3. Kate
Kate
Finn. That was his name.
The man who stayed in the chair by the motel door the entire night instead of leaving me and Noah alone even once.
He barely spoke. Just sat there with his arms folded, eyes sharp, watching the door and windows. Every sound outside was like he expected danger to come crashing through at any second.
Still, somehow his presence steadied me.
The motel room was small, with thin walls and a single door—nowhere to run if someone came through it. But Finn hadn't moved all night. Every time I woke up, he was there.
Caleb should have come by now.
I kept telling myself that over and over, trying not to let panic settle too deep. Any second, I expected he’d walk through the door with that crooked grin and tell me everything was going to be okay.
Only he hadn’t.
The next morning, there was a knock at the door that sent my heart straight into my throat.
Finn was on his feet. One second, he was half asleep, and the next, he was standing between me and the door with his hand near the back of his jeans.
He checked through the peephole before relaxing slightly.
“It’s Maria,” he said, opening the door just enough to let her in.
Maria stepped inside carrying a bag and smiled warmly when she saw Noah. “Clothes,” she explained, “and supplies for Noah.”
Emotion clogged my throat. “Thank you.”
She waved it off like it was nothing and started unpacking things onto the small table.
Diapers. Formula. Even a set of clothes for each of us. Things I hadn’t realized we needed yet because my brain was still stuck somewhere between survival and panic. I’d just grabbed the go bag I kept ready and bolted.
“We’ll get you sorted, Mija,” Maria said gently.
Then, she squeezed my shoulder and left. Finn locked the door again immediately after she was gone.
I changed Noah first, then myself, my hands trembling less than they had the day before.
By lunchtime, the motel room already felt too small.
I kept catching Finn watching me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Not in a creepy way, but more like he was trying to figure me out.
Another knock sounded at the door later that afternoon. Finn muttered a curse under his breath and checked the peephole.
“Lucy,” he said before unlocking it.
Lucy stepped inside first. Reaper followed behind her, and the room suddenly felt smaller with him in it.
Lucy’s eyes landed on Noah immediately, softening as she crossed towards us, but Reaper stayed near the door, arms folded, watching everything.
“How are you holding up?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” I lied.
Her expression said she knew it was bullshit.
Finn moved back towards the wall beside the window, giving Lucy space while keeping himself between us and the door.
“We need details,” Reaper said bluntly.
Lucy shot him a look. “Jay.”
“What?” he replied evenly. “You think whoever’s after her stopped looking?”
I tightened my hold on Noah. “I already told you what happened.”
“You told me enough to know there’s a problem,” Reaper replied. “Not enough to know what kind.”
Lucy sat carefully on the edge of the second bed. “Kate, we’re trying to help you.”
“I know.”
“Then help us do that.”
I stared down at Noah instead of looking at them. My son blinked sleepily up at me, completely unaware that my entire world rested on keeping him safe.
“Where’s Caleb?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Lucy’s face crumpled.
No.
My stomach dropped.
No.
“Kate . . .” Lucy’s voice broke.
My chest tightened painfully.
“No,” I whispered immediately. “No, he told me to come here.”
Tears filled Lucy’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. “He’s gone,” she whispered. “Caleb died seven months ago.”
The world tilted violently beneath me, though I think part of me already knew. There was no way Caleb would’ve stayed gone that long otherwise. No way he would’ve left Noah, but hearing it spoken out loud shattered something inside me anyway.
“No.” My voice cracked apart. “No, he wouldn’t?—”
“He didn’t choose to leave,” Lucy choked out as a sob tore from her throat.
The motel room blurred around me. I clutched Noah tighter against my chest, panic and grief crashing together so hard, I couldn’t breathe properly.
Finn pushed away from the wall immediately. “Hey . . .”
I got up off the bed and backed towards the far side of the room instinctively. “He told me to come here,” I whispered again. “He promised?—”
“I know,” Lucy cried.
My knees nearly gave out, but Finn caught my elbow before I hit the floor and led me back to the bed.
“Breathe,” he muttered.
I couldn’t, because everything hurt.
Caleb was dead.
Noah would never know his father.
Finn’s phone rang, sounding too loud for the grief surrounding me. “Just need to take this,” he muttered, stepping outside.
Lucy covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face. Reaper stepped to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He stayed quiet for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Did you know him long?”
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself enough to answer. “We weren’t together,” I admitted. “Not really.”
Lucy frowned slightly.
“We met at the bar where I worked. He was a regular.” I looked down at Noah. “It was one night.”
Nobody spoke.
“But when I got pregnant, Caleb didn’t walk away,” I continued shakily. “He paid for a place for me and Noah when things got bad. Checked in all the time. When Noah was born”—my throat tightened painfully—“he stayed with us for the first couple weeks.”
Lucy’s eyes filled again, and her shoulders shook.
“He was good to us,” I whispered. “He told me he was working something for the club,” I continued. “Said it was dangerous and he might disappear for a while, but he’d come back as soon as he could.”
A broken sound escaped Lucy.
“The last thing he told me was that if I was ever in trouble and couldn’t reach him, I was supposed to find you.” I looked towards Reaper.
Reaper’s expression didn’t change, but something shifted slightly in his eyes.
Lucy wiped at her face quickly. “He didn’t tell me about you.”
“I don’t think he meant not to,” I said. “I think he thought he had time.”
Finn stepped back inside and leaned against the wall by the door.
“What kind of trouble?” Reaper asked.
I hesitated, and Finn shifted slightly. My arms tightened around Noah.
“Like I said last night, my stepfather owes people money. Big money. They started showing up at the apartment asking questions about Caleb.”
Lucy straightened.
“They met Caleb after Noah was born and figured out who he was.” Shame burned hot in my chest. “A Kane. Someone with money, connections.”
Lucy’s expression hardened. “They wanted help?” she asked.
I laughed bitterly. “They wanted money. When Caleb refused, my stepfather got angry. That’s when Caleb moved us out of the city.”
Lucy’s face crumpled again, and she moved to sit beside me.
“He was trying to protect us,” I whispered. She reached for my hand, squeezing tightly.
“What happened after Rosewater?” Reaper asked.
I stared at the floor. “They found us. My stepfather tried to take Noah.” Panic crept back into my chest just remembering it. “Said he’d be safer with them. Said they could fix everything if I’d stop being selfish.”
Finn shifted as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“But they don’t want him,” I whispered. “Not really.”
“What do they want?” Reaper asked.
“Leverage. They think Noah’s worth money because of Caleb. They think they can use him.” My throat burned. “Sell a story. Demand money. Something.”
Lucy’s grip on my hand was painful now.
“They won’t stop. They never do,” I mumbled, more to myself than them.
A sudden rattling sound slammed against the motel door, and I jerked violently.
Finn moved fast. One second, he was near the window, and the next, he was standing directly in front of me and Noah.
Reaper stepped towards the door immediately.
The handle rattled again, and Finn’s hand dropped towards the knife at his belt.
Another shove hit the door, then a drunken voice slurred from outside. “Oh shit . . . wrong room.” A laugh echoed down the walkway.
Reaper stayed still another second before checking through the peephole. “Drunk,” he said flatly.
But Finn didn’t move away from us.
Reaper turned back towards me slowly. “If what you’re saying is true,” he said evenly, “we’ll handle it.”
“It’s not just debt collectors.”
The room stilled again.
“My stepfather borrowed from dangerous people.”
Reaper’s eyes narrowed. “What people?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I only heard one name. Volkov.”
Finn straightened slightly. “Shit,” he muttered as he rubbed a hand slowly over the back of his neck.
Lucy looked between them nervously. “What does that mean?”
Reaper didn’t answer immediately, but whatever passed between him and Finn told me enough—it was worse than I thought. Much worse.
Reaper looked back at me. “You stay here,” he said finally. “Finn stays with you.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“You don’t leave unless one of us is with you.”
“I won’t.”
Reaper nodded once before looking to Finn. “You answer your phone.”
Finn’s jaw tightened slightly. “Yeah.”
Lucy stepped to me one last time before they left, brushing her fingers gently over Noah’s head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Then they were gone.
The motel room fell quiet as the door shut behind them. I stared down at Noah, trying not to fall apart as tears dripped from my chin.
Finn stayed by the window for a long moment before finally speaking. “You should try to sleep.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. “How?”
Some of the hardness in his expression cracked slightly. “I don’t know,” he replied, “but you’re gonna need strength for what comes next.”