Chapter 29
NOAH
My mother is relentlessly calling me as River, Sylas, and I sit at the airport, waiting for our flight to board. As my phone rings again, I reach into my pocket and silence it without glancing at it.
“Maybe you should just talk to her,” River suggests. He’s slouched in the seat with his legs in front of him and his arms folded. He keeps nervously peering around at the people wandering by, dragging their worn suitcases with them.
We’re at the northside airport, because it has less security than the Royal City airport.
Also, James would be more likely to search for us there, and we want to stay as inconspicuous as possible.
That’s where I come in. My hacking skills helped us book tickets under aliases.
I was also able to get us fake passports.
To be honest, I think that’s the only reason I’m allowed to go with Sylas and River, so they can utilize my skills at keeping a low profile.
It's fine by me. I don’t want to stay in this city with my mother, who threw her life away to be with a man whose fixation with power and wealth has made him pure evil. As for my real father, while I’ve done horrible things to protect his secrets, I’m tired of it.
I’m tired of it.
I’m tired of everything.
“If I answer her, she could hear the background noise and figure out where we are,” I tell River as I rest my head back on the back of the chair and stare up at the water. “Besides, my bet is your dad is having her call me.”
“You think she’d do that for him?”
“I think you know she’d do that for him.”
He doesn’t respond, but his silence is my confirmation.
“These bathrooms here are almost as bad as that bucket,” Sylas says as he returns from the restroom and takes a seat across from us.
It’s been about ten hours since we rescued him, and while he’s showered, changed, shaved, and eaten, his thinness is an indicator of the hell he’s been through.
“Yeah, it’s crazy this is how Maddy grew up, when she didn’t have to.” River takes a subtle jab at him.
Sylas tugs at the sleeves of his shirt. “I didn’t know about Maddy’s existence until a few months ago, and I was planning on getting her out of northside, but then Grey found out about her and locked me up.”
River crosses his legs at his ankles. “Why did it take so long for you to find out about her?”
“Ellie never told me she was pregnant,” he says sadly.
“We had broken up by then because I was a coward and thought my family duties were more important than being with the woman I love. At this point, Ellie also knew that she was an Everford, so she didn’t tell anyone.
She may have told me if I hadn’t broken up with her, but because I did, she didn’t trust me.
” His shoulders slump. “I was an idiot back then. I wouldn’t have trusted me either. ”
“But we can trust you now?’ River speculatively questions, pulling his legs in as someone walks by.
He nods. “Maddy is my daughter. I’ll protect her with my life.” He carries River’s gaze challengingly. “Can we trust you, though? You’re James Averson’s son.”
“I think the fact that I saved you lets you know you can.” River meets his challenge. “Plus, my mother is helping you guys. And trust me when I say, I will always side with my mother over my father. I hate that man with every fiber in my body.” His voice simmers with the truth.
The two of them stare each other down for long enough that it starts to grate on my nerves. We should be keeping an eye out, not arguing with each other.
“I’m going to go walk around and make sure no one looks suspiciously like an Averson bodyguard monitoring us,” I declare as I shove to my feet and walk away.
The airport is congested because it's the weekend, and the air smells like beer and sweat. My eyes water as I try not to breathe it in, making my way up an inclined walkway toward a row of windows. As I’m glancing outside at the parking lot, a man with a squeaky suitcase bumps into my shoulder as he walks by me.
He curses me out even though it wasn’t my fault.
I resist snapping at him and instead lean against the wall and watch people stroll by.
My mind drifts to Maddy and how tough she is.
People-watching here helps me understand why she’s like that.
Everyone is tense and in a hurry, unlike the energy in the Royal City, where people can often become so bored that they get lazy.
It hurts in my chest as I think about what she’s been through, and then what was done to her by James. He forced her to marry Finn and then kidnapped both of them. God knows what they’ve been through, but I know that man’s cruelty enough to understand how bad it probably was.
About five minutes after I wander off, River comes and finds me. “I’m more than ready to get on our plane.” He slumps against the wall and pinches the brim of his nose. “The smell here is giving me a headache.”
“It doesn’t help that we’ve barely slept,” I point out as a man snags my attention.
He’s wearing a nice suit and a red tie that is definitely designer, his hair is slicked back, and he’s in his mid-forties.
He’s not carrying any bags either. I nudge River in the side to get his attention.
“Don’t be obvious about it, but there’s a man at our two o’clock that definitely looks Royal. ”
River casually straightens his stance, then rubs his forehead, and sneaks a glance at the man. Then he spins around and faces the wall. “Shit, that’s my uncle.”
“Your uncle as in your mother’s brother?” I ask stupidly with hope.
“No,” he hisses, giving me a sidelong glance. “He’s my dad's brother. And if you think my dad’s bad, this guy makes him look like a saint. And he won’t be here alone either. He’ll have his bodyguards with him.”
I peer around the airport. “I don’t see any anywhere.”
“They won’t be dressed like my father’s. My father likes to show off his wealth and protection, but Elijah is the opposite. He’s discreet about it, but don’t be fooled. He does that to lure in his prey.”
“What’s his prey?” I ask as I watch Elijah scan the crowd around him.
“Mostly vulnerable women, but it’s pretty much anyone who gets in his way with something he wants.”
“You think he’s here for us.”
“Yes. Why else would he be in the northside airport?”
“What about Sylas?” I ask. “Will he recognize him?”
“Probably.” River peeks over his shoulder, then mumbles a string of curses with his fists balled at his sides. “I need to find a place to hide. Go warn Sylas. He shouldn’t be able to recognize you, but to be on the safe side, try not to make eye contact with him.”
“On it.” I start toward the seating area while River rushes off toward the restrooms.
When I reach the area where Sylas was sitting, I find our bags are gone, and the seat he was in is empty. Perplexed, I steal a glimpse around at the sea of faces, searching for him.
And my gaze ends up landing right on Elijah. I do my best not to react as our eyes briefly lock. I keep my attention moving as if he’s no one, but my heart is slamming against my chest, and my mind is swirling with jumbled thoughts and sending a rush of panic through my veins.
This is so bad.
Why is he here?
Did James send him?
Are they here for Sylas?
River?
Me?
Why would they be here for me?
James has always loathed me, even before he had an affair with my mom.
Him and my father were business rivals, and while James clearly is the better businessman, he still wanted to destroy my father.
When I became his stepson, I became my father’s proxy to James.
Selling drugs and paying him money wasn’t the only thing he’s made me do.
I try not to think about the other things, though, or else I start to shatter. And once I do, I won’t be able to be whole again. If that’s what I am anymore.
I’m trying to be as calm as possible as I cross the room and head toward another gate, but Elijah is following me.
Two other men slip out from the mob of people and tail me as well.
Sweat drips down the back of my neck as I struggle not to run.
I could outrun them, but then what? I miss the flight.
Miss my ticket to get the hell out of here.
As I round a corner, I start to sprint, hoping I can veer around before they turn the corner and blend into the crowd. I weave around people and—
Someone snags my sleeve and jerks me through a doorway. I raise my fist to knock them the hell out, but chill out a bit when I see it’s Sylas.
He hurriedly steps away from me with his hands elevated in front of him. “It’s just me.”
I lower my fist. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I got that.” He quickly pushes the door shut.
I take note of the supply closet we’re in that smells like cleaner and dirty water. “How did you get in here?”
He blows out a breath as he leans against the door. “I saw the janitor and swiped the key off of him.”
“You pickpocketed the janitor?” I ask in disbelief. “Where did you learn how to do that?”
He faintly smiles. “Ellie taught me how to while we were dating.”
“It sounds like something Maddy would do,” I remark as I recline against the shelf behind me. “I’d be surprised if she doesn’t teach River how to at some point.”
He meticulously studies me. “So River really is close with my daughter?”
I nod. “Yeah, I think they’re kind of dating.”
“I guess that makes sense since he’s so persistent on coming with us, but why are you so eager to go?” he questions with a hint of suspicion.
I shrug. “I hate James. I’m not a fan of my mother. And I’d rather be on your guys’ side than there. Plus, Maddy helped me out once when some bad stuff was going on in my life, so I owe her a favor.”
He continues to assess me. “So that’s what this is? You’re throwing your life away to pay a favor back?”
“No, I’m doing this because I want to.” I crack my knuckles against the sides of my legs. “And Maddy’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Hmmm…” he says as he pushes away from the door.
“What does that mean?” I ask almost defensively, but he’s being weird.
He merely shrugs, then cracks the door open and peers out into the hallway. “We need to get out of here. Our flight should have already started boarding.”
“What about River?” I ask, stepping toward the door.
“Let’s hope Elijah didn’t find him because that man will drag River out of here no matter what it takes.” He glances left then right before opening the door all the way and slipping out into the crowd.
I follow him, keeping my head low as we push our way back to the gate. As we pass by a woman and a man sitting in the seating area, Sylas stops, hands them some cash, then collects three suitcases stuffed under the chairs.
“You paid someone to watch our stuff?” I ask as I grab the handle of my suitcase.
“When I saw Elijah, I had to think fast, and dragging three suitcases behind me was going to draw a lot of attention.” He clutches the handle of his suitcase and also River’s. “Do you see River anywhere?”
I peer around, anxiety coursing through me that he got caught by Elijah. We may have been in a fight for the last handful of years, but we were once best friends, so close that people thought Finn, River, and me were brothers. I can’t just leave him here.
“Wait, I think I see him,” Sylas says, staring across the room.
I track his gaze, and a weight lifts off my chest. “Yeah, that’s him.”
We wait for River to jog over to us.
“Let’s get on the plane, now,” he hisses as he snatches hold of the handle of his bag and hightails it over to the boarding line.
We have to wait for a while, and we’re all jittery with energy and keep throwing glances around. By the time we’re getting onto the plane, we’re all on the brink of having a mini meltdown.
We take our seats and wait anxiously for the plane to get boarded and take off. I have the window seat and am bouncing my knee as I stare out at the runway.
“Where do you think Elijah went?” I ask River, who’s in the seat next to me.
“I have no idea,” River says as he fastens his seatbelt. “I was hiding behind the counter of a burger place that’s in the food court. I had to pay the cashier a hundred bucks to let me do it.”
“He has to still be around. He wouldn’t just leave without us.” I turn away from the window. “Although, how did he even know we were here?”
River shrugs. “I have my phone off, and yours can’t be traced, so someone had to have tipped him off.”
“Unless James sent him here to see if we were trying to do pretty much what we are doing.” Sylas reaches for his seatbelt. “That we’re getting on a plane in northside to stay as undetected as possible.”
River grimaces at that. “Hopefully, he didn’t see us.”
“I doubt he did, or else he would’ve chased us down. He had at least two bodyguards with him.” My phone buzzes with a message, and while I’d been ignoring it before, after what just happened, I decide to check it.
Everyone is boarded now, and the plane is preparing for takeoff as I retrieve my phone from my pocket to read the message.
Mom: Wherever you are, please stay hidden.
James has put a bounty on your head. A notification about this will be sent to the public.
They’re going to make it look like you and River murdered his mother, so that you’ll be brought in.
Then he plans on holding River hostage until he can get him married off.
He wants to get rid of you, though, Noah, and I can’t stop.
He’s too powerful. So please, please don’t come home.
Get as far away from the city as you can and never come back.
My breathing has grown shallow as I clutch the phone in my hand.
“What is it?” River asks worriedly.
Unable to form words, I show him the message on my phone.
Sylas leans over and reads it as well. “He’s lost his damn mind,” he mutters, shaking his head.
The color drains from River’s face as he reads it, then he rigidly glances around at the people sitting in the chairs around us. “Do you think the message has been sent out yet?”
“No. I would’ve gotten it.” I stare at my phone. “If we take off quickly enough, everyone will have their phones off, since this flight requires that, and there’s no internet option. That should buy us some time.”
“We’ll have to keep a low profile until we get out of the airport we land in and into the rental car, but if we’re careful, we should be able to do it.” Sylas rests his arms on the armrests as the plan rolls forward.
We hold our breaths as it prepares for takeoff.
We barely move as the plane speeds up.
We only breathe again when the flight attendant comes onto the speaker to inform everyone to turn off their phones.
I’d be relieved, but this is one step in a very long walk along a cracking bridge.