Lucian
I went through the fire and returned unscathed.
My destiny was absolute. My love was strong. But there was no putting back together my family. I thought I had come to terms with our leaving, but there were still some heavy feelings there.
Nothing could have prepared me to say goodbye like that. My brother was a good man. Despite his flaws, he still had that heart pumping inside of him. He was just too young when it happened. He couldn't cope, and I had failed him.
I sucked up my bitter emotions and found my brother's ATV. It was right where he said it would be, cloaked in camouflage. I looked around for any sign of my father, but it didn't look like anyone was near.
I grabbed the handlebars and stepped onto the seat. "I can't believe I doubted him," I said.
Lilly swung her legs around the back end and squeezed my shoulders. "Let's just hurry and find my dad. Then, we can come back and pick him up."
I nodded and looked back at the narrow entrance to the grounds of Onyx Laboratories. From the view out here, you would have never thought it was there.
My brother was in bad shape. We'd see if he could last.
I slammed my leg down and throttled the engine. Her hands smoothed around my abdomen. "Hold on tight," I said.
My eyes were dead focused as we whipped through the trees. I jumped a small hill and found a small carved out path. Lilly leaned against my back and pointed. "There!" she yelled.
As we climbed the mountain, the number of trees dwindled. I steered to the left and drove down the side of the landscape. The wind whipped my face, and a smile graced my lips. With the sun rising in the distance, I felt on top of the fucking world.
"Lilly," I shouted. "I'm sorry for last night. I was acting like a complete idiot."
I felt her lean her head against my shoulder. "Well, you were kind of an ass," she said. "But you've been going through a lot. We both have."
"I love you."
"Forever…"
The landscape was so foreign. As we drove past the mountainous region, we entered a new section of trees and thick mud. Soon, the entire area was filled with ash and elm trees. The wetlands were near.
I followed the tread in the mud until the tracks disappeared into deep water. I slowed down the ATV and put my finger to my lips. I had never seen these swamps before, but I knew it wasn't a place to play around.
"We don't know who's out here," I whispered. "Let's take it slow."
She nodded and gave me the okay. I jumped off the vehicle and stepped inside the water, slowly wading through the area for any clues that stuck out. Finally, I found something. There was a small string tied in between two trees, close enough to the water to miss. I glanced above and saw a bed of wooden spikes pointing directly at the center of our heads.
&nb
sp; I pointed and exhaled sharply. "This look familiar to you?"
Lilly sank back. "Shit. That's definitely my dad's work. He's close," she said.
I sucked in a breath and ducked under the trap. Lilly soon followed. When we were back up, she pointed to the various snares surrounding the premises. There was a hidden bear trap set on a marsh, a cleverly hidden swing with a set of sharpened stakes at the bottom, and at the very end of the path, a trip wire connected to a lighter and a spray bottle.
I looked to her and groaned. "He's a mad man."
"Well, he's prepared, at least," she said.
We avoided the intricate traps and carried on until we found him. The RV was sunk into the water and completely trashed. Standing on a small patch of land was Aiden. He leaned against a rifle and waved. "Critter, you've known me all your life. Am I ever not prepared?"
"Dad!" Lilly jumped out of the water and ran into her father's arms, face aglow with relief. She sunk into his hug. "I thought I had lost you."
He set her down with a heaving sigh. "I'm not that old, critter. I can handle a fight."
She laughed. "Well, you sure as hell know how to hide. Looks like the homestead is a little wet, though."