I briefly glance at Noelle. “I’m not sure. Physically? I sure hope so. Mentally? I think she’ll need all the support she could possibly get once we get her back.’’
A soft sigh slips from her, and she leans back, staring aimlessly through the windshield. Neither of us speaks, because there’s nothing to be said anymore. This is, hands down, one of the worst times of our lives, and that includes the time when Luna went missing and Jane was murdered.
Because this time, we’re close to losing our children, and neither of us can seem to know how to help them. Arlo, who thought no one had noticed, but we did, started drinking excessively. At this point, I’m not sure how to take him off the way of alcoholism. And Aria, whose mind is such a dark, terrible place that it scares me she’ll simply disappear tomorrow.
I’ve never felt as hopeless as I’ve been feeling the past two weeks.
“What became of the passports with Luna’s name?” I ask, trying to derail the conversation, even if only a little bit.
“Nothing.” She straightens up in her seat, her hair falling down her waist in messy Dutch braids. “Kaya helped track the man who made them. Coincidentally, he fled to Asia. I sent a few peopleover, but since I don’t know which country in Asia he’s in, the chances of catching him are slim.”
“You think that Luna is alive,” I state.
A beat of silence passes, and she nods. “Yes. And we’ll find her, too, and bring her home. I’ve failed to protect Jane, and Luna is all I have left of her. I need my baby back.”
“I promise, baby, we’re getting Luna back. One way or the other.”
Noelle nods at my words, bringing my knuckles to her lips. She presses a soft kiss, and electricity jolts through me. Yet again, this woman proves that with her by my side, I can do anything. She’s my whole world, the sole reason I’m the man that I am, and I can’t fail her. Not again.
My phone buzzes, interrupting the small moment of peace, the only one we’ve had in the past months. With a sigh, I pull it out of my pocket and quickly connect it to the car’s Bluetooth device.
“Yes, Arlo?”
“How far behind are you?” He asks just as I get on the highway.
“Not too far. We left about ten minutes after you. You should wait for me to catch up.”
“No time,” he responds immediately. “We’ll go first. Cove, Kaya, and Raven are riding with me. Lucas, Niko, and a handful of others are in the second car, and we have a third one, too. You’ll act as backup.”
I grit my teeth together, and Noelle squeezes my forearm, giving me a pointed look. “Alright, sweetheart. Just please, be careful, alright?”
“Yes, I promise.” The sincerity in his voice makes me relax slightly. “Kill whoever you want, but keep Simmons alive, if he’s there.”
“What about X? Has he said anything else?”
“No,” Arlo releases an exasperated sigh. “He just confirmedBlair’s location after the brief call. Most likely, he’ll dip.”
My eyes roll so far to the back of my head that I can almost see my own brain. X, as talented as he is, is a fucking menace. He’d disappear, without letting anyone know, for extended periods of time. And if he does, not even God can find him, unless he wants to be found.
“Alright,” I say, my eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.
My brows crease. It’s late, almost ten in the evening, and the highway has been empty since Arlo called. Now, there are four cars behind us. They’re getting progressively closer, and they’re all black SUVs with tinted windows. Noelle, following my gaze, spots them and immediately withdraws her gun, opening the window on her right.
“Yeah, your mother and I will be fashionably late.”
“Why?”
“Someone’s following us. Four cars.”
“Fuck,” he mutters. “Need someone?”
A scoff slips from me before I can stop it. “What am I? A fucking amateur? No, I don’t need anyone. Your mother and I are more than capable of dealing with these pests. Now, don’t worry about us, and focus on finding Blair. Send a message if you’re done, because from the looks of it, Noelle and I won’t be done here anytime soon.”
“Try not to get my mother killed.’”
“Fuck off.”
Arlo ends the call, and I focus on the cars. Noelle unbuckles her belt, loads the gun, and pushes her head through the window. A rain of bullets ensues, and Noelle’s aim is as precise as always. She shoots the front tire of the car, and the driver immediately loses control over the vehicle, hitting the barrier on the side of the road.
