I reach out and rest my hand against his face, hating the way he seems so broken. “It was her freedom or mine and I will choose hers every damn time.”
He nods, understanding exactly what I’m saying because had he been the one in my position, he would have done exactly the same thing. In fact, when he was in my position, he did. He chose to take Anton’s deal just as I had done and if Anton finds my sister and brings her home to me, I’d happily stand by his side as his daughter and run his horrendous empire.
“He knew you were his daughter?” Noah murmurs.
I nod. “He’s known all along. He said it’s part of the reason he let you go.”
“You should have told me. I would have come with you. The thought of you going in there alone…”
“I guess it doesn’t matter. If he finds her, I’ll be moving in and you know just as well as I do that you couldn’t have come with me. Had he seen you walk into his home, he never would have let you out again.”
Noah’s jaw clenches. He knows I’m right but isn’t ready to start admitting anything. “And what if he doesn’t find her? What about college?”
“If he doesn’t find her, we’re on our own with a slim chance of ever getting her back. He’ll forget about the deal and forget about me, but then I’ll most likely be left forgetting about my sister.”
Noah’s arms wrap firmly around me, pulling me in hard against his chest. “It’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this shit out.” He presses a kiss to my cheek and repeats himself, though it sounds more like a promise to himself. “You’re going to be ok, Spitfire. I’ll work this out.”
The sound of a door opening draws my attention and I look back towards my house, only the door is firmly closed. It’s not until a shadow casts across the neighbor’s yard that I see Rocko standing in his open doorway, staring me down. “Shit. We better get inside.”
“Why?” Noah questions slowly and suspiciously, staring across the yard and taking in the furious glare overtaking Rocko’s features.
“I had to get Anton’s address one way or another.”
“Shit, Henley,” Noah groans as he gets up and helps me to my feet, closing my car door in the process. “What did you do?”
“Nothing that he wouldn’t have done himself,” I grumble. “Besides, I consider it payback for him kidnapping me and dragging me into the woods.”
“I’d already gotten payback for that.”
“True, but you beating the shit out of him made you feel better. Letting him think that I’m two seconds away from opening a major artery, well that made me feel better, a shitload better.”
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand and threading his fingers through mine. “Let me get you inside. It’s freezing out here and Tully has been waiting to kick your ass since she rocked up here and realized it was you driving away and not our mom.”
“You didn’t tell dad I was gone, did you?”
Noah scoffs. “Do I look like the kind of guy who’s asking for a death wish? He’s under enough stress right now. He doesn’t need to know his daughter was spending the night hanging out with Anton Mathers.”
“Fair call,” I tell him as we make our way inside my home.
Just as he had said, Tully launches at me and instantly reprimands me for sneaking out when I should have been home resting while Noah gets stuck into his explanation of where I’ve been for the past hour, letting his sister’s anger fuel his own. I sit and listen as there’s really nothing else to do, and honestly, I simply don’t have the strength left to argue or defend my actions.
Once they’ve said everything they need to say and Noah has calmed down, he sends me into my room, hoping I can manage to get a little bit of sleep. Still wanting to keep searching for Ari, Noah heads right back out, hoping he can find her before Anton does so he can save me from a life of regret.
Tully climbs into bed beside me and her exhaustion instantly has her falling asleep. I sit up in bed, staring into the darkness while finding it impossible to close my eyes, as every time I do, I see visions of Ari screaming out for me, begging me to come and save her.
Not wanting to disturb Tully, I head back to the living room and sit on the couch, bundled up in a blanket and staring at the blank TV. I don’t know how long I sit there, but one minute, it’s the middle of the night, and the next, dad is walking through the door with the sun streaming in behind him.