Chapter 34
CHAPTER
Reid waited for her.
He swore he had spent his life doing exactly this.
Even when he didn’t know her. Even when he didn’t realize she was coming.
He had been moving through life in precisely the same way he paced in her grandfather’s library now: aimlessly, not understanding why he took the steps he did, just knowing he had to put one foot in front of the other.
The secret door unlatched.
Reid froze.
Vaasa burst through, her breath labored, her wild eyes searching.
They landed on him.
A sob burst from her chest at the same time Reid threw his body across the room.
He scooped her into his arms as she wailed, her chest racking with her tears, and Reid’s own eyes watered at the sound.
Pain emanated from her in waves. He ran his hand through her hair over and over.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “I’m here. I’m here. ”
“I thought they found you,” she cried.
“They didn’t,” he said. “But they have Koen.”
She pulled back, tears staining her face, her eyes red with exhaustion. At that moment, Reid’s mother came barreling into the room, her eyes wide. His mother practically toppled Reid over as she pulled Vaasa into her arms.
Vaasa started to cry again, the release of her emotions so intense he thought she would rattle the building. Her guise of neutrality had completely fallen. There wasn’t even an attempt to put it back up. Reid’s mother whispered to her over and over, the two rocking back and forth.
Vaasa took a breath as she came back to herself. She looked around the room, likely feeling who was missing, just as Reid did. “Do you believe he’s alive?” Reid asked, voice so low.
“He’s alive,” Vaasa said. “And I have a way to get him out. To get everyone out. But Sachia has to work with Roman.”
Reid’s brows slammed together, and his mother stepped away from Vaasa. “Roman?” she asked.
Vaasa nodded. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”
Sachia walked into the room then and crossed her arms, standing beneath the doorway. “What do I have to do?” she asked.
Vaasa set her lantern down on the desk, the light illuminating the sharp plane of her face. Her mouth was turned down in a grimace. “That plan we discussed, we need to move it up to tomorrow. Gather your crew and get the black powder. Roman is waiting for you at the Sanctum.”