While Joseph and Bram spoke, I tried to recall what Miles had said about his uncle. His name was barely ever mentioned, so my mind was blank. Joseph did not have a friendly demeanour toward his brother, and I doubted Miles would be any kinder. Initially, Miles only seemed confused, but his confusion turned into rage when Bram talked about selling the house.

Miles grabbed the back of the chair and yanked Bram backward. Bram's eyes widened, and his arms flailed while he tried to maintain his balance. Miles snatched his wrist and twisted his arm to an awkward angle. He fell off the chair and screamed. Miles pulled his arm behind his back and forced him onto his knees. Joseph let out a deep sigh as he stood. My hands stayed on my stomach, feeling the small fluttery movements of my baby.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

His voice was shrill with fear. He tried to get up onto his feet, but Miles kept him on the floor. Every time Miles twisted his arm more, his face contorted in pain as he screamed. Joseph walked around the table and looked down at Bram with his arms crossed over his chest. Tears were streaming down Bram's cheeks.

"You should have never come here," Joseph said.

"Joe!" Bram cried out. "I'm your brother!"

Joseph shook his head. Miles twisted Bram's arm even more. The crack of bone was barely audible over Bram's scream. A chill ran through my body, and the baby started kicking more. I rubbed my stomach to try to calm both myself and my baby.

"You left this family," Joseph said. "You thought that you were too good to be a Wilcox."

He crouched next to Bram. Miles had pulled him far enough away from the table so that my view was not obstructed. I thought about getting up and running upstairs but could only move my hands. I was stuck watching what was about to happen.

"I told you not to go to the city," Joseph said. "I tried to warn you, but you said this farm was a waste. You left us all behind."

Bram made a noise that was a mixture of a scream and a sob. Miles did not let go of his wrist, keeping him down.

"I should probably thank you for leaving," Joseph said. "I was going to New York to find you, but I met Maisie instead. I found someone who values family. She is much more of a Wilcox than you ever were."

Bram looked over at me. Between the pain and tears, he struggled to open his eyes. I bit down on my lip as memories of that night in the tavern came back to me. Joseph had only stopped for a drink. He was going into the city to find his brother.

"Who is she?" Bram sobbed. "What did you do to her?"

Miles pulled Bram's arm into an even further twist. Bram shrieked as his body collapsed to the floor. His broken arm was at an unnatural angle from his shoulder.

"We saved her," Miles said. When he was mad, his voice usually stayed cold and void of emotion. Hearing the anger seep into his words caused goosebumps to spread across my skin. "Do you think I hurt her?"

Miles kept a tight grip on Bram's arm, causing his body to twist at a horrific angle each time he shook with a sob. Bram managed to lift his head to look at Joseph, who had not moved from his crouched position.

"Make him stop," Bram cried.

"I cannot stop him from protecting his family," Joseph said.

"I am family!"

"You are an outsider."

Joseph let out a deep breath as he stood. Miles let go of Bram's wrist. His arm fell to the floor like there were no bones underneath his flesh. I cringed as I watched him struggle to move, unable to get his broken body off the floor.

"Do you think I hurt her?" Miles asked.

His attention was still focused on Bram. A crease formed between his brows, and his jaw was hard from clenching his teeth. Bram was unable to answer because all of the air in his lungs was used to scream and cry.

"You think I would harm Maisie?" Miles asked.

There was no coherent response from Bram. Miles reached down and grabbed his shoulder to roll him onto his back. His scream turned into a shriek. Joseph ran his fingers through his hair as he shook his head.

"Kill him," Joseph said. "He is giving me a headache."

"Joe!" It was the only word Bram managed to form. "Joe!"

"Try not to make a mess," Joseph told Miles. "If you do, you are responsible for cleaning it. I'm tired of scrubbing this kitchen with bleach."

"Joe!"

Joseph stepped toward the table and waved his arm. He had to make the motion twice for me to understand he was signalling for me to stand. My hands did not leave my stomach as I stood. My first few steps were wobbly because of my shaky knees, but I was able to keep my balance.

"Maisie should not have to witness this," Joseph said.

He placed his hand on my shoulder to guide me out of the kitchen. Bram was writhing on the floor in pain. I was thankful that Joseph was removing me from the scene. What was Miles going to do?

When I passed Miles, he reached for me. He placed one hand on my waist and the other on my stomach. The fluttering movements of our baby grew stronger from his touch. He pressed his lips against my temple. Despite Bram's crying, I managed to form a small smile.

"You need to rest," Miles said. "I will be busy for a while."

I nodded, trying to push away the visuals of what was about to happen to Bram. There was so much blood with the other murders. Was that going to happen again?

Joseph put his hand back on my shoulder and guided me up the staircase. I had to hold onto the railing to keep myself steady. Bram's screaming rang in my ear as we walked down the dark hallway. Joseph did not let go of my shoulder until he opened my bedroom door. He stepped in, and I watched him move around in the moonlight until he turned on the oil lamp. Joseph raised a brow when I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

"Maisie," he said. "What are you doing?"

Despite the dim glow from the oil lamp, the room seemed so dark and cold. If I tried to sleep, I would be forced to lay in bed and listen to Bram's agonizing screams. My mind would form the worst possible scenarios about what was happening downstairs. There was no place to go to escape the sounds. Selfishly, I wanted a distraction.

"Can you stay with me?" I asked.

"Maisie-" he started to say.

"Just until I fall asleep," I cut him off because I knew he would give me an excuse. "I will not be able to rest if I am alone."

Joseph sighed as he ran his hand along his jaw. A horrific screech came from downstairs, causing all of my muscles to tight as a shiver ran through my bones. The sound was not human. It was a noise of torture. My head spun and my knees wobbled. My hand shook as I grabbed my temple and the edge of the dresser to stop myself from fainting.

Hands grabbed my arms and dragged me away from the dresser. The terrible noise did not stop as I was being pulled over to the bed. Joseph pushed me down onto the edge of the mattress and kneeled in front of me. He cupped my face in his rough calloused hands. He brushed his thumb across my wet cheeks.

"You do not need to cry," he said. "You are safe."

"It sounds horrible," I sobbed.

"I know," he said. "But it has to happen."

The screech ended, but a dull cry remained. I took in a sharp breath to try and stop the tears. Joseph and Miles hated it when I cried, and I did not want them to be any more upset.

"Please," I said. My voice cracked, but I was no longer crying. "Can you please stay until I fall asleep?"

Joseph moved one of his hands off my face so he could run it over my braid. He bit down on his lip as he was deep in thought. All I could hear was Bram's incoherent pleas for his life.

"Alright," Joseph said. "I will give you a couple of minutes to change your clothes."

"Thank you."

Joseph got off his knees, and I watched him walk out of the bedroom. Once the door was closed, I went to find my nightgown. Hopefully, either Joseph keeps his promise or Bram dies soon.