Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"I don't understand, who's taken them?" Auntie Ivory asks, a cup of strong mint tea in her hand. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and beside me, annoyance flashes across Uncle Tobias' face.

"We don't know that yet." I say.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Tobias says bluntly, his words harsh. Auntie Ivory narrows her eyes at him before taking another sip of her tea. Quite frankly, I'm surprised her pinky finger isn't sticking out as she drinks.

The door pushes open and Woody walks in, heading towards the kitchen at the back. Ivory snaps her head towards him and a look of surprise flashes across it as she watches his every move.

"Who is this?" She asks, looking at Uncle Tobias. He takes a few moments to answer, his face emotionless.

"He works for me." Uncle Tobias says quietly, adjusting himself on the seat whilst avoiding tell Ivory his name. He looks uncomfortable, like he doesn't want to speak much about Woody. Weird.

"Doing what?" Ivory questions, earning a raised eyebrow from Woody. He leans back against the wall, glancing at me before looking back at Ivory.

"I do odd jobs for him and help out around the gym. Does that answer your question?" Woody says, his voice echoing around the room. The tension continues to build and I sigh, standing up.

"Can we all please focus on finding my parents? I don't care whether you're a drug dealer Ivory. I don't care whether you employ people to work for you Uncle Tobias. I care about finding my parents. We're family, we should be working together." I say firmly, glancing between us all sat at the table. Silence fills the room before Woody scoffs, slicing right through my dramatic speech.

"Just family, yeah? I guess I'll leave then."

He shoots me an icy expression, eyes narrowed before heading for the exit.

"Woody, that not what I meant."

"Save it Ruby, I know where I stand." Woody snaps, disappearing out the door with a slam. I sigh heavily and drop myself back down on my seat, slumping towards the floor.

"Woody? He seems nice." Ivory says tightly, a small smile on her lips.

"Let's drop the sarcasm," I mutter, massaging the space between my brows. I could feel the beginning of a pounding headache beginning to form.

"You okay sweetheart?" Uncle Tobias asks, concern etched into his dark eyes. I nod my head, shooting him a reassuring smile. Ivory remains quiet, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping against the glass coffee table.

"You should both come to stay with me." She says, breaking her silence. She glances between Tobias and I as if it makes absolute sense to go and stay with her. Uncle Tobias is the first to speak, his features twisting with disbelief —

"You want to take our niece and have her stay with you and Ben? Drug dealers? Are you crazy?" He yells, standing up abruptly.

"Not crazy! It makes sense, all of us under one roof."

"Not when that roof is full of danger! Jake and Emily have worked their entire lives to keep her safe and now you want to ruin all of that? By having her around your illegal business?" Uncle Tobias yells, throwing his hands up in the air in disbelief. I slowly begin shrinking inside my chair, the intensity of my headache increasing as time goes on.

"Why can't you let it go Tobias?! You're acting like you've always been innocent your entire life!" Ivory snaps, her words laced with venom. Uncle Tobias scoffs, shaking his head.

"I found the right path Ivory! I changed! Drugs almost killed you or have you forgotten that part? You're selling them to drug addicts when you're forgetting you were one yourself!" He rages, a red tint covering his cheeks. His chest rises and falls heavily and Auntie Ivory slams her hands onto the desk, pain flashing across her eyes. She stands up and turns towards Tobias, her words quiet.

"I managed to turn my weakness into a million pound business. I won't allow my past to take control of my life! What have you done for yourself Tobias? Look at this place, it's a mess!"

Anger flashes through Uncle Tobias' eyes and he takes slow steps forward until he's facing her.

"At least I'm not a murderer." He hisses, teeth clenched tightly together. My eyes widen and the atmosphere grows so thick, it's almost suffocating. Ivory's face twists with confusion and surprise before masking over with anger. She takes a step back before her hand flies up, slapping Uncle Tobias' cheek hard. The sound echoes around the room and I jump up, putting myself between them.

"Hey! Don't slap my Uncle Tobias!" I yell at her, standing in front of him. Behind me, I can hear his heavy breathing. I know he left me for years but the pain radiating from him is overwhelming. I've never been able to describe the connection between him and I. I've always been able to feel his emotions, he portrays them too well across his features. Everyone else described him as a mystery but not me. He's all too easy to read and right now, I can feel him breaking down. I can't stand back and watch my Uncle Tobias break down in front of me.

Him, Dad and Mum are the strongest people I know.

Auntie Ivory snaps her head towards me, her hand slightly shaking as it hovers in the air.

"I shouldn't have done that, especially not in front of you." She mutters, guilt filling her features. I inhale sharply but feel my uncles hand rest on my shoulder from behind.

"I'm okay," he whispers, bending down to my level. I nod my head but don't answer, keeping eye contact with Ivory the entire time.

"I think you should leave." I say sharply, my words blunt. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion and she stares right through me —

"You called me here to help, you don't want me to leave, right Ruby?" She almost whispers, her voice trembling.

"You won't set your differences aside to help find my parents. The entire time you've been here everyone has been walking on egg shells! Don't you realise that when every second passes, my parents are still locked up? Huh? God knows what the psychopath is doing to them! I don't even know if they're alive!" I yell, my eyes filling up with tears. I blink them back.

"Wow, I am such an emotional rollercoaster right now." I say, fanning my face. Ivory remains expressionless, glancing up to look at Tobias.

"She's right." She whispers, admitting defeat.

"Of course I'm right." I say, rolling my eyes. Behind me, uncle Tobias remains silent. I wait for him to respond and hope that he can put whatever issues he has with Ivory aside for now as we search for my parents. Moments pass and he doesn't speak. I frown and turn around but as soon as I do, I wish I hadn't.

He's staring at Ivory, eyes masked over with pain. Tears filled them whilst silent tears stream down his cheeks. He looks so vulnerable, his usual handsome features twisted with something evil and sinister. He barely moves an inch and if it wasn't for the tears sliding down his face, he'd resemble a stone cold statue.

My own hands began to shake, taken aback from seeing someone like my Uncle Tobias display such pain and emotion.

"Uncle Tobias?" I whisper, reaching out to take hold of his hand. His skin is cold, hands trembling as I intertwine our fingers together. He barely registers the contact and instead keeps his eyes trained on Ivory.

"Get out Ivory."

Without another word, she obeys him and turns around, disappearing out of the room.