Page 60 of Rest In Peace

"Mom, can we watch cartoons?" Angel asked, her innocence a stark contrast to the night's events.

"Sure, sweetheart." I clicked the TV on, the animated chatter filling the silence.

Matt leaned against the wall, watching them, his jaw clenched. "They shouldn't have to go through this," he said.

"None of us should." I joined him, letting out a long breath as I took in their faces—my reasons for everything.

"Tomorrow, we figure this out," I murmured.

"Tonight, we rest," he replied, though the set of his mouth told me neither of us would find sleep easy.

"Tonight, we rest," I echoed, clinging to the semblance of peace as a shield against the fear that lingered just beyond the flicker of the TV screen.

The television's glow danced across the room, casting flickering shadows that played on the walls like specters of our fear. Matt's silhouette was rigid, a statue carved from worry and pain.

"Look at them," he whispered, his voice strangled with emotion. "They think it's an adventure, but it's a nightmare."

I turned away from the kids, their giggles belying the gravity of our situation. He threw himself on the bed. His crutches ended up discarded on the floor, a testament to his own battle that was still haunting us now. Was he ever going to be the same old Matt I fell in love with? The one who was afraid of nothing? The one who hunted criminals down fearlessly and never worried about his own safety?

I missed him.

"Matt, I?—"

"Stop." He cut me off, his eyes searching mine in the semi-darkness. "You need to stop this. This isn't just about you anymore. It's all of us. You’re putting us all in danger. This isn’t even your case. Look what happened to me last time we went down this road."

I bit my lip, tasting the salt of anxiety and guilt. "I know."

"Then, why can’t you see? This investigation is tearing us apart, putting our family in danger, and it's not worth it." His voice cracked at the last word, revealing the depth of his fear.

"Sarah didn't kill anyone," I said, my voice steady even as my heart raced. "If I back down now and let these threats scare me away, then everything I stand for means nothing. Justice, truth—it all becomes empty words. Sarah is innocent, and I can't turn my back on her."

"Even if it costs us everything?" His question hung in the air as heavy as the dread that clung to my skin. “Even if we have to go into hiding?”

"Someone is trying to silence me because they know I'm close to the truth. If we run scared now, they win. I can't live with that. I won't let our children live in a world where the bad guys get away because we're too afraid to stand up to them."

"Damn your principles!" The words exploded from him, a raw surge of desperation. "They keep getting us in trouble. They could have taken Alex today!"

"That's why I have to end this, Matt. I will find out who's doing this and stop them. But I can't do it without your support."

He slumped against the wall, the fight seeping out of him. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Every step of the way," I promised, my resolve as unyielding as the darkness outside.

"Fine," he sighed, defeated. "But we do this together. No more lone-wolf antics. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

His hand found mine in the dim light, a lifeline amid the chaos. Together, in the quiet hotel room with the sound of cartoons playing softly in the background, we faced an uncertain future—one I was determined to meet head-on.

Chapter 47

The silence of the hotel room was a stark contrast to the turmoil raging within me. I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers tracing the outline of my cell phone, willing it to ring with answers. The weight of Matt's gaze felt like an anchor, dragging me down into a sea of doubt.

"Are we doing the right thing?" My voice sounded small, almost foreign to my own ears.

Matt furrowed his brows in concern. "We're keeping our family safe. That's always the right thing."

"But at what cost?" I whispered, staring at my clenched hands. The image of Alex's frightened face flashed before my eyes, igniting a fresh wave of fear. But there was also something else.

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