Page 7 of Enter if you Dare: Part Three

“They can’t be serious,” Noa snaps.

“They are. But I have managed to negotiate something, though I’ve had to call in a favor from a judge I went to law school with, so I would appreciate if you don’t ask more about it. I got you visitation, Valli, for one hour.”

“When?”

“This morning at ten. If you’re late, they will not reschedule. Valli, prepare yourself, as what you’re walking into will not be easy.”

“We will meet you at the front entrance of the institution at nine forty-five,” Nixie says and ends the call before we can protest.

“One person? That’s bullshit. He’ll want to see us all,” Noa states.

“Right now, it is out of our control. Vincent told me that Cave has been repeating Valli’s name, so this is probably a way for them to keep him longer. We must play by their rules if we want him back,” Nixie explains. “I will meet you out the front of the bar at eight fifty.”

With that, Nixie leaves, and Noa falls back onto the bed with a huff. Cipher has been quiet the whole time, and I feel terrible for him.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“Don’t be, I just miss him. But I’m grateful at least one of us gets to see him.” He pulls me into his arms, and I rest my head against his chest.

“Okay,” Noa says, sitting up. “I have processed it, still pissed, but you need to go. Tell him we are fighting for him and that I plan to dig a new hole in the cornfield for his post, so he has to come home to help me build it.”

“I’ll tell him,” I say with a small smile.

“You can tell him that the music box is almost finished. He will know what that means,” Cipher whispers against my hair.

We get up and I shower while the guys make breakfast; it’s nothing special today, which fits the mood, just some cereal. When it’s time to leave, both Noa and Cipher walk me to Ares’s Bar, where Nixie stands ready in her best power suit, looking like she is itching to take on anyone who gets in her way.

“Ready?” she asks me.

I nod. I’m as ready as I will ever be, but I’m also nervous.

She looks at Cipher but lingers longest on Noa. “You two stay here—do not follow us.”

“But—” Noa complains.

“I mean it, Noa.”

Cipher nods and Noa pouts. I hug Noa first, and he holds on to me tightly, his chin dropping to my head. “We will do whatever it takes to bring him back. You tell him that.”

“Promise.”

Cipher pulls me from Noa’s arms and wraps his tightly around me. “You’ve got this.”

Nixie barks an order for us to hurry, and I follow her to her car. It’s a brand-new sports car, not at all what I’d expect her to drive. The facility is a little over thirty minutes from the island, and she wants to arrive early so they can’t deny me entry.

“Evan will be there,” she finally says, breaking the silence.

Nixie has filled me in a little about Cave’s past, about who is who, though I know there is more she hasn’t told me. Yet with Nixie there is no point pushing her; if she wants you to know something, she will tell you, but if she doesn’t, she is a vault.

“That’s the doctor, right?”

“Yes,” she says, keeping her eyes on the road. “He was the attending physician for Cave’s case. He would have been notified the second Cave was put back into the hospital’s system. I need to tell you we have history.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me.”

Nixie laughs. “Oh, I’m not explaining that shit show to you. I’m warning you. He is going to say something when he sees me, but I need you to ignore it and stay focused on Cave.”

“Okay.”