The odds of her still living there almost twenty years later—while hiding from the royals—was pretty slim. Though, like Luis said, it was the best lead we had.
“We’ll wait and try to head that way tomorrow. Text me the address,” Nico said.
“I’ll send it now. Are you guys good, or do you want me to head that way to assist?”
Nico looked at me questioningly, and I shook my head. “We’re good,” he told Luis. “Thanks for offering.”
“Why don’t we go now?” I asked when the call ended. To have answers so tantalizingly close and to wait another ten or twelve hours felt like a special kind of torture.
Concern flashed over Nico’s face, but he schooled his features before he spoke. “Maddy… I guess we can if you really want to. I sort of thought you’d want to process everything before we go knock on this door.”
Disappointment made my shoulders sag, but waiting made the most sense. A night’s sleep might bring things into focus. The problem with all of this was that it felt like I was caught in an awful whirlwind, and I wasn’t sure when it was going to stop.Maybe it wouldn’t, and it would just get faster and faster before I hurtled into the abyss.
53
NICO
When dawn came, I began to wonder if we’d made a mistake in waiting to go to visit the address Luis had given us. I knew I’d barely slept the whole night, and judging by all the tossing and turning Maddy had done, she probably hadn’t fared any better. Both of us seemed groggy and acted like zombies as we got up and started getting ready.
Maddy and I went about mundane things like brushing our teeth and trying to eat, though all we managed was a couple of handfuls of granola from the pantry. Maddy moved around the house at a manic pace. I could tell she was on the verge of a freakout. I tried to see things from her perspective but realized pretty quickly that there was no way I could. The situation was one I could never imagine. Anything I said would sound either trite or asinine.
Instead of dealing with it, I packed our bags and put them in the car. After I had it all secured, I went back inside. Maddy was sitting on the couch, bouncing her heels and fidgeting with her fingers, staring off into space.
I waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Are we good?”
Maddy blinked in surprise. “Huh? Yeah. All good.”
Sighing, I sat next to her. “Seriously? Because it seems like that isn’t exactly true. It’s okay to be anxious.”
“Shit.” Maddy huffed the word out and stood, pacing the room. “It’s… I don’t know. What if we do find her? What should I say? What should I do? Do I shake her hand or hug her or what? What if she wants to kiss me on the cheek or something? I have no idea what to do here, Nico.”
I put my hands on her shoulders, stopping her pacing. “That’s why I’m here. If it gets too much, I can take over and do all the talking. It’ll be fine.”
Maddy sagged under my hands. “I hope you’re right.”
We went through the house one more time, making sure all the lights were off. Maddy stopped in the doorway of her parents’ room and looked in. She stood there for several seconds, gazing around the room. I let her be, knowing she was taking one last look. I assumed she was soaking it all in. If we were unsuccessful, then this would be the last time she was in that house when her parents were still alive. The next time we were here, it would either be a family get-together or to prepare for a funeral.
The thought was morbid, but I had to be mentally prepared. I had every intention of getting everyone back alive and in one piece, but fate sometimes had a way of fucking over even the best plans. I prayed I wouldn’t have to see that happen. I wasn’t sure how Maddy would handle it, but I could guarantee it would be heartbreaking to watch.
She turned away from the bedroom and looked at me. “Ready.”
I nodded and led her to the front door, locking it behind us as we left. Once we were in the car and pulling away, she gave one last look at the house before settling in for the trip. I put a hand on her thigh. “It shouldn’t take long.”
Maddy nodded but didn’t say anything. The address Luis had given us was for a place about twenty minutes from the house. We drove the entire distance in silence. It was just before ten in the morning when we reached the address. Maddy and I both stared at the place and wondered if Luis had given us the right address.
Most of the houses in the neighborhood were well kept and appeared to be actively lived in. The house we were looking at had the distinctive look of abandonment. The paint on the porch handrails were peeling, and the siding was faded and broken in a couple of places. On the roof, I could see at least four missing shingles, and the yard was overgrown. Weeds had run rampant through the beds, and the gutters were overflowing with old leaves and pine needles.
“Do you think she had to run?” Maddy asked. I couldn’t tell if she sounded disappointed or dejected.
“Not sure,” I said, shaking my head. “Only one way to be sure, I guess. Let’s go.”
We parked on the curb and walked up the footpath to the front door. I stopped to open the mailbox. Inside, there were several letters that had gotten wet and then dried into a thick papery clump before the post office finally realized the home wasn’t occupied.
“It looks pretty rough compared to everything else around here,” Maddy said. “You’d think someone would buy it or that the city would condemn it and have it torn down to build something new.”
“It’s not totally dilapidated,” I said with a shrug. “But if someone doesn’t do something soon, that’s probably what’s going to happen.”
We were almost on the porch when Maddy stopped walking and gave a surprised little growl. I turned to look at her, immediately on guard. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
