Freezing Bonds that Tie our Hearts (Blood and Water #2)

26. Aiden

Getting out of the Starling house discreetly was no easy feat, especially not with Damon fucking Starling right downstairs, but I managed. I had to go through the window because I wasn’t anywhere near ready to see Nova’s dad after what happened the last time we were in the same vicinity. Especially since I’d decided I’d shown enough politeness to the guy and the next time he planned on going berserk on me, I’d hit back.

Nearly an hour after I got home, Maddox called me and told me we had to meet urgently. Arriving at the diner where he was waiting for me, almost a thirty minute ride from Ravenbridge, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding.

“I have news. Good ones.” He put a folder down on the table between us, “did you know my girl volunteers as an art teacher at Oscar’s school?”

I frowned, not seeing where he was getting at, “No? I don’t even know who she is.”

“Exactly. Because these idiots do not register volunteers as teachers or as part of the staff at all.” He opened the file and several pictures were lined up, men and women who apparently volunteered as teachers or tutors there. “These are some of the people who volunteer at Oscar’s school and whom all the missing kids seemed to have in common. See any familiar faces?”

I let my eyes roam the page when one person in particular made an alarm blast in the back of my head.

Fuck.

***

Seeing Kerill’s picture on that file had my blood boiling in my veins.

Not only because I felt betrayed by a professor I had pitied, but first and foremost because I remembered Nova had gone to see him over two hours ago now.

Grabbing my phone, I all but ran out of the diner with Maddox on my heels, calling her cell, to no avail. She wasn’t answering me, so I called Zainab instead, asking her to check out the house on the off chance she was back.

The house was empty according to her, even Mr. Starling and Cece were MIA.

A quick text to AK confirmed that Nova’s phone was located inside Kerill’s home.

I broke every single speed limit trying to get there as soon as possible. Having an ex-cop in the car with me sure helped, he showed me all the unknown and least used routes to get there faster and avoid traffic.

My heart was beating fast inside my chest, so fast I thought it might stop from the fear, anxiety and sheer rage I’d been feeling.

Not even taking time to park properly, I skidded to a stop on his front lawn, ready to run out, when Maddox’ hand gripped my arm and stopped me.

“Wait a second, he could be armed!”

“If you think I’m letting that cunt alone with my family for one more second, you’re mistaken!”

“I left my gun in my car, so we need to wait, Aiden. Reinforcements are coming!”

“Good, then you stay back and wait for them.”

Wrenching my arm away from him, I ran out of the car and he followed after me, cursing me out.

***

Nova

Night had fallen and we could barely see each other in the icy-cold basement. Silence stretched around us, the only sounds we could hear were each others’ breaths and the low humming of the big freezer under the stairs. Rory’s hand was still in mine and I brought it up to my face so I could kiss it wordlessly. It was fucking cold, but when I told the kids we should all huddle together to gain warmth, they refused.

I think the mere idea of touching someone else, especially someone who was essentially a stranger, was abhorrent to them, and I couldn’t blame them.

“Are you okay?” I whispered to my sister and she hummed her response tiredly. “I love you baby. So much.”

“I love you too. I knew you would come for me.”

“Always.”

“I’m sorry I ran away. I needed to be alone a little but then…”

“It’s okay, baby. You did nothing wrong.”

“When… When he brought me in, Oscar tried defending me. He punched him in the face and—” she started sobbing, “Kerill got so mad he— he—”

My eyes closed as I imagined the unnameable things he did to the kid. To all of them. Including Rory.

“It’s okay baby.” I shushed her softly, caressing her hair and squeezing her tightly to my side, “You don’t have to say it. It will all be okay.”

She nodded to herself, gripping my jacket like a lifeline.

“I missed him, you know?” Looking over Rory’s head, my eyes caught Oscar’s, “I missed my mom and my friends, but I knew if there was one person who would be able to get us out of here, it was Aiden.”

“And he will.”

Oscar blinked at me. Eyes looking into nothingness, he nodded and repeated quietly, “He will.”

Then Ravi said, “I’m freezing. I hope he comes soon.”

“Please take my jacket.”

I started removing it again but the boy only gave a sad shake of his head, “It won’t make me warmer. I don’t want it.”

I gulped, hating how useless I felt. With no phone and no watch to know how long it had been since I’d gotten thrown down there, I was starting to lose it a little but knew I had to keep it together for the kids. I couldn’t imagine how scared they felt so me panicking on top of things would not help.

Getting restless, I got up to my feet with great difficulty, using the wall as a crutch.

“What are you doing?” Rory asked, also getting to her feet and helping me stand.

“I’m gonna go check the door. Maybe he left it open. Maybe one of these windows can open and we can scream for help.”

Katarina stopped us with her voice, “Don’t bother.” Her eyes bore into mine, “We tried that. There’s no way out of here.”

“I heard him lock the door after you tumbled down the stairs.” My sister admitted softly, her eyes on me.

My shoulders slumped in defeat.

Oscar eyed me warily, noticing the way I did my best not to put weight on my hurt ankle, “Sit down, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

The way he said it reminded me so much of Aiden, I could’ve cried. Oscar was only thirteen but I could already tell he would grow into a caring and protective, if a little rough around the edges, young man.

Just as he was about to say more, a commotion came from upstairs which made us all stop breathing.

Rory’s hand on my arm tensed as she gripped it tightly.

That’s when we heard it. My name. Someone was yelling my name from the main house. A voice I’d recognize anywhere.

Aiden.

“Nova! Nova, are you in there?” He beat down on the door, “Oscar! Rory!”

Aiden was here. He’d found me, found us.

Immediately, my eyes met Rory’s and she left my side to sprint up the stairs and knock on the basement door, yelling his name back.

Limping, I went to join her when I realized that Oscar and the rest of the kids weren’t following behind us. Turning around, I noticed they had come up to their feet too, but were watching the stairs warily, like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like they were afraid of what could be upstairs.

Putting on the best and most reassuring smile I could muster given the circumstances, I tried extending a hand in their direction while Rory kept on hitting the door as hard as she could. “We’re here! Aiden, we’re here!” I could hear her call back.

“See!” I exclaimed, relief and happiness mixing in my voice, “I told you he’d come for us!”

I smiled at them, but my smile quickly dimmed down when I realized they didn’t share my enthusiasm. Gulping down the anxiety that was taking hold of me, I walked back down the three steps I’d managed to climb.

“Oscar, come on.” I croaked, “Aiden is here.”

His eyes bore into mine, and it was the first time I noticed the tears in them. When he shook his head lightly, incomprehension filled me. I looked at the other kids standing next to him, who all had similar looks on their faces. Katarina had her arm around Ravi’s shoulders, hollow eyes staring up at me while the youngest of the lot cried softly. Stevie was silent, looking down at her feet.

“Just tell them to hurry up, okay? Tell them to come and get us.” Oscar said. “And… and tell My mom I love her. Aiden too. That he’ll always be the Rocky to my Creed.”

I frowned, my mind on overdrive from trying to make sense of their reaction. It was obvious they had suffered, but they knew Aiden. Why did they seem so unwilling to follow me? To walk out of here themselves.

Heart was beating fast when my eyes locked with Rory’s who was coming back down towards me slowly, almost reluctantly. Behind her, the door was shaking as Aiden hammered his fists on the wood from the other side, over and over again. I could see it was close to giving out under his strength, strings of light coming from up the stairs.

Rory whispered, “Nova?” while touching my hand softly.

“Tell them to come, baby,” I gulped, motioning to the kids with a nod, “they’re safe, they don’t have to be scared anymore.”

“Please go,” Oscar croaked as silent tears made their way down his cheeks and tensed jaw, “Go and tell them to hurry, okay? We’re freezing in here.”

“What? There’s nothing to be scared of, I promise. Tell them, Rory.”

My sister’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked towards the kids, taking them in for what felt like ages but were barely seconds. Rory bit her lip, shaking her head softly.

“Nova… there’s nobody but us down here.”