Page 91 of Darkness Falls

When we get back, I have to plan my parents' funeral. They wanted their ashes spread around the country, and I’ll have to honor theirwishes. Anger threatens to overtake me, but now’s not the time.

The smoke billows through the trees, and I grow more and more anxious the longer we’re here alone. Kyler assured me that Callie, Seb, and Barrett were far enough away from the bombs that they weren't affected by the blast and that they should be here any second. I can't help but pace, similar to how Kyler was earlier.

I have to tell her everything as soon as I can. How the hell am I supposed to do this? A small figure appears in the tree line before becoming more clear.

"Cals?" I choke out, and we both run to embrace one another in the biggest hug.

She wraps her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "I'm so sorry I got you into this mess, Avery."

When she pulls back to look at me, I notice tears running down her face. I reach up to wipe them away, smiling at her reassuringly. She doesn't need to worry about what I went through. She’s been through her own shit. Mine is for me to process. Eventually, I’ll lean on her when I’m ready, but for now, I don’t want to talk about that. There are more important things for us to discuss.

"We need to talk," I say. I have to tell her the truth about her parents, about me, about everything.

"Okay, but not here. We need to get somewhere safe." Callie looks over her shoulder just as Seb and Barrett emerge from the tree line, carrying an unconscious Damien with them.

“What the fuck?” I gasp

The guys drop Damien on the ground near the back of the car and quickly tie his arms and legs together before placing tape over his mouth and lifting him into the trunk. The next thing I know, I’m ushered into the car and forced to wait a little longer to talk to Callie. Part of me wants to just drop it on her right now, but I feel like this needs to be a moment for just the two of us.

I glance at her. "We need to get back to Braxton Falls and check on Reese. She might be in trouble. I told Kyler already, but if we could make it a priority, that would be ideal. I’m worried," I suggest, realizing she doesn’t know who I’m talking about.

"Who is Reese?" Callie asks, clearly confused.

"Umm, that’s complicated. We just need to check on her. What if he hurt her?" I can't help the panic in my voice. I'm not sure why I care about this girl as much as I do. She was a random hookup, but there's something about her that I can't help but be drawn to.

"We have a bit of a drive, but we can stop there before we check on Natasha if that's okay. Just point me in the direction when we get close," Seb says from the front seat.

"Yeah, sure."

“No, wait. We have another stop to make before we go back to Braxton Falls,” Callie says. “We need to go to Mary Mayweather’s house. Take the next left.”

I lose myself in thoughts of my parents and the fact that I was chained to the floor, letting myself spiral for a good portion of the ride. Part of me wants to be back in Reese's arms, which makes no sense at all. She comforted me and made me feel safe in a way that very few people have after just meeting them.

A hand touches my shoulder, bringing me back to the moment. "Hey, seriously, are you okay?" Callie asks with a furrowed brow.

"I don't know," I admit. "Pull over."

Seb pulls off to the side of the road; a moment later, I push the door open. I can't breathe. We are smack dab in the middle of the backwoods of Tennessee, and I'm bent over with my hands on my knees on the side of the road. I must look like a crazy person.

Callie gets out of the car, leaving her men inside, and walks over to rub my back in an attempt to calm me down. This is completely ridiculous. I just need to tell her and stop worrying about how she’s going to react. She's my best friend, but I'm so worried she's going to hate me for never introducing her to my parents.

"What's going on?" she asks, and I know this is the moment I have to lay everything out there.

"I need to talk to you, Cals," I say, and she nods at me but gestures back to the car. "Seriously, we really need to talk."

"Okay. Do you want to talk here or go somewhere? Tell me what you need." She tries to calm me down.

"CALLIE! You're not listening." I yell. "Would you stop! I just need to get this out."

"Okay, yeah. I'm sorry. What's going on?"

"My parents are dead," I say and watch as concern fills her face. My stomach drops as I try to process what I'm about to tell her. "I don't really know how to tell you this because I'm angry at Damien for taking them from us, from you. You should have been able to meet them. I feel so fucking guilty." Tears pour down my face, and I can't control my body as it begins to shake. "If I was nicer to him, he wouldn't have taken it out on them. You could have gotten to know them. I'm so sorry."

She grips my shoulders and peers at me. "Avery, it's okay. None of this is your fault. This was all Damien, and he will pay. I will personally make sure he does."

"You don't understand." I sob.

"No, Aves, I don't understand."

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