“There’s more to his story, too,” Ellie explains as she leans against the doorframe. “But that’s for him to tell you.”
I feel awful for Aiden. Seriously, how can anyone do that to their own kid? Even my situation wasn’t that extreme. It doesn’t make it better, though.
“You’re my mom,” I say to Ellie. “And you never said anything.”
“I couldn’t, honey.” She reaches for me, but I step away from her.
“Don’t touch me right now. I need… some time,” I mutter. “And a very long, detailed story of how we got here.”
She swallows down a uneven breath, then backs away from me, giving me space. “I’ll give you all the answers you want, but Aiden is right. We need to be ready to go in an hour, and you two need to get cleaned up. We need to make it through airport security without being flagged, so you need to shower, change your clothes, and mentally prepare yourself the best that you can. I know it’s hard after what you just went through, but I know you’re strong.” She aims the last statement at me.
The events of the last couple of weeks hit me like a train wreck, and I want to break apart. Cry. Curl up in a ball and never move. But, like I’m so good at doing, I suck that wave of anxiety back and bury it inside me. But I have a feeling that eventually it’s all going to burst free. And I’m not sure if I’ll survive.
“I got you guys some clothes. Let me get them.” Ellie ducks into the other room.
I rotate toward Finn. “Are you okay? You look super pale?”
“I’m fine.” He’s staring at the wall. “I… I think I need to call River, but I’m worried they won’t let me. The desperate pleading look he gives makes me circle my arms around him.
“I’ll get you a phone so you can call him.” I hug him, and he latches onto me for dear life.
“Thank you.” He nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck.
My eyes involuntarily. “You don’t have to thank me. You and I are still in this together. We can be each other’s lifelines until we figure out if we can trust Aiden and my mom. Because right now, you’re the only person I do trust.”
It’s the truth, too. Through all of this, Finn is the only one who hasn’t lied to me.
I trust him more than I’ve trusted anyone.
CHAPTER 26
RIVER
“Gettingoff that thing makes me want to hug Maddy for like a year straight,” Noah mumbles as he steps off the bus and hops onto the curb of a sidewalk that runs through the grungier area of northside. “I can’t believe she had to ride that all the time. I think I stepped in piss when I was getting off.” He lifts his foot and pulls a face at the bottom of his shoe.
“She’s slept on one a few times, too,” I inform him as I peer around at the boarded-up brick buildings that line the street.
It’s late, but a thin haze of pollution covers up the stars and moonlight. The area we’re in is rather desolate, but a few people are wandering around, passing a bottle of whiskey.
Noah’s eyes widen as he lowers his foot back to the ground. “Are you serious?”
I nod, approaching the building that has the number that matches a place registered in Grey’s name. We’re not positive this is where Sylas is being kept, but with the appearance of being vacant, the desolate location, and the fact that the front door is bolted shut, I’m betting it is.
Noah frowns. “God, I feel so bad for her.”
“I know.” I step toward the stairway that leads to the front door. “Let’s go check this out, and hopefully this will lead us to Maddy.”
Noah peers around at the street, then tugs the hood of his jacket over his head. “The front door’s locked, so let’s go check if it has a back door. If not, we’ll bust out a window.”
I nod, and we duck down a narrow alleyway that tucks between two houses. We’re able to hop over a fence from there and get into the backyard. There’s a back door, but it’s locked too, so we break a window with a rock. Noah climbs through it first, and I follow suit.
We end up in a kitchen that looks tidied up enough that it’s clear someone has recently been here. That makes me nervous, but we push on, turning on the light on my phone and tiptoeing further into the house. When we reach a door with a thick lock on it, Noah stops in front of it.
“My bet is he’s behind this door,” he says as he tugs on the lock.
“If Maddy were here, she’d probably be able to pick that thing,” I point out, my heart aching to see her again.
I miss her so much.
