Chapter 26
Graham
We flew down the main staircase, Roman leading the way and Quinn at my heels. The scent of her still clung to me, but I couldn’t think about that now. The fear was an ice-cold fist around my heart.
The living room was full of my family. Dad was lighting a fire in the grate, but the flames couldn’t chase the layer of frigid tension in the room. Mom sat cross-legged on the floor, the baby sleeping in her arms. Hailey was curled up at her side, head in her lap, and eyes closed.
It was probably best that the two children were asleep right now.
August paced the room, phone to his ear as he spoke quickly under his breath.
Lark and Emersyn were wrapped in each other, expressions tight and complexions pale. Fox had his arm wound protectively around Skye as they stood by the hearth, watching the fire grow from sparks to a flame as Dad stoked and fed it.
“Reid,” I said, gaining my brother’s attention from where he was standing, face almost blank with shock, behind Lark; his hand tightened on her shoulder. “What happened?”
He looked almost green with nausea as he cleared his throat. He didn’t move from his place behind his wife, but his eyes were devastated as he looked at me.
“He escaped.”
It felt like he had driven a knife through my gut. I looked from him, to Fox, and finally to August, who was still on the phone.
“How is that possible?”
Reid looked down at the top of Lark’s head. The women were quiet on the couch, but as I looked closer, I noticed they were shaking.
“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened, but it looks like he had help from an officer.”
“An officer?” I said, incredulous. “How does that even happen?”
Reid shook his head, seeming as lost as I felt. “I—I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. I knew that officer. Jackie has worked for the county for years. She was the director of corrections and was about to retire.”
I gaped at him. Jackie…I’d seen her at the jail before. I didn’t know her, but Reid had been a detective for Ember Hollow, so he’d know her better than I did. “How do you know?”
Reid opened his mouth to answer, but August stopped his pacing, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and walked to the middle of the room. Everyone focused on him.
“He’s been gone for eight fucking hours already,” he spat, his body almost convulsing with rage.
Mom drew in a sharp breath. The rest of the room went so silent I didn’t think anyone was moving.
“Everything Detective Whize told Reid seems to be true. Jackie Black helped him get out of the jail. She said she was bringing him to the hospital for some kind of medical emergency and walked out the back door with him.”
Someone grabbed my hand. It was Quinn. She was pale, too. I gripped her fingers tight.
“She took him out by herself? How?” Reid snapped. “That requires at least two officers.”
August gritted his teeth. “I have no idea. The only thing I can think of is they were careless because she was a trusted superior. She took him out in a patrol car and picked up a getaway vehicle in the parking lot of the grocery store. They left the squad car and no one noticed for hours.”
“How the hell did they go unnoticed for so long?”
It was Roman; he had drifted close to where Mom was sitting with the kids, his toe almost touching Hailey’s as he stared daggers at August.
“I don’t know,” August growled. “Negligence? Slow Sunday afternoon that no one was paying attention until the last moment?”
“Transferring him back to Ember Hollow was a mistake,” Reid muttered.
My brothers’ eyes took turns darting toward Quinn, and I instinctively stepped in front of her.
“This isn’t her fault,” I said automatically.
“Of course it’s not her fault.” Roman shook his head.
August’s hand clenched and unclenched at his sides. “I know it’s not.” But he didn’t look away from Quinn. “But has Amos mentioned anything about this? Any hint this was planned?”
Her hand grew slick in mine. I clutched it tighter.
“He’s not my client anymore,” she reminded him, not a waver in her voice.
No hint of fear or intimidation. I chanced a glance at her.
Her shoulders were pushed back, head held high.
“But no, there was no indication of this. Not to me. I can contact the firm and see what they say, but if they had known anything, it would have been reported.”
August held her stare a beat longer before he nodded. “Fine. Contact them to confirm.”
What steel had rodded his spine melted as he dragged his gaze to the couch, to Emersyn. He looked lost for a moment as he stared at her, as if his heart were breaking.
She didn’t say anything to him, but I couldn’t see her face clearly from where I stood.
When he addressed the room again, he returned to his normal posture. A born leader. Though wariness lingered in his eyes.
“I’m taking Emersyn to a safe house out of state. Lark and Reid are coming too. We have no idea where Anderson went, or what he’s planning. We can assume he’s getting as far away from Ember Hollow as possible, but until he’s caught, we cannot risk it. Emersyn and Lark are too big of targets.”
I stiffened. I wasn’t surprised that August had a safe house somewhere; he’d been in the security business for a long time. He had a network at this point and he would know where it was safe for them. Still, my heart rate spiked.
“Fox,” August continued, head snapping to his twin. “I’ll need you to collect as much security footage as you can from the jail and around town. I want to know the exact vehicle they left in and where they were going. It’ll be faster if you do it. I don’t want to wait for the police.”
“Skye and I are coming to the safe house,” Fox said.
“I can work from there. I know—” He took in a shaky breath, and another wave of fear rolled down my spine.
Fox rarely showed his emotions. “I know that Skye isn’t a target like Emersyn and Lark, but she was too close to him for my liking.
With the documentary out and all that, I—need her someplace safe. ”
August nodded, not questioning at all.
“Anyone is welcome. There’s space for us all.” His gaze swept across the room, stopping on Mom. “I think you and Dad should come.”
Mom grimaced, her displeasure evident. “I’m not leaving my home, August,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I am not giving that man any control over me.”
August sighed. Roman glared down at her.
“Mom, you should go. Safety is more important than your pride.”
She glared right back up at him, Thea Grace sleeping in her arms, looking like she could take a giant like Roman down to his knees with that expression alone. He withered a little where he stood.
“This isn’t about pride,” she clipped. “It’s more than that. I won’t give in to fear. He has no reason to want to hurt me. Like you said, he needs to stay as far away from this town as possible.”
“Just because he has no reason to hurt you, doesn’t mean he won’t,” Reid said.
My gaze bounced between my parents. Dad was still crouching near the hearth, staring into the flames. He hadn’t said a word, but my father had never been the talkative type.
“We’ll stay here,” he said, his tone final.
August ran a hand over his face, frustrated.
“Fine. Stay.” It was Roman who spoke, surrendering to the fact that we wouldn’t be able to change their minds. “I can move in temporarily and keep an eye on things here.”
Mom made a disgruntled noise, but didn’t argue.
I stepped forward. “I’ll stay, too. We can take shifts at night and make sure one of us is always in the house to look over things.”
August looked between Roman and me, and then he nodded. “Okay.”
“When are you leaving?” Mom stared at August like she already missed him.
“Now. As soon as possible. We’ll go straight there from here.”
Lark made the first sound since I’d arrived. “Now?” she squeaked, her voice small and trembling. “But…but I don’t have my things. Thea Grace needs her—”
Reid squeezed her shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “We can buy whatever we need. We have enough to get by tonight in the diaper bag and the go-bag.”
Lark didn’t argue with him, but she sniffed softly.
“I will need a few minutes to pack some of my equipment,” Fox added.
“How long?” August asked.
“Fifteen.”
“Is everything you need in the office?”
Fox nodded.
“I’ll go with you.” August glanced toward Roman. “Stay here. We’ll be right back.”
“You sure you’ll be okay with just the two of you out there?” I asked.
Fox pressed a kiss to Skye’s forehead before he reluctantly let her go. “We should be. We won’t be long.”
The moment Fox and August stepped out of the room, the house sank into a stunned kind of quiet. The fire popped in the grate, but it sounded too loud, too sharp—like even the flames were on edge.
I stood rigid beside Quinn, our shoulders brushing. My heartbeat wouldn’t settle. Every breath scraped down my throat.
Eight hours.
Amos had been gone eight hours.
Across the room, Lark’s hands trembled. Emersyn stared into the fire like she could see a future she didn’t want. Mom’s jaw was tight and stubborn. Roman looked ready to go to war. Reid looked sick.
My family—my whole damn family—was terrified.
And I was, too.