Page 22 of Where We Ended

I shook my head. “Alec and Fable are working together.”

That news silenced everyone.

“Fable would likely not have any houses set up over here, right?” Penelope seemed to be thinking out loud while stroking her son’s back.

I stood, needing to move around. I hated this feeling of being so fucking useless.

“It’s hard to tell…he could have had houses set up the whole time he was in hiding, or nothing at all. Just depends on how long he’s been planning this.”

Penelope seemed lost in thought then pursed her lips. “There was a place…a safe house of theirs. The man my mom started seeing from Sons of Speed…he took us there a few times because he could have it to himself, or not get in trouble for messing around with Chaos Kings property. I left them alone while I ventured to the lake nearby. This was a long time ago, so my information is likely wrong and dated, but I will never forget this because on our way to that house, we passed by a chain of businesses that made me laugh. Wendy’s, Loves, Dicks, Hooters. They were all lined up one after another, and I would just laugh because it seemed ridiculous.”

Did Natty enjoy this complete and utter mundane gibberish from her friends?

Penelope waved her hand. “Anyway, there’s a dirt road half a mile or so after Hooters and it goes back quite a ways, there’s a house at the end of the road…It could be something.”

“What town was this in?” I asked, uneasy about how far they could have taken Natty.

Penelope looked hopeful as she said, “Rockland.”

Rockland was hours from Rose Ridge. If I got on my bike now and started, then I could make some decent time. I’d have to do recon, but I could manage. It would be night by the time I really got set up, but it wouldn’t matter. I just had to get to her.

I stood, not listening to what everyone else was saying or discussing. I had enough to go on to follow up on the lead, so I didn’t need to hear anything more, but suddenly Penelope was in front of me again with her baby.

Her blue eyes searched mine as if I owed her something.

“You can’t go right now; you need to make a plan and have back up.”

I tried to move past her when she held her son out. “Open your arms.”

“Excuse me.”

She held her swaddled baby out as if she were about to place him in my arms.

“Palms out, come on.”

I peeked at her husband, and he only sipped from a bottle of water with a smirk on his face.

“I’m not going to leave you alone until you open your hands.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know how to?—”

But my palms were open like she’d suggested and suddenly her gaze fixated on a tattoo I had on the inside of my palm, near my ring finger. Her eyes narrowed enough that I began dropping my hands once more, but she cleared her throat and stepped closer.

“Like this.” Penelope pushed her son into my arms until he was being cradled against my chest. “Support his head at all times.”

My mouth gaped like a fucking fish. Did she really expect me to stand here and hold her?—

Penelope dropped her voice, gesturing at my left hand. “Natty has a tattoo just like that, in that same exact spot.”

I stared at her son and ignored her curious tone. She remained there, arms crossed and staring as if I were about to open up to her about my ink.

She finally let out a sigh and moved away from me, which allowed me the chance to really inspect this tiny human in my arms. Soft dark hair crowned the top of the baby’s head, his soft blue eyes were gentle and his button nose was adorable as fuck.

How did people do this? How did they hold something so precious and perfect and then let it out of their sight to grow up?

I could never do it, never love something so much only to watch it leave me. If I were there when Natty left, there would have been a war. I’d likely have lost my life because there was no world in which I could watch her walk out of mine.

“Who knew that Death itself would actually be good with babies?” Killian joked, passing by while I stood like a statue with Connor in my arms. I knew Jameson was watching me like a hawk from across the room, but for all my faults and as evil as everyone seemed to know I was, hurting children was where I drew the line.