Chapter 4
FOUR
“Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be?”
Aria’s voice reeks of anxiety. She’s close to me, her hand gripping the sleeve of my coat. Instead of going the usual route, I pulled a string or two, and got ourselves directly inside of the prison. We’re visiting dad’s cell, and it’s Aria’s first time being inside of a prison.
“Yes,” I nod, then slow my pace so she can match it effortlessly. “Don’t worry though, Squirt. You’re safe.”
“I’m not worried. This place is just one big playground, if you ask me,” the joke falls flat because I can sense how uncertain she’s about this whole thing. I chuckle, watching her from my peripheral vision.
She’s glancing around, eyes skimming our surroundings. I picked the time when most of the inmates would be locked up, just to ensure Aria’s safety. Though, it doesn’t matter, since apparently, she’s scared regardless.
“It looks just how I imagined it,” she mutters.
“It’s a prison, not a five-star hotel, squirt. They all look more or less the same.”
She rolls her eyes. “I got that, thanks.”
There’s a guard walking a couple of feet in front of us, guiding us toward Dad’s cell.
It’s on the fourth floor, there are less cells up there.
He’s considered a high risk criminal, and they’re terrified he’ll run away.
What these idiots don’t seem to understand is that if Hudson De Santis wanted out of this prison, he'd leave simply by walking through the door, and no one would be able to say or do anything.
The power he holds is out of their reach.
Unimaginable, unachievable.
“We won’t have a full hour,” I lower my voice, ensuring only Aria hears it. “It’ll wreak havoc if it gets out that both De Santis men are here. We’ll have fifteen minutes, at best.”
“That’s fine,” Aria nods. “I just want to see him.”
“I know, Squirt. Me too.”
Soon enough, we find ourselves in front of dad’s cell.
The moment the guard unlocks it, Aria all but flies inside.
Hudson’s sitting on his bed, his glasses on his face, while he’s reading one of his favorite historical books.
His eyes snap upward when he hears the keys jiggling, but before he can speak, or react at all, Aria’s thrown her arms around him.
“Dad,” she whispers, holding him in a vice tight grip. Instantly, he drops the book, hugging her back with just as much vigor and longing. His eyes close briefly, his hands trembling a little as he strokes her back.
“Hi, Princess,” he mumbles, kissing the top of her head. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you more,” she sobs a little, burying her head in his chest.
I stay close by the door, just observing them in silence, not wanting to interrupt their moment of peace.
It’s clear how much they both needed this, how much they missed each other.
Aria’s slowly starting to come back to normal, and Dad’s hands have stopped trembling, though neither of them seems ready to let go.
“How are you, Dad?” Aria asks, then reluctantly pulls back to look at him, stroking his cheek with her thumb gently.
“I’ve seen better days,” he chuckles. “How is your Mother?”
“Her state is unchanged,” I respond, taking a step in, and sitting on the empty chair. “I spoke to the doctor before coming here. She’s okay for now.”
Dad nods, his face filled with relief. “That’s good. Where’s Blair?”
“Why?” I lift a brow. “Were you hoping for more homemade meals?”
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, but I’m also curious to hear how she’s doing. I hope you’re taking care of her.”
“I am,” there’s not a single trace of uncertainty or doubt in my voice. “She’s in good hands.”
“Good,” he hums, and Aria sits on the bed next to him, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. He takes her hand in his, holding it tightly.
“Where’s your little roommate?”
Dad rolls his eyes. “Apparently, I’m a danger to him,” his voice drips with sarcasm. “So, they put him in solitary for a while. They don’t realize that wouldn’t stop me from getting to him if I so desired, right?”
“Probably not,” I shrug. “But it’s good. As long as he is in solitary, he can’t run away.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him to try. It’s safer for all of us for him to be in the cell with me.”
“He could try killing you in your sleep, though,” Aria piques in, her voice radiating with worry. She squeezes dad’s hand harder, and the only thing he does in response is kiss her forehead.
“I’m too tough to be killed in my sleep. Sometimes, I swear, you two seem to forget that not only am I your father, but I was the one who taught you everything you know. Do you truly believe I have no tricks up my sleeve?”
“Point taken,” I slump into the chair, stretching my legs and putting one ankle over the other, arms folded in front of my chest. “But seriously, how are you?”
“I’m impatient, Arlo,” the tone of his voice changes, and it makes me instantly straighten up in my seat.
Hudson is a fantastic father, the best one I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, but he is scary as fuck when he wants to be. His domineering presence is something I cannot ignore, and when he uses his commanding tone with me, I know he’s not my father at this moment — he’s my boss.
“I know.”
“Then do something about it,” he says, his voice slow. “I’m missing Noah like crazy. All I want to do is be next to her, all the time, and wait for her to wake up. You need to stop playing around, son. I need you to pull Ghost out of retirement, and set the entire world ablaze if need be.”
“Fine. Done.”
He quirks a brow. “Then, I can expect results soon?”
“Before Aria graduates, all of this will be over.”
“That’s still four months away,” Dad drawls out, and there’s a certain glint in his eyes that genuinely terrifies me. Just a little reminder that he is still the boss of me, unfortunately.
“My biggest priority is to find the mole, and to get that damned agent off our backs.”
“He’s still persistent, isn’t he?” Dad asks, his brow ticking in annoyance.
“Yes,” I groan. “I can’t hand over all the evidence on Paul because he’s already in prison and we know the evidence will go missing. Also, all his associates are dead, with the exception of Nelson, because I’m keeping him alive until Mom wakes up.”
“Does Blair know when, and how she wants to execute her revenge?”
“She has an idea,” I glance away, to the wall on the right. It’s filled with images of Mom and Dad, from various fazes of their lives, all glued to the wall. “I think she’s just not truly ready yet.”
“She’s never going to be ready for it,” he says. “This isn’t something one can prepare for and then do it. She’ll have to force the demons inside of her head to work for her, not against her, and then cut the cord. If she continues to wait, who knows what’ll happen?”
He’s right. It’s a sensitive topic I’m yet to bring up with Blair, but he makes a good point. If we continue waiting, it could all go to hell. I’m not keen on forcing her hand, as it’s something I’ll never do, but it’s a conversation that needs to happen, and it has to happen very, very soon.
“You’re right,” I sigh. “I’ll see what I can do about it.”
“Good. You have three months to get it done. I hate this fucking prison.”
“I promise, you’ll start seeing results soon.”
“Good, because as soon as this is over, and your mother wakes up, I’m whisking her away and keeping her to myself for at least a full fucking year.”
I quirk an amused brow. “Oh, really?”
Dad scoffs. “I’d say we deserve it. You can hold the fort for that long, can’t you?”
“Obviously,” I drawl out. “Anywho, we don’t have much time left here. I’ve been feeling odd these past few days.”
“Odd, how?” He asks, his voice immediately filled with worry.
“I can’t place it. It’s like my gut is telling me something terrible is coming our way, it’s why I came here today. You taught me to trust the feeling, so I will.”
“What do you think is going to happen?”
“I don’t know, but it’s going to be bad. I need you to be ready, because if I end up needing you, I’m pulling you out.”
Dad nods. “For what it’s worth, I trust your judgement. But unless it’s absolutely necessary, leave me in here. Someone needs to keep an eye out for Simmons.”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”
“Anyone else would’ve been dead a long time ago at the hands of one of his morons.”
“But, you’ll be safe in here, right, Dad?” Aria asks, and his eyes immediately shift to her.
“Of course, Princess. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine.”
“Good,” she sighs out in relief. “I wouldn’t be able to handle losing you.”
He kisses her temple. “Good thing you’re not losing me anytime soon.”
I stand up, and Aria follows suit, though she’s hesitant to let go of Dad’s hand. Instead, he’s the one to let go, and I can tell just how much it pains him.
“I just came to warn you about the storm brewing. If you hear anything in here, let me know.”
“Will do,” he nods, then turns to Aria. “I love you, kiddo. Be good, alright?”
She smiles when he ruffles her hair, and then kisses his cheek. “I can promise I’ll be good, but not too good, you know? Someone has to keep Arlo on his toes.”
“Oh, thanks for that,” I roll my eyes.
Dad laughs. “That’s my girl.”
“Let’s go, Squirt.”
Aria steps closer to me, glancing over her shoulder to look at dad once more. “Bye, Dad. Stay safe, please. I love you.”
“I love you more,” he smiles, and then looks at me. “I love you to, you little fucker.”
I laugh. “Love you, too, Dad.”
As soon as we’re out of dad’s view, Aria’s shoulders slump. She’s silent on our way out, but the worry doesn’t ease up on her face. In fact, she’s so lost in her thoughts that I have to physically pull her aside so she doesn’t walk into a pillar.
“You good over there?”
“No,” she admits through a sigh, biting the inside of her cheek. “I’m worried about Dad. God, it hurts seeing him in here.”
“I know, I know. He’ll be out soon.”
“It’s like bad things keep happening, one right after the other, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to handle this or how many more events I can cope with. I’m not that strong, Arlo.”
I pause in my tracks, turning to look at her. I put both of my hands on each of her shoulders, and she looks up at me.
“You’re overwhelmed, not weak, Aria. This is a lot for us adults to handle, let alone a teenager.
It’s normal for you to feel like this. But I need you to know that I’m always right there.
If you need a break from all of this, just say the words, and I’ll ship you across the world.
You’ll be safe, and you’ll be able to recoup. ”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I were to leave now.”
“Then, bring it up with your therapist. I’m not a professional, but she is. She can help you.”
“I’ll do that during our next session,” she sighs. “I just feel useless.”
“You’re not useless, Aria. You’re just a teenager, and you’re hormonal, and you feel everything more than the rest of us. You may not show it often, but you’re an empath, and it all hits you harder than most. You did such an amazing job while I was in rehab, Squirt. Don’t sell yourself short.”
She sucks in a deep intake of breath, and although I know my words did little to her confidence, I can see they had at least a little impact. “Fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Let’s go,” she checks her watch. “The girl’s night should be done by now. Blair’s probably waiting for you.”
“Aren’ you upset you missed it?”
“No, it’s getting boring winning all the games,” she snickers.
“That’s because you throw a fit if you don’t win. I’m going to take a wild guess and say that everyone’s been letting you win.”
Aria gasps. “No! Those little fuckers, when I get my hands on them, they’ll regret it.”
“So dramatic,” I roll my eyes. “But let’s hurry up, I don’t want to keep Blair waiting.”
“You’re so whipped it’s insane,” she teases, walking alongside me.
“Can you blame me?”
“No, not really. Blair’s amazing.”