I feel ready. More ready than ever. Noah is my guy and this pack is my family, despite it currently being in pieces, and right now, there’s a threat against my family and I will no longer sit back and watch us burn to the ground.
As if sensing the change within me, Noah reaches out and laces his fingers through mine. “Are you ok?” he questions, watching me closely and trying to get a read on my emotions. I know I’m feeling like I could withstand any kind of storm right now, but on the outside, I probably look like I’ve just gone insane.
“Yeah,” I tell him. “I’m fine. I just really needed that laugh.” I look back at Tully. “I don’t know how you do it, but you always know how to get my mind off the impossible.”
“Call it a gift,” she winks. “So, what’s the plan? Are we doing this?”
“Bring it on.”
Noah takes off, driving the long road towards Castle Rock and despite knowing how badly I need to be at school dominating history class, I can’t quite force myself to tell him to turn around. School can wait. I’ve caught up in every other class and my grades are soaring. One skipped day isn’t going to hurt at this point and besides, I’d rather get to the bottom of this Anton bullshit and visiting Gina is worth a shot.
We get to the prison and both Tully and Noah stand before it, staring up at the place with those same mixed emotions I had when I came the first time. Who knows? Maybe Noah is considering what his future could possibly look like if he goes down in this shipwreck, and maybe Tully is considering a life where she loses her twin brother to the system. All I know is that there’s a heaviness seeping into my newly found ‘can do’ attitude and I don’t like it.
I pull them along, not letting them dwell on that bullshit for long. After all, we’re here to do a job, hopefully get some answers, and then get the hell out.
Noah stands front and center as we make our way through all the security checks and before I know it, we’re faced with the same woman I’d argued with last time. Again, I stand before her as she lectures me about not scheduling an appointment.
Tully takes over and sweet talks the lady, bats some lashes, and compliments her. Somehow within the next ten minutes, the three of us are sitting at a table just like I was last time, only now, I have the support of my pack with me, making it so much easier.
Today doesn’t feel nearly as daunting as last time. Maybe it’s Noah and Tully’s presence with me or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve already met the woman and that element of unknown no longer exists. Hell, maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t gone behind anyone’s back to do it. Though I have a feeling if I were to tell dad that Gina was in prison, he’d have a hard time allowing me out of the house.
I sit, tapping my nails against the table as my mind begins to overthink. I don’t even know what I’m meant to say to the woman. I know why I’m here but how am I supposed to bring up a guy like Anton without her asking too many questions? What’s the likelihood that she even knows the guy? We could be barking up the wrong tree here, but as I said in the car earlier, it’s worth a shot. We could get nothing or we could get that tiny bit of information to help us take the fucker down.
“You look like you’re going to be sick,” Tully murmurs beside me, keeping it quiet.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Noah throws in, looking to his sister with an amused smirk. “I get why Henley would look sick, but why the hell do you look as though you’re about to meet your maker?”
“Did it occur to anyone that this is also Rivers’ mom? After all this time, we’re finally about the meet the woman who most likely turned him into the dark, mysterious asshole that he is. This woman has all the answers I’ve been looking for since we were eleven years old.”
“Shit,” Noah grumbles. “I’ve been so hung up on this Anton bullshit that I didn’t even think about that.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Tully throws back. “Clearly you got all the charisma in the womb while I got all the beauty and brains.”
“Seriously?” I grumble. “You two are going to start that shit now? Here?”
“Sorry,” Tully whispers as the door opens and the inmates begin filing in. “I can’t help myself. I’m nervous. It just happens.”
Noah’s hand falls under the table and rests on my thigh before giving it a supportive squeeze, giving me everything I need to get through this. But I think I’m alright. I handled last time without completely freaking out and I even managed to do it with a bit of fire deep within me. If I can do it then, I should be fine now.