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I’m not sure if she knows just how much I appreciate what they’ve done for me. Maybe, if my brother and sister could have found this, things would have turned out differently for them. Maybe, if tonight goes well, my sister can still have this in time.
“Oh, Ayden.” She pulls me against her, crushing my chest.
Usually, I squirm, but I decide to let her have a moment. Truthfully, I kind of need one, too. Even though I’m strong, I’m still terrified out of my goddamn mind that something will go wrong. Unlike a couple of years ago, I have a lot to lose.
My family.
My music.
A career in music, even.
Most importantly, Lyric. I don’t even know if I could function without her, not with how close we’ve gotten.
She holds me up when I’m falling,
Stills me when I’m tumbling,
Calms me when I’m cracking,
Gives me air when I’m suffocating.
Lyric, she somehow takes the pain away
When everything is crushing down on me.
How I ever lived without her, I have no idea.
The problem is, I’m worried how she’s going to react when I tell her what I’m going to do. She flipped out when I told her about the photos. Maybe I should keep this to myself for now.
After the detective leaves to go get his team prepped for tonight, I stay home with Lila and help her clean the house. Scrubbing down the counters and the floors distracts us from the massive cloud hovering above us.
Finally, after the kitchen and living room are sparkling, we sit down at the table to eat some sandwiches.
“I don’t want to tell Lyric what I’m doing tonight,” I tell her, picking the crust off the bread. “She’ll worry about me, and I don’t . . .” I swallow hard. “I don’t want her to have to go through that.”
Lila nods, picking at her food. “I think we should probably keep it from Fiona, Kale, and Everson, too . . .” She shuts her mouth and stares down at the plate. “Ayden, are you sure you want to do this? The police, they’ll keep looking for her. They’re not going to give up.”
“I know they’re not going to, but how am I supposed to live with myself if I don’t go?”
“This might not go as you plan. You know that, right?”
I nod, sucking in a deep breath. “I know that, but it’s worth the risk.”
She nods, still staring at her food.
A silence sets in like an ominous doom.
Chapter 16
Ayden
I leave the house before Lyric gets home and drive around town with Lila while she runs some errands. I know, if I see Lyric, then there’s a chance I’ll break down and tell her everything, so it’s a good thing we take off before that can happen. Still, when she sends me a text, I feel like the world’s biggest asshole for lying to her.
Lyric: All right, dude, why weren’t you at school? What’s going on?
Me: Nothing. I didn’t feel well, so I stayed home.
Lyric: Why aren’t you home now?
Me: Lila took me to the doctor.
Lyric: Is everything all right? Now u have me worried.
Me: Everything’s fine. I just have a cold.
There’s a pause before the next message buzzes through.
Lyric: R u sure that’s all that’s going on? U seem like you’re being a little vague and sketchy.
Me: I swear everything’s fine. If I’m feeling better by the time I get home, u can come over.
Lyric: Okay.
Her one word response means she’s more than likely buying my bullshit. I just hope she isn’t too angry when I do go home and have to explain everything to her.
After we finish running errands, Lila drives me to an old diner located near the Golden Center Bridge to meet with Detective Rannali so he can give me a rundown on how the night will go down. He already gave us strict orders to make sure we aren’t followed by anyone when we go, and during the thirty-minute drive, Lila is a nervous wreck, constantly checking the rearview mirror, changing lanes, and taking the longest route possible.
By the time we pull up, it’s late enough that the sun has set, and the city around us glows against the night. Only an hour left, and then I’ll be standing on the dock, facing the people who haunt my nightmares.
Or will I?
Now that I think about it, I can’t remember any of their faces nor have I seen any of the people who have been tormenting my life for the last few months. What will happen when I finally see them? Will I know them? Will I remember that I know them? According to some of the stuff the detective has told me, the Soulless Mileas are a decent sized group of people.
“How are you feeling?” Lila asks after she parks the car in front of the diner.
“Fine,” I lie, unbuckling my seatbelt. When she presses me with a stern look, I sigh. “Fine. I’m terrified out of my goddamn mind.”
“You can always not do it,” she says with hope in her eyes. “No one will be upset if you back out.”
“That’s not true. I’ll be upset with myself.” I reach for the door handle to let her know I’m going to go through with this.
Sighing, she turns the keys and shuts off the engine. “Just so you know, I’m going to be there, too. I already told Detective Rannali that I’m not going to let you do this unless I can be close.”
“All right.” I push the door open and climb out of the car.
She gets out, too, and meets me at the front of the car. Then we walk into the diner. The hostess sits in a booth, tucked away in the corner of the room where the lighting is low. The place has a total of five customers, which is probably why the detective picked this place to meet.
“Anyone hungry?” he asks after the waitress places menus in front of us and leaves.
I shake my head. “Not really.”
Lila reaches over and flips open the menu. “You’re going to eat. I don’t want you doing this on an empty stomach. You need your strength.”
Giving her what she wants, I order a plate of fries and a soda. She orders nothing for herself, and the detective asks for a glass of water.
“So, I first want to assure you that the location of the dock couldn’t be any better,” the detective starts after our drinks have been delivered. “There are trees and bushes surrounding it, and there’s also an old, vacant building nearby. My team has already scoped out the place and set everything up. Nothing appeared suspicious, so I have no reason to believe this won’t go smoothly.”
“The note said to come alone, though,” Lila reminds him. “Aren’t you worried that’s going to cause problems?”
“The only problem I foresee is that no one shows up.” He reaches for his water and takes a sip. “There was no threat to the note, though, which I found a little odd. I’m guessing they assumed Ayden would just listen to them.”
“But I don’t even get why they want him to meet them,” Lila says, folding her arms on the table. “What exactly is the point of making him come out here to meet them?”
The detective exchanges a look with me from across the table. I can tell he’s thinking the same thing.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear”—he leans back in the booth—“but we believe it’s their way of coaxing Ayden out to a desolate place so they can try to take him without making a scene.” When Lila’s eyes widen, he adds, “Don’t worry. We’re not going to allow that to happen. I have ten of my best men all surrounding the dock.”
“You better not mess this up,” Lila says, being all hardcore. “If anything happens at all, I’ll track you down and cut off your balls.”
The detective appears highly amused by the threat. “Duly noted.” He turns to me. “I need to go over a few things with you. First and most importantly, under no circumstances are you to get into a vehicle with anyone.”
“You think they’re going to ask me to do that?” I ask, stirring my soda with my straw.
“It’s a possibility, yes.”
“Can’t you just arrest
them when they show up?” Lila absentmindedly steals a fry off my plate and pops it into her mouth.
