Page 85 of Beyond Oblivion

“Well, that’s just fuckin’ great,” I fumed.

“Keep your voice down,” Thomas hissed, shifting behind me.

I turned to face him, but he was still watching Kostas, his eyes narrowing. They were having a silent conversation, as if something was eating at him. I caught his gaze, but he looked away, a shadow crossing his face.

“Tommy, what gives?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’m just irritated. We were just celebrating news we’ve all been waiting for for years, and crazy just got crazier.”

I knew my brother. That wasn’t it, not even close. Whatever he was really thinking, he wasn’t ready to share it.

I looked back at Kostas. “What do we do now? Just wait for her to show up again?”

Kostas shook his head. “Joe and his team are keeping a close eye on this. I’ll make sure you lot are kept in the loop. She’s slipped off the radar for now, but his best digital trackers are on it. She won’t stay hidden for long. Just… keep your wits about ya.”

“Understood.” My instincts were firing up. I felt ready to go to war if needed. Madison’s games had gone on long enough, and now that Camille and I had a baby on the way, my tolerance was non-existent.

Thomas’s jaw relaxed slightly, and he met my eyes with a steady, confident nod. “We’ll be ready, Trent. Whatever it takes.” He gave my shoulder a firm squeeze, his gaze unwavering. “You’re not alone in this. Understand that.”

Kostas glanced at Thomas and Liis, and then back at me, a moment of sympathy breaking through his usual tough exterior. “Again, sorry to bring this up now. I know today’s meant to be a happy one, but I figured you’d wanna be ready.”

“Yeah, thanks, Kostas,” I replied, meaning it. I paused. “How did you know it was a happy day?”

He smiled and winked at me before pulling open the door.

I turned to Thomas, pointing to where Kostas just stood. “He’s creepy.” I pointed at my brother, adding, “And there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Thomas and Liis breathed out matching laughs, and Thomas placed his hand on my shoulder. “You’re on high alert, little brother. He’s just making sure you’re okay, and I think Liis will agree with me that we should stick around for a while.”

“What? You’re going to stay in town?”

Thomas peeked at Liis and then back at me, shrugging one shoulder. “Yeah. It’s all hands on deck.”

My brows furrowed, surprised and confused by his answer. I cast a glance back toward the living room where Camille was still laughing with Dad and the others, oblivious to the storm on the horizon. Just the sight of her, surrounded by family, filled me with a renewed determination. Whatever Madison and her new fan club thought they were bringing our way, she was in for a rude fucking awakening.

When we returned to the dining table, Camille’s gaze flicked up, her smile fading as she noticed my expression. “Everything all right?” she asked, slowly stopping her playful game with Jessica.

I forced a smile, pulling her close. “Yeah, all good. Just Kostas dropping by on his way home from Travis and Abby’s. He checked on Trav. He’s snoring.”

She tilted her head, clearly suspicious, but thankfully, Jessica and James chose that moment to barrel over and tug at my arm. “Uncle Trent! Will the baby be here by summer break so we can teach her to swim?” Jessica asked, bouncing with excitement.

“Or him,” James said.

“Not for a while, sweetheart,” I said. “Definitely by Christmas. You’ve got plenty of time to practice changing diapers,” I teased.

“Ew! No way!” she said, cringing.

Camille’s hand slipped into mine. I looked down at her, and in that brief second, the noise around us faded to nothing. Whatever darkness lay ahead, I knew we’d hold our ground.

When we said our goodbyes and successfully retreated to the quiet comfort of our home, I thought Camille would feel more at-ease. And she did long enough to kick off her shoes and curl up under her favorite thickly knitted throw on the couch. Once she’d sat quietly in her element long enough, she looked at me with a mix of curiosity and mild panic that only comes when you find out someone you thought was being babysat had broken out of the playpen. Except, in this case, the playpen was a high-security psychiatric facility, and the escapee was Madison—a loose cannon wrapped in sorority sister-level theatrics and dipped twice in dubious, potentially criminal life choices.

“Did Kostas say anything else?” she asked, worry sneaking into her voice.

“Nope, just that she left with a group of people, but Kostas’s private investigator has his people all over it,” I said, plopping down beside her. “Apparently, no one knows who this new entourage is. Could be old friends, could be she’s joined a cult. Not exactly a lot of clarity there.”

Camille’s eyes narrowed. “A P.I.? How are we paying for that? We have to save every penny. You heard what Wes said last night. We have a mile-long list of things to buy.”

I tucked her hair behind her ear. “We don’t have to buy original paintings and designer rocking chairs, love. It only has to be as expensive as we make it. And Kostas didn’t mention money, which means the guy owes him a favor. I mean, Kostas seems like the kind of guy who has a few IOUs tucked away, right? I’ll owe him the rest of my life for all his help on this.”

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