Page 124 of Through the Water

24

Ariana

“There are no ambitions noble enough to justify breaking someone's heart.”

-Colleen McCullough,The Thorn Birds

It was almost midnight when Killian pulled up to True North, taking a parking spot near the entrance. He turned to me with a smirk. “You ready?”

“I can’t believe we’re really doing this.” I reached up to tug on my necklace, only to remember I’d left it on the bathroom counter back at Killian’s place.

Our place.

“Damn straight we are, slugger.” He got out and came around to open my door for me, helping me down. “We’ll get your things, your prescriptions, and sign whatever we need to for home therapy. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

I ignored the churning in my stomach and laced my fingers through his as we walked through the sliding doors. Given the late hour, the lobby was deserted, and I found the silence unsettling.

Something felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly. By all rights, I should have been celebrating my freedom, not tiptoeing in around with my guard up.

“Hey.” Killian frowned as we stepped inside the elevator, using his index finger to tip my chin up. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Yeah, I know,” I croaked in a hoarse whisper, spinning the baseball bracelet in slow circles around my wrist. It was just nerves and maybe a little bit of fear of the unknown. Once my things were in the condo, the flutters would disappear. I’d be able to relax.

The noise reached us before the doors had even fully opened.

“What the…” Killian began, pulling me closer as we stepped off into a scene of utter chaos. Several police officers milled around the nurse’s station, their radios crackling with static.

Blood rushed to my stomach. I kept my arm around his waist, searching for a familiar face. “Tsega was supposed to be—”

“There she is!” Tiffani shrieked, stabbing a finger in my direction. “We found her!”

It took everything in me not to vomit when I realized who she was addressing. Tristan approached us with a clenched jaw, while Brad followed a few steps behind, his face twisted in a sneer.

I briefly considered the possibility that his God had alerted him to my plans of escape before shifting my eyes over to Tiffani. The tech was only on during the week, so the fact that she was here now meant she’d been the one tasked with checking up on me.

Just another one of Tristan’s little birds.

Their footsteps moved closer, somehow magnified despite of the sheer number of people gathered on the floor. Even Georgia had wandered down the hall in her bathrobe. When she realized what was going on, her hand came up over her mouth.

“I’m not coming back,” I forced out through a clenched jaw, taking a step backward toward the elevator. My shaking hands dug into Killian’s sides, but I refused to let go.

As long as I held on, we were going to be okay.

Tristan’s brows drew together, and he shook his head. “Ariana, sweetheart, you’re confused.”

“I’m not.”

Killian’s steps slowed, his muscles tensing under my grip. “Christ.”

“Close,” Tristan replied dryly, advancing on us. “But most people just call me Pastor James, or Ariana’s daddy.”

Blink. Blink.

“Where’s Tsega?” I punched the button for the elevator and spun around, calculating my options for escape if it didn’t arrive soon. There was nothing else.

We were boxed in.

Trapped.

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