Page 45 of Restitution
Tobias leans in, gripping the arms of the chair. “What if I have been? What the fuck are you going to do about it?”
I want to tell Tobias to shut up, that baiting him won’t help, but the rage in his eyes makes it all worth it.
“I’ll kill you if you have. She’s mine.”
“She doesn’t belong to anyone,” Tobias says. “Are you done? Your voice is going through me.”
Chris scowls. “Iwillkill you.”
Kade’s father chuckles and flexes his fingers, fisting his hand again. “You can certainly try.” He looks at Barry. “Have you gone through his phone?”
“Yeah. He created a program that automatically wipes the phone. He broke his laptop when the guys got there, but he’ll have backup files somewhere.” Then Kade’s assistant looks at Chris. “We’re trying to take them down, just like you were planning. Where can we get those files?”
When Ewan and Tobias start punching him again, I decide to take my leave. I walk upstairs to the kitchen and find Aria erratically scrubbing her hands. I walk over, and she pauses when she sees me. “Oh, sweetheart. Are you okay?”
She’s trying to scrub blood from her hand. Her eyes are wet, and she looks on the verge of a breakdown. “Areyouokay?” I ask instead.
“I want to go home,” she says, her lip wobbling. “I want Tobias to be well, for Kade to get better, and for my daughter to be with me. I want to go home.”
Her ex comes up from the basement, red stains on his hands and clothes. “He’s asleep.”
No, he’s knocked out.
“Are you crying?” Tobias asks Aria. She tries to hide her face, but he’s already approaching her and taking it in his hands. “I’ll make it right. I promise I will.”
She forces a smile but ultimately falls apart in his arms, hugging into his chest.
15
STACEY
Kade is still out cold by the time night falls again. Tobias and Aria have gone for a walk through the woods, and Barry and Ewan are eating at the dining table. Some of the guards are sleeping while the others take over their duties, and the silence in the lodge is making me uneasy.
Kyle sits on the kitchen counter while I make us coffee. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I left the house as soon as you yelled that you were here.”
I give him a soft smile. “You have nothing to apologise for. I’m okay. You’re okay. Chris is locked downstairs. Nothing much worse can happen.”
“Bernadette Sawyer might knowwhere we are.”
“She does,” I reply. “I’m not sure why she hasn’t stormed in here for Kade though. I think she might have a plan.”
“Is there anyone we can call? Police? Can we take to social media? Anything?”
“Too risky.” I hand him his mug. “Have you spoken to Nora?”
“She thinks I’m still looking for Chris. Told her he’d lost his mind and was trying to kill you.” He sighs, taking a sip of his hot drink. “She sends her best wishes.”
I snort. Nora won’t care about me. All she wants is her son back in her arms – she’ll cocoon him in bubble wrap like he’s a fragile piece of glass.
“I’m going to head to bed. Get some sleep,” I tell him, noting the bags under his eyes and the dishevelled hair. “And shower. You stink.”
“You’re one to talk.” He fakes a sniff in my direction and screws his face up.
I slap his arm and walk upstairs, stopping outside Kade’s room, listening to Jason talking. I’m not sure what he’s saying, but I know Kade is still unconscious. I hear a sniff, an “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from them” and I back away from the door to give him privacy.
I’m not sure how I manage to sleep. The room is cold, and the blankets are thin. Maybe it’s because I’m mentally and physically shattered.
I wake just a couple of hours later though. I know I won’t sleep any more, so I sit up, stretch and turn on the shower. While I’m pulling off my clothes, I hear the door of my bedroom open, so I quickly grab my PJs from the floor and hold them to my naked body.
