Page 11 of Where We Ended
Rachel took a step closer. “What were you going to say?”
My voice was nearly a rasp as I glanced behind me at the door, knowing our time was limited, and if I was wrong, she might decide I wasn’t worth helping.
“Are you related to Killian Quinn? You have his eyes.”
She looked as though I’d slapped her. Her eyes flickered, her mouth gaped, and she backtracked into one of the shelves.
“Do you…” she started, but had to clear her throat. “Do you know him?”
“Very well actually…he’s the president of the Stone Riders. He’s also my friend.”
Tears tracked down her face as she tried to laugh, but it came out as a sob.
“He’s good then, like you’re good?”
My heart nearly broke in half as I realized this was Killian’s mother. His long-lost mother that he had loved so very much.
Stepping closer to her, I gently reached out for her hand and held it tight. “He’s very good. He found happiness and love. He’s happy.”
Rachel sobbed again and pulled me into a tight hug. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him. To be good and happy. To find love.”
I had no idea why she had decided to leave her son all those years ago. From what Laura had told me, she left him when he was just nine years old. Killian’s dad went to prison shortly after, so he was raised by Simon Stone.
There was a buzzing sound coming from her pocket. She pulled back, swiping at her face while inspecting her cell.
“It’s Fable. I need to get back. Listen to me, Natty.” She pulled me by the shoulders and leveled me with her teary-eyed stare. “You need to wait this out for a few days. Fable doesn’t have a plan for you; he just wants to keep you here until he’s ready to face off with Silas. He knows it will mess with his head and force Silas to react rashly. He’s likely going to take pictures of you with Alec and try to force Silas to act first. So, wait it out, see if you can get Alec to aid you.”
I shook my head. “He won’t.”
“You have to try. Fable is leveraging his hold over the Sons of Speed. If he doesn’t have them then he’s not strong enough with just the Destroyers. Especially if you say Killian is the president now of the Stone Riders. Silas has the Death Raiders…Fable will be too outnumbered. He has to take the Death Raiders from Silas, it’s his biggest play.”
“But why?” I shook my head not understanding why he just popped up out of nowhere after all these years and suddenly wanted power.
Rachel’s phone buzzed again, and she clicked the light off, plunging us into darkness.
She whispered briskly, “Watch the patrols, lunch will be the safest, or early near six when they trade positions.”
“Come with me,” I whispered back, but she was already opening the door and slipping out.
I bit my lip, knowing I had to be quiet. Rachel slid out of the kitchen, leaving me behind. I grabbed a few cookies from the pantry and then snuck out behind her. I was nearly to Alec’s door when it suddenly swung open, and a pair of angry gray eyes greeted me.
FOUR
NATTY
AGE TEN
Ripples in the lake had me scanning the surface for frogs.
The summer heat soaked into my back as I lay across the worn footbridge, my face inches away from the water. I told Silas I could catch at least five by dinner, and so far, I’d only caught three. The only rules were the frogs had to be as big as our palms, and not any smaller.
He was watching me from the other side of the lake where he was fishing. Every now and then, his dark hair would shift from the wind, looking like a dash of black feathers. He’d shield his eyes from the sun and stare in my direction.
Patientia, Caelum.
Silas was starting to get better at Latin lessons too, and while I still hadn’t translated that little bit, he called me Caelum enough that I learned it meant heaven. I wasn’t sure why he called me that; he always just blushed when I asked him.
I wondered if he couldn’t say my real name in Latin. Natus was simple enough, yet he never said it. Silas got off easy because his name was the same in both languages. It was yet another reason why I wanted to win this challenge. He seemed to win at everything else.