29. Chapter Twenty-Nine Nathan

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Nathan

T he morning sun hit me square in the face, and I blinked my eyes open. Abby was still in my arms, her breath slow and steady. Light crept across the floor where we lay tangled in a mess of blankets, the danger from last night now just a shadow.

Crazy, how we risked it all for this, but damn, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I dropped a kiss on the top of her head and she pulled herself closer, her body fitting against mine like she was made to be there. Every part of me screamed to stay like this, to feel her again…but time wasn't our friend.

"Morning," I whispered, even as my mind ticked off the reasons we needed to move. She hummed, her hand tracing lazy patterns on my chest, and it took everything in me not to give in. But we had to go; we weren't safe here, not by a long shot.

Pulling myself away from Abby felt like trying to tear roots out of the ground, but I managed it. I stood up, my muscles protesting, and grabbed our pack. Inside, there was the usual: a black t-shirt, neatly folded jeans, a leather jacket that still held the faint scent of safety and close calls, and sunglasses to hide the sleepless night from anyone who might be looking too close.

I dressed quick, the clothes familiar and comforting against my skin. The jacket creaked as I slid it on, and I found myself hoping it wouldn't be needed for more than just cutting the chill today.

Turning back to Abby, I saw her still curled in the blankets, dark hair a wild mess around her head. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. I gathered her things, folded them—the guard uniform she had been wearing, her underwear—and placed them on the table beside her. It was a quiet moment in a life that didn't have nearly enough of them.

"Hey," I said softly, nudging the clothes closer to her. "Time to get a move on."

Abby's eyes flickered open, a confused haze clouding them for just a heartbeat before her lips curved into a wide grin at the sight of me. I crouched down beside her, my fingers brushing through her tangled hair, smoothing it back from her face.

"Hi," I murmured and bent to press a soft kiss to her lips.

In an instant, her hands were on me, pulling at the hem of my T-shirt with a playful urgency. Her mouth met mine again, fiercer this time, and she whispered against my lips, "Can't we have one more quick round?"

I laughed low in my throat, the sound rumbling up from deep within. "You're something else, you know that?" My forehead came to rest against hers as I looked into her eyes. "But we gotta move. I'm gonna get you some food first."

Her pout was all for show, but it still tugged at something in my chest. I stood, my hand lingering on her cheek before pulling away to give her space to dress.

I watched Abby slip into the prison guard’s pants, quick and sharp, like she was gearing up for a fight. She caught my eye and shot me a grin that meant trouble, but we both knew playtime was over. I pulled out my burner phone and dialed the number Knuckles had scratched onto a scrap of paper.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was gruff, all business.

"Knuckles? It's Nathan."

"Got it," he said without any chitchat. "Look for the old gas station off Route 27. Go east from there, two miles, then a dirt path on your right. Can't miss it."

The line went dead before I could ask anything more.

It made sense.

The longer we talked, the more likely it was somebody would start listening.

"Let's roll," I told Abby as she laced up her boots.

We trekked back through the woods and found the bike, then we hit the road, the bike humming beneath us. The coastal route was empty, the sea to our left an endless stretch of grey, choppy waves. Clouds gathered overhead, and soon enough, rain started coming down, first just a drizzle, then a proper downpour.

"Shit," I muttered, feeling Abby shiver against my back. I wanted to wrap her up, keep her warm, but there was no time. We had to get to whatever hideout Knuckles had set up for us.

We followed his directions to a T. But when we rolled to a stop at the coordinates, nothing. Just rain, the roar of distant waves, and a sense of being completely and utterly alone.

"Knuckles better not be messing with us," Abby said through chattering teeth, her voice barely rising above the storm.

"He's not." I tried to sound confident, but doubt was creeping in, cold and slippery like the rain down my neck.

"Then where is this place?" She peered through the rain, trying to make sense of the deserted landscape.

"Let's give it a minute." I killed the engine and listened, the silence telling me nothing. The rain kept coming down, and the ocean sent up a constant roar as we searched for whatever sign Knuckles left us.

Then, like a shadow in the night, I caught sight of a lighthouse standing tall on a cape, an old warehouse squatting beneath it. The place looked abandoned, forgotten by time.

"Look," Abby nudged me, her finger pointing at a flicker of light from the lighthouse window.

I squinted against the rain, watching the light blink on and off. "Morse code," she said. " H…E…R…E… "

"You think we can trust it?" I asked, gripping the handlebars tighter.

She shrugged, water dripping off her hair onto her shoulders. "Got a better idea?"

"Actually, yeah." I paused, looking at her. "We could skip town, head north to Canada and just keep going. I know people."

Her eyes searched mine, looking for the truth. She stared like she thought I was crazy. Maybe I was, but I had just gotten her back; I didn’t want to lose her again.

"Would you do that? Leave all this behind?"

"Absolutely."

My heart pounded with the thought of it, the freedom, the life we could have away from all this mess. She was quiet for a beat, water beading on her lashes as she looked out at the rain-soaked world. A decision hung between us, heavy as the storm clouds above.

"But what about your brothers and sister?" she finally said, voice steady despite the shivers that racked her body from the cold. "And my dad…I can't leave them. Not like this."

"Abby, we could—"

"No." She cut me off, firm, resolved. "We owe it to them to see this through. We can't just bail."

I didn’t entirely agree, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to convince her.

"Okay." I nodded, clenching my jaw. "We're doing this."

"Damn right we are," she said, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

There was no turning back now.

I kicked the bike to life and we shot off once again, the engine's growl slicing through the cliffside quiet. The sea air was thick with salt as we hugged the curve of the road, the warehouse looming closer with every second. Rain spat at us sideways, but I barely felt it; all my senses were tuned to Abby behind me, her arms tight around my waist.

We rolled to a stop in front of the place, gravel crunching under us. The warehouse stood there like a dead thing, silent and waiting. Knuckles was out front, just a shadow in his hoodie until he lifted his head. His hands came out of his pockets to wave us over, a silent nod that said all it needed to.

"Looks like we're expected," I said, cutting the engine.

"Good," Abby replied, her voice steady as she swung her leg over the bike.

I reached for her hand and our fingers locked together—flesh and bone, nothing fancy about it, just two people hanging on to each other because it's all they've got. We walked towards Knuckles, the entrance gaping wide like a dark mouth.

"Ready for whatever lies ahead?" I asked, though the question was more for me than her.

"Ready," she answered, a small smile playing on her lips, tough as nails even when the world was trying to chew us up and spit us out.

"Then let's do this." My pulse thumped in my ears, not fear exactly, but something wilder, like the thrill you get right before a fight.

“Glad you could make it,” Knuckles said as we walked toward him. He reached out and clasped my hand in his, then Abby’s. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Where’s everybody else?” I asked.

“Inside.” He tilted his head back toward the gaping maw of the warehouse entrance. “Your siblings are there, Justin’s boyfriend, too. Some of the Vipers. We’ve been talking.”

“About?”

“About what we’re going to do about your father,” Knuckles said. I saw the rage on his face as he thought about my dad…and I remembered that Knuckles had loved my mom. I thought of her ghost in the corner of that solitary cell, the need for vengeance.

I knew we were aligned now, no matter what had come before.

“Speaking of fathers…” Abby trailed off. “Knuckles, do you have my cell? I need to touch base with my dad, especially after…”

I glanced at her. “After what?”

Abby winced. “Last I heard from him, Diane Hayes was still missing. I um…I shot her.”

“Jesus,” I breathed. “Okay; call your dad, I’ll meet up with my siblings.” I reached out and squeezed her arm gently. “Just stay safe, okay? If we don’t meet up again in a half-hour, I’m coming to find you.”

She laughed softly. “You’d better.”

And with that, I somehow severed myself from her, letting her stay up top with her cell while Knuckles took me down into the insurgents’ base.

I was about to come face to face with the arsonists that had set my whole life on fire.

And the man just ahead of me was the one behind it all.