to take advantage of as he slipped inside the moment he’d opened it enough to fit through. Closing it the same way it’d been opened, Gabriel pulled out the penlight he’d brought and used it to look around the room.

The walls were covered with posters and art, but it was the large cork board that drew his eye. Photos of smiling teens were plastered all over it, with a few noticeably empty spots where it looked like some shots had recently removed.

Most of the photos were of a blond with a bright smile and clear blue eyes, usually with a group or a couple friends. Lots of cheerleader outfits, party outfits that showed a bit too much, beach days and just hanging out. *Lots of friends*, Gabriel noted but the empty spots made him wonder if the kid had recently fallen out with someone. Teens were volatile, especially the arrogant and narcissistic ones. Suddenly deciding they hated someone for a stupid reason was par for the course.

Finishing his inspection of the room, Gabriel ventured to the bed where a sleeping figure lay, oblivious to the man who was about to ruin their life. He stared at the bed for nearly a minute, wondering if he could get away with what he *really* wanted to do before deciding it wouldn’t be possible. Besides, their father had specifically told him to take care of this part because Sebastian *would* do what he wanted without a second thought. Just because both brothers wanted to do the same thing didn’t mean Gabriel had to give in to the urge.

*Leave no mark*, he reminded himself. *Dad would be pissed if I went rogue. I can do this with words alone. If not, I can always have a bit of fun scaring the piss out of her, right?* The mental image from that thought brought a smirk to Gabriel’s face as he moved to stand beside the bed.

It was easy to remove the hunting knife from its sheath, playing with it a bit before leaning over the sleeping figure. “Time to wake up,” he said in a gentle voice as he pressed the blade against the delicate skin of the exposed throat. “Abigail Demoine.”