My mom’s number rings a few times, and I leave her a message.
I leave my father a similar message and ignore the bile rising in my throat.
Panic creeps in as I frown at Noah’s number. A few moments pass when I wrestle with the idea before I dial. Noah’s voice is thick with sleep when he answers. I clutch the phone tightly, but the words won’t come.
I can’t warn Noah without losing Mason’s trust.
You’re not just going to leave him unprepared, are you? No matter what’s happened between you, you still care about him.
I will not let his life be derailed any further than it already has.
Not on my account.
But I can’t bring myself to say anything, with Mason’s face in my mind and his words reverberating inside my head.
After a long pause, I press my lips together and listen to Noah’s confused murmurs.
When he hangs up, I lower my head and blow out a breath.
Why couldn’t I have told him the truth?
You’re trying to build trust with Mason, and no matter how well-intentioned this is, he’ll view it as a betrayal, and you won’t be able to blame him.
Offering Noah the chance to cover his tracks won’t help anyone.
I have to trust that he’s not involved.
I throw the burner back into the drawer. I pace the room a few times as an idea takes root in my head. After shoving my feet into a pair of sneakers, I grab my jacket off the hooks on the back of the door and find Katia outside. We exchange a glance as I push the door open the rest of the way and clear my throat. Then, I make my way down to the library.
Using the pale light of the moon, I pretend to peruse the books.
My heart is in my throat, and there’s a niggling sensation in the back of my skull.
I see Katia turn away and move behind the nearest bookcase.
I flatten myself against the wall and hold my breath.
A few seconds later, I inch closer to the back, in the direction of the secret door I stumbled across a few weeks ago. I try to keep my breathing as quiet as possible as I creep around the library. As I reach the farthest corner, I pause and glance over my shoulders. Then, I crouch and pat around for the lever I saw Mathew pull, hidden behind an old portrait. The kernel of hope inside my chest blossoms as my fingers close around it.
It soars when the portrait slides to reveal a hidden door.
“Did you honestly think that would work?”
I sigh and refuse to look behind me. “I made it this far.”
“Your adventure is over, Blondie. Let’s go.”
I whip around and find Katia leaning against the bookcase.
“We can’t let him go like this.”
Katia frowns. “You don’t have a lot of faith in him, do you?”
I clench my hands into fists. “I have plenty of faith in him, but there are too many variables. Too many odds stacked against him.”
Katia throws her head back and laughs. “He’s going to interrogate your ex. I know you don’t think Nolan can take him.”
“It’s not about whether or notNoahcan take him,” I snap. “It’s about the fact that he shouldn’t have to. This is my mess. I should be the one to clean it up.”
