Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven Noah

Roe’ssoft snores fill the room as I brush her hair off her small face.

Her new room fits her. Full of all the toys and stuffed animals we’ve all bought her over the last year. The walls are of course a Tiffany blue, making it look even bigger and brighter than it already is. She showed her excitement so differently from Scar, with squeals and giggles, and of course jumping on her brand new bed. It instantly felt like her space.

Every room in this house has been designed to be perfect for our family. There’s a difference between decorating a room that’s already been in a house and renovating a house and its rooms to suit our needs. It still surprises me how much insight we each had to what Scar would want and need. Myself included.

Lots of conversations and debates took place over the course of months to finally agree on how the house should be designed, not only for the family we have now, but the family we hope to build together. A house that will maybe one day house siblings for Roe.

A house that allows us more space to host our ever-growing family while maintaining the privacy we’ve come to crave. From Roe’s room I can’t even hear the party happening downstairs in the main part of the house, even though I know Britt and Jade are probably still doing their version of karaoke. Maybe even Scar has joined in by now.

I place a soft kiss on Roe’s forehead and leave the room quietly, checking on the boys before slipping out into the hallway. With them still being so young, their rooms are set up on the third floor of our wing in the house. The floor also holds a private room for each one of us, none of us believe they will be used often as the master bedroom has a custom bed more than big enough to fit us all. But we all agreed, we sometimes need our own space, even if we’ve each used it as a place for our hobbies. At least we will have somewhere to lock Scar away when we need time with just her.

The house has several wings, including the main one and ours. Each is set up in a similar manner, almost like apartments in their own right. The third floor being all bedrooms, including extra ones for guests or sleepovers as the kids get older. The second floor of each wing is personalized to each intended resident, containing basics like smaller kitchens and living rooms, but more specific areas as well. Our second floor has a smaller gym than the main gym downstairs, as well as a dance studio for Scar and Roe, while the wing intended for Roe when she’s older has a game room and private movie theater.

None of us were willing to sacrifice our freedom in taking Scar wherever the hell we wanted. So we compromised in having each wing act like its own apartment for privacy sake, with communal areas for our family parties.

Joe and Charlene have their own home within ours, on the opposite side of the estate from ours. They have their own private garage as well as a separate entrance to maintain their own space and privacy while still being here. Joe and Charlene moving in was one of the most shocking parts for Scar, but one she was the most excited about. Roe will be surrounded with all the people she loves under one roof. It’ll make her adjustment all that much easier.

As I make my way back to the main part of the house, the noise slowly increases the closer I get. It isn’t like Luca’s house where even though it’s spacious, it’s almost impossible to really get away from how loud our group can be.

I slip back into the room, almost unnoticed, but I should have known better. Scar is quick to fall into my lap as soon as I’m sitting on one of the couches. She wraps her arms around my neck and leans her head against my shoulder. I rub her back, feeling the tension ease from her muscles. “Is it your turn to be put to bed, baby girl?”

She tilts her head to wink at me. “I wouldn’t say no.”

I kiss the tip of her nose. It’s been a long and emotionally exhausting day for all of us, but peace like nothing I’ve ever known before fills me as I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her to me.

“Did she go down easy?” she asks.

I nod. “They all did.”

Ian and Jade catch our conversation and leave the loveseat they were sharing to join our couch. We knew we were going to need more seating space here.

“Thanks for putting the boys down too,” Jade says.

I wave her off. “It’s easy to get them down once Roe is out.”

She doesn’t argue back, we all know it’s the truth. “What are you going to do with Luca’s place now?” Ian asks, changing the direction of the conversation. “It’s not like you can put it on the market.”

He’s right, of course. It holds too many of our secrets. The access to the tunnels. It’s far too precious to give up. I rub the back of my neck. We had a plan for that, but all of the other guys are preoccupied in their own conversations.

“We actually thought,” I start, then hesitate as I look to see if anyone is close enough to join this conversation. No luck. “We thought maybe you two would want to move in,” I finish.

Scar lifts her head as she considers the plan. Jade’s eyes grow wide as she looks to Ian for how to respond. Their house is nice, one of the safehouses Scar setup for them. But Luca’s house is bigger, closer to this one, has more security and privacy, and more room for the twins to grow. Not to mention, more amenities, like the medical rooms, the gym, and the office space.

“You can’t sell our house either,” Jade points out.

We had a plan for that too, but before I can even open my mouth to respond Scar already is. “True, but Ty isn’t in one of our houses at all. He’s still in the house he grew up in.” Of course she knew what we were thinking. “Luca’s place is in between this house and your old one, so you’ll be closer to us while still remaining close to him. We already don’t have to worry about school districts for the kids, and you’ll both be able to train without having to come to the gym every day.”

Ian and Jade have a silent conversation with just their eyes. “It is more secure,” Ian notes.

“Think about it,” I offer. “We don’t need an answer now. But you’re right. We can’t put it on the market, so someone moves in or it sits empty.” I shrug, because it’s not really any skin off our backs if it sits empty, but it does seem like a waste to not utilize all the resources we’ve built into that house.

Scar yawns and I know it’s time to take her up to bed. We’ll stay the night here before getting back to work tomorrow. We have three more locations to check out based on the information Kade and Luca were able to pry from Andre before his death.

Exhaustion sweeps over me at the thought. Another flight across the country to continue this wild goose chase. Each avenue that ends without answers takes a lot out of each of us. The travel on top of it has become almost unbearable.

“Bedtime, baby girl,” I whisper as I stand up, holding her in my arms. She must be even more tired than I realized, because she doesn’t fight me. Jade and Ian stand as well. “Do you guys know where your room is?” I ask.

“We’ve got it,” Jade assures me and I carry my wife off to bed. I can’t help the smile that plays on my lips at the thought. Our wife. She really is truly ours.

I head straight up to the master suite and start to regret not putting those elevators in like we discussed. Scar would have ribbed us mercilessly about it, but right now, it sure would be nice. She hums under her breath as I carry her up the steps, a dazed and happy expression on her face. She’s definitely feeling those shots she took with Britt.

My phone ringing wakes me up. I curse as I dig through the sheets to find where it’s been discarded. Charles. Why the fuck is he calling at four in the morning? I shake my head trying to clear it as I answer. “Hold on,” I whisper. Everyone is still knocked out around me.

Scar looks more peaceful in her sleep with Ryder curled around her than I’ve seen her look in a long time. Lately all her demons have been chasing her in her dreams, making it hard for her to sleep at all, let alone through the night. Most of the time, she wakes up more exhausted than when she had fallen asleep. I can’t risk waking her.

Luca and Kade are both behind me on the massive bed and I curse again as I try to figure out the best way to disentangle myself without waking anyone. Moving very carefully, I get out from under the blankets and move to the foot of the bed and rush out of the room, closing the door softly behind me.

“Sorry, didn’t want to wake anyone,” I explain as I lift the phone back to my ear. Heavy breathing, almost like panting fills the line.

“Noah,” Charles gasps, pain etched into his voice. “It’s bad,” he whispers. “I saw her and it’s even worse than what I thought,” his voice breaks and I can hear the tears in his words.

Panic surges through me. “What do you mean?” I snap, changing direction from the kitchen to the office.

“The pictures,” he answers. “I found my father’s stash.” A deep, shuddering breath, makes me hold my own. “I know who hurt her.”

Ice. My entire bloodstream turns to ice at his words. Goosebumps rise on my flesh as the meaning of his words sink in. No more searching, no more coming up empty.

Bits and pieces of the last year flash through my mind. The unanswered texts that led me to Luca’s house in search of Scar. The news reports that I only realized led back to her after I showed up there. Finding out how steeped in blood my girl was. Meeting Declan. Seeing Scar broken. Being kidnapped. Declaring war. Torturing William. Hearing Roe call me Daddy for the first time. Ry and Scar coming home covered in blood after their murder party. Scar screaming in her sleep, lost to the pain of her past. Jade in a hospital bed. Scar in a cage. Scar with a bloody handprint around her throat and Kade’s smug grin. Scar’s last dance at Steel Roses. Bloody messages written on walls. Losing our own. Losing Alec. Rachel’s screams. A jacket with a red rose. Burning buildings. So much training. Never ending files of information to sort through on the real monsters of this world. Romano dying. Those fucking polaroids.

Etched into my mind and branded on my soul. A sick feeling churns in my gut. All the good and all the bad over the last year. There’s so much. Too much to even fully grasp as all the memories wash over me in no particular order.

Our path has been a wild and destructive one. Filled with pain and love and heartbreakingly beautiful moments. Laughter that carried us through the worst of the devastation left in our wake. All of it leading to this single phone call. To more fucking photos. At least these will finally hold answers.

It’s time to prepare and finally begin the hunt.

“We can’t let her see them,” Charles cries, a sob wracking through his chest as he pushes the words out.

Respect and awe fill me for this man who only yesterday filled me with apprehension and jealousy. Regret tastes bitter as I realize how deep and true his love for Scar really is. He aches for her pain. Even if he weren’t gay, even if he was romantically interested in Scar, the depth of his loyalty and devotion to her would have won me over in this instant.

“We won’t,” I promise. “We’re going to protect her, Charles. All of us.”

Each one of his cries is another lash against my heart. We never should have pushed him out. None of us are prepared to face how horrific that night was. The night where the girl we all have fallen head over heels in love with was born from the ashes of her past. A past so haunting, it has brought a grown man to sobs. A man who wasn’t fazed by his own kidnapping, nor a gun to his head. A man who wasn’t afraid to play with fire by taunting a room full of psychos. Who risked his life and destroyed his own heart to save our girl before we ever had the chance to help her.

“What happened?” I push hesitantly. “You were here just a few hours ago. Where did you go? How did you find the photos?”

He takes a few deep breaths as he tells me how he has had a man on his father’s security team for the last few years. Genius, and it explains a lot of the information he’s been able to pass on to us. Though, it also begs the question if he’s been sent into a trap.

“Are you sure you can rely on this guy?” I can’t help but ask. We’re too close to the end to be derailed by trusting the wrong person.

“I’m positive,” he answers shakily. “He’s been keeping an eye on my father for me for years. My father went to all of the locations you guys got from Andre, plus a few more before coming to this house I’m at now.”

A house? I sit behind a computer in the office and pull up all of the documents I’ve been working on the last few months to narrow down who we were looking for.

“Where are you?”

“A house in Mayview,” he answers. I pull it up on my computer. How the fuck did he get to the East Coast without any of us noticing?

“When did you leave?” I can’t help but ask as I look into the sleepy little town. Nothing about it stands out to me except it’s only a forty-five minute drive from Scar’s hometown. It’s a larger suburb, known for housing middle to upper middle class families. Good public schools. It’s so insanely average, I can’t connect it with the horror of his words.

“Just after you went to put Roe to bed and the redhead started singing on the table.” His voice is starting to even out. At least that’s something.

“Why would your father have a safehouse in the most mundane, average town?” Clicking through local newspapers just confirms my thoughts. Absolutely nothing of interest.

“The house is its own form of trauma,” he sighs. “I think he planned to bring her here once he found her. Everything here is dedicated to her. It’s like a house of horrors.” With every word his voice becomes more and more hoarse. “Old clothes that must have survived the fire. Even an extra cheer uniform,” he whispers and a new murderous rage bleeds into my vision, making it hard to focus.

I can barely stand to hear what he has already said, but he continues, painting an even more gruesome picture. “There’s a soundproof room, with chains and all this terrible shit, Noah. I almost wish I had never found it,” he admits. I can’t blame him, just hearing about it is enough to turn my stomach. This conversation will haunt me for years to come. Maybe Scar doesn’t need to know this part.

“Photos of him and her were already here. Tucked in drawers next to the bed in the master bedroom. Even more in a photo album. Fuck, sorry,” he cuts off. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Nausea turns my own gut as I can hear Charles gagging and hurling over all he found. He’s right. Whatever those photos hold, we can’t give them to Scar. She’s the strongest person I know, but the photos Romano had on him were almost enough to destroy her. She doesn’t need to know there’s a whole house somewhere on the East Coast dedicated to her trauma and humiliation.

“Sorry,” he apologizes as he comes back to the line. “This is just sick. Worse than anything I had imagined.” His voice has aged years since I last saw him mere hours ago. “The other photos,” he forces himself to continue. “I think he collected them from other places and dropped them off here last night. They were in a briefcase and put into a safe at the back of a closet.”

“You can break into safes?” That’s a useful skill. We normally have to rely on Scar and Kade for that. Luca could probably do it too, but I’ve never seen him have to.

He scoffs. “The code was her birthday.”

Chills run down my back. I guess no one else would make the connection or even remember her birthday if they did. We’re both silent at the depravity of his obsession with her even after all these years. How many other young women has he hurt and killed in all this time?

“Who were the other men?” I finally ask, looking at all the names on my screen. So many potential candidates, all of them need to be wiped from this earth. But two of them are out of time. Two of them were responsible for the pain in Scar’s eyes, the gauntness of her cheeks, the frailty in her heart. Two of them will be dead by the end of the week.

“Daniel Bernard.”

I reel back at the first name. He was on one of our lists, but as an unlikely candidate. Someone that had been seen with Donahue but only briefly. Not someone who has ever seemed to cross the line again. Has had a fairly clean history other than a few suspicious meetings years ago.

“The Dean?” I snap.

Charles sighs. “It explains a lot, actually. So much happened on school property that never should have been allowed. Even if she had lost the protection of her family. Scholarship students were always bullied, but the school never allowed it the way they allowed what happened to her when she came back.”

A new hate begins to bloom at his words. She never had a chance.

“And the other?” I demand.

“Jeffrey Schroder.”

At least his name makes sense. He was one of the names I would have bet money on. A business partner to both Scar’s father and Charles’ as well as a good friend of Declan’s father. All the connections were there.

“How sure are you?” I have to ask. We need to be more than positive if we’re going to convince Scar she doesn’t have to look at the photos.

“I grew up seeing these men almost every day,” he answers. “I promise it’s them. We don’t need her to confirm it.” I breathe a sigh of relief as I begin to put their names into the program I’ve been working on. We will have every insignificant detail about their lives by the end of the day. Bank accounts, social media, addresses, possible aliases, associates, businesses, shell companies. Every bit of information that could even potentially be traced back to them will be in the palm of my hand.

“Noah,” he sighs. “What do we do with this house and these photos? I want to burn it,” he admits, emotion choking him.

“I do too,” I agree. “But I don’t think we can. It will tip your father off.”

Neither of us say anything as we try to figure out the next best step. Declan or Luca would know what to do. We can’t tip our hand, but we also can’t just leave the house alone. As if summoned by my thoughts, Luca walks into the office, hair disheveled and a wary look on his face.

He studies me as he puts a cup of coffee on the desk next to me and takes a long sip from his own mug. “Why are you awake so early, Noah?”

His question jars me, but of course he wouldn’t know. I motion to the phone. “Charles found the other men.” Luca snaps to attention and holds his hand out for the phone.

“Tell me everything,” he demands, but it’s not as harsh as he normally speaks to Charles. I click through several of the documents my program has already spit out on Dean Daniel Bernard. Been in his position for sixteen years, happily married, and has two grown sons. He’s built his reputation as a family man, maintaining his position by pushing the school to higher academic achievements and bragging about a welcoming community of outstanding and talented individuals. What a fraud.

Luca nods along as Charles updates him on the situation. It only takes a few minutes to get all the pertinent information out. “Noah’s already working on it. I want you to hold your position until someone comes to relieve you. Bring a few of the photos that clearly identify all of their faces.”

I don’t need to be able to hear Charles to know he’s protesting.

“I understand,” Luca concedes. “I don’t want to show them to her either, but we need to have them. Just trust me.” His entire attitude towards Charles has shifted, he’s still his usual, stone-faced self, but he isn’t being antagonistic. It’s a subtle but huge shift.

Charles must choose to relent and bring a few photos with him because Luca nods once more. “Hold tight, someone will be there in a few hours. Sooner if I can make it happen.” He ends the call and hands it back to me.

“We have to tell her.”

I wince. He’s right, but I don’t want to.

“Go wake the rest of them up. We’re going to need to start planning.”

He squeezes my shoulder as he puts his own phone to his ear and walks out of the room, already calling the troops. I turn my focus back to what I’m good at. Gathering intel.

Let the hunt begin.