Chapter Twenty-Five
London
“Are you sure this will work?”
“I’m sure.”
My feet touch the floor, and I stand up. “What about my parents?”
“I haven’t gotten in touch with them yet.”
I switch the phone to my other ear. “I’ll do that.”
“London, are you—”
“I’m sure,” I interrupt. “This is the only thing that makes sense.”
“Okay.”
“It’ll work,” I repeat, mostly to myself. “It has to.”
Miss Deveroux sighs on the other end. “Okay, I’ll meet you at midnight.”
I blow out a breath. “See you then.”
After I hang up, I shove the phone into my pocket and begin to pace, my heart pounding uneasily. My thoughts are tripping over each other as I shove my hands into my pockets and trace the outline of the phone.
This is it. You’re really going through with it?
I want to stay and help Mason fight, but I can’t be selfish where the baby is concerned.
I stop in front of the window and cup my stomach. “I’ll keep us safe, I promise.”
With a sigh, I look down, and tears fill my eyes.
My throat is tight as I reach up to push the curtain aside and look out at the moonlight estate far below.
You need a game plan. Getting out isn’t going to be your only problem. How will you survive under an alias? You can do this. You can figure this out. At least you won’t be alone.
After several deep breaths, I take the phone back out and dial my mother’s number. It rings a few times and goes to voicemail. My chest is tight as I call my father and wait.
Damn it.
Why aren’t they answering?
My phone makes a low whooshing sound as I send them both a coded message, a heavy feeling settling in me. My throat closes again as I squeeze my eyes shut.
A lone tear slides down my cheek and onto the desk. I use the back of my hand to wipe my face. Slowly, I open the laptop and wait for it to start up. As soon as it does, my fingers hover over the keyboard, and the voice in my head grows louder.
Don’t do this. You can’t leave like this.
I’m steeling myself when I hear footsteps outside the door. Suddenly, the door to the room bursts open, and Mason walks in with Katia on his heels. She ignores me and goes straight to the window.
Mason covers the distance between us, cups my face in his hands, and presses his forehead to mine.
“What’s wrong?”
When Mason speaks, his voice is low and urgent. “I’m sorry. I did everything I could to make sure it didn’t come to this.”
My heart misses a beat as I draw back to look at him. “What happened?”
Mason opens his eyes, and there’s a storm brewing there. “It’s begun. They’ve attacked several of the warehouses, the dock, and the airstrip. Mathew is leaving no stone unturned.”
Terror and panic rise inside of me. “What about your father? Can’t he help?”
Mason’s expression tightens, and he shakes his head. “We’re on our own.”
I lick my lips and clear my throat. “I….I made arrangements for us to leave. I’ve got the passports and everything. I was going to tell you about it later. I know it’s your legacy, and I know it’s a lot to ask for you to leave it behind, but what other choice do we have?”
For a long moment, Mason says nothing.
Finally, he blows out a breath his expression impassive now. “I don’t know how you managed to get any of that done, but we’ll talk about it later. We can’t use passports or anything else that can be easily traced. We have several safehouses.”
My heart jumps into my throat. “We can’t just leave. My parents—”
“Are already on the way to one of the safehouses with Nadia. Two more of Carlisle’s men will join them when the cost is clear. I’ve made all the arrangements.”
My throat is suddenly very, very dry. “What… what about Olivia and Oliver?”
We were supposed to have more time.
It’s all happening too fast.
Mason reaches into his pocket and pulls out a file. “We’ve got fake IDs for everyone. My father and siblings will go into hiding together, along with Carlisle and a few others. You and I are going somewhere different. Katia will be with us.”
My heart is pounding so loudly now that I can barely hear anything else.
I force myself to exhale.” Okay, when will we meet up with the others? My parents must be freaking out.”
Mason frowns. “We’re not. We can’t.”
I inhale sharply. “Will you at least tell me where they’re going? I can get in touch with them through a letter or—”
“You can’t,” Mason interrupts. “London, I’m sorry, but you’re not going to be able to talk to your parents again for a long time.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “We can’t risk them being able to tie us together, and knowing where they are is a liability.”
Anger courses through me. “I would never give up my parents.”
“Not willingly,” Mason says, “but if they threaten the baby, or me…”
I shake my head and fold my arms over my chest. “I still wouldn’t.”
Deep down, I know Mason is right. We’ve been living on borrowed time, and now it’s caught up to us just like I thought it would.
“Please,” I try again, in a smaller voice. “They must be freaking out. I just need to talk to them for a few minutes. They deserve to hear it from me.”
He stares at me and says nothing.
“You have five minutes to talk to them,” Mason says, with a deep sigh. “Don’t tell them anything that can be tortured out of them.”
I take the phone out of his hand with shaking fingers.
It takes a few tries for me to get the number right.
Nadia answers, and she and Mason exchange a few words before he hands the phone back to me. I burst into tears as soon as I hear my mom’s voice.
“Mom, I’m so sorry.” I grip the phone with both hands. “I’m sorry I fucked everything up.”
“You didn’t,” my mom replies. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay. Are you safe? Do you need us to come?”
I shake my head. “No, you can’t come. You have to stay with Nadia. She’ll keep you both safe.”
“What about you?” my dad is talking now. “Where are you going to go?”
“Somewhere safe,” I respond. “I know this is all messed up. I wish I could’ve done things differently. I love you both.”
“We love you, too.”
“I’m so lucky to have parents like you. I’m sorry I ever took that for granted.”
My dad replies while my mom cries in the background. “We’re so proud of you, London. And I’m the one who should apologize. I never should’ve made that deal.”
“It’s okay, Dad. Listen, I have to go soon, and won’t be able to talk for a while, but I’ll be in touch when I can.”
“You keep yourself and our grandchild safe, okay?”
“I will. Take care of mom.”
“London.” I can barely hear my mom over the hiccups and tears. “My baby. I’m sorry.”
“I love you. I’ll see you soon.” I hand Mason the phone back before they can say anything else.
When I look up, Mason is zipping up a bag and hoisting it off the bed.
Katia is holding a container and spraying a pungent-smelling liquid around the room. Then, she comes to stand next to me, and I turn to Mason. He grabs a coat from the now-empty closet. After buttoning it up, he leads me down the stairs and toward the library.
Katia continues to splash the liquid behind and around us.
“What’s she doing?”
Mason pulls me into the library, and as we move between the shelves, cold dread winds itself around my chest. “There’s a lot of information in these walls, London. Things Mathew can use. The bastard might have won, but I’ll be damned if he has everything handed to him.”
I tug on Mason’s hand, and he stops. “Katia is going to set fire to the manor?”
“Yes,” Mason says. “We have to make him believe we’re dead.”
Once we reach the entrance to the tunnel, Mason tucks me into his side.
A heartbeat later, Carlisle, Oliver, and Olivia appear.
Moments later, Carlisle returns with an irate-looking Jack in tow.
The Payne family patriarch stumbles a little before righting himself.
Then Katia returns, and together with Carlisle, they push the portrait to the side.
Carlisle goes in first, followed by Oliver and Olivia.
Mason nudges me forward, and I feel him behind me.
Halfway through the dark tunnel, I see Katia in the doorway. She steps in behind us, and I catch a final glimpse of the library before the door slams shut. My breath hitches in my throat as I reach for Olivia’s hand.
She squeezes it once and pulls me along, and we stumble out into the cool night air shortly after.
Olivia throws her arms around me and presses her mouth to my ear. “Take care of him.”
I nod and offer her a tight smile.
Carlisle waits until Oliver and Olivia are in the back of the car before he exchanges a few words with Mason.
One of Carlisle’s men gets into the passenger seat and slams the door shut.
Then Jack, who is still muttering, is ushered into the back with them, and the doors are locked.
I stare at Carlisle’s back as he gets into the driver’s seat, and the car comes to life.
It drives off a moment later.
“Wait, what about Miss Deveroux?”
“I made sure Katia got her a message. She’ll get herself out and keep herself safe.”
Silence stretches around us as we stand side by side, barely touching.
There’s a loud banging sound, and I turn around to see red and orange flames licking the outer edges of the manor.
Mason ushers me into the car, and Katia barely waits for the door to shut before she hits the gas. The tires screech against the asphalt, and we drive off. I turn to study the burning manor in the distance, and I can’t look away.
Smoke is rising high in the sky now, and it’s unlike anything I’ve seen.
So much beauty and destruction.
Mason reaches for my hand, but I ignore him.
A short while later, we pull up to a gate on an abandoned back road.
Katia hurries out of the car, undoes the latch, and clears the path.
Then she gets back into the car and drives through.
Mason gets out of the car once we’re through and slips on a pair of gloves.
He pulls the gate shut and locks it again.
It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Mason isn’t going to let anything happen to you.