Page 75 of Lost
I told the woman next to me that she had choices, and I meant that. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to pretend that Nova isn’t important to her grandparents.
Why did I choose this place again? Fuck my life.
Caleb audibly gasps as he sees them, pulling their attention toward us.
“If it isn’t the Finnegan brothers,” Kevin Edwards booms out, grinning.
His wife, Aine smiles as she gazes at us, well acquainted with us as well. She falters as she catches Nova’s gaze, and I silently curse how alike her eyes are to Hollis’.
It’s how we found her ourselves, after all.
Aine’s hand grips her cane tightly as she sways, and Kevin pulls her closer to him with worry clear on his face.
“Aine, are you feeling poorly, darling?” he asks, his tone gruff.
“Who is this?” she rasps. “Kevin, her eyes. Do you see what I see?”
Hollis and Nova’s grandfather looks at Nova, his hand reaching out to turn her face toward him as she instinctively looks away.
“You have my granddaughter’s eyes,” he muses. “Boys, is this Maree? Are you keeping secrets?”
Nova’s eyes roll back as she passes out and I catch her easily, blowing out a breath.
“It’s a very long story, and her name is Nova,” I say, fixing her body for comfort in my arms and ensuring her dress is pulled over her, despite her leggings.
Kevin has stayed alive as long as he has because he’s smart as a whip and twice as dangerous. While his son is the weak link, he is not.
“I think you should come home with us, don’t you?” he grunts. “Aine, I’m sorry about breakfast…”
She’s breathing hard as she gazes at Nova, pale and trembling.
“Respectfully, dear, fuck breakfast. I want to know what’s going on.”
Shit, I guess we’re taking a drive to their place. Kevin’s driver follows the Edwards in, appearing pensive, his hand on his gun as he stares at us.
“Sir?”
“We’re going home, and bringing company,” Kevin rasps.
Yeah, that’s about what I thought might happen now.
Chapter Fifteen
CALEB
Me
Can you help me run interference with your grandparents? We ran into them at breakfast with your sister, and now we’re on our way to their house.
At least I hope that’s what I texted because I did it without looking. It seemed like a bad idea while getting glared at by Hollis and Nova’s grandfather. Aine just keeps staring at Nova with wide eyes as she holds tightly to her husband’s hand.
We wanted to give Nova the time to process things, but this was just bad luck in terms of timing.
“Sir,” I begin as the driver drives through the gates of their estate. “We didn’t mean to keep this a secret from either of you. She was recently found and then Hollis was kidnapped in her stead.”
Kevin’s eyes swing over toward me, the blood leaving his lips from how hard he’s pressing them together.
“No one bothered to inform me of that either?” he growls.
