Whispers in the Dark - Maya Banks [42]
Then in the distance she saw a road sign and her breathing sped up. Finally she would be able to tell where she was. Something to tell Nathan. He could come for her.
Her pulse rocketed and she broke into a near run, her focus on being able to read that sign.
She nearly tripped over a fallen log and stumbled to regain her footing. Finally she was close enough to see the sign.
Crescent City city limits.
Crescent City, she said to Nathan. I’m in Crescent City, California.
Already on my way, baby. Find a place, lie low. I’ll be there as fast as I can.
CHAPTER 14
“WE’VE got a serious problem,” Sam said.
The Kelly family was gathered in the living room of Marlene and Frank’s home. Marlene wrung her hands repeatedly despite Frank trying his best to calm her.
Ethan sat between Rachel and Sophie while Sarah stood across the room next to Garrett. Donovan and Joe were positioned by the fireplace, arms crossed over their chests, and Swanny stood alone, bewilderment and worry etched into his tired features.
Marlene had tried to foist baby Charlotte onto Rusty so the teenager would be removed from the conversation, but Rusty had flatly refused to leave the room. She was upset and thought that her inviting Nathan to her graduation had prompted his meltdown.
They all looked to Sam for information, but he wasn’t sure they were prepared for this.
“Nathan took off in one of the Kelly jets an hour ago.”
Not surprisingly, the entire room erupted in chaos. Donovan put two fingers to his mouth and emitted a shrill whistle then he held up his arms for quiet.
“What do you mean took off? As in had the pilot fly him somewhere?”
Sam shook his head, knowing Donovan already suspected what Sam was about to say. “No, he flew himself.”
“Christ,” Garrett muttered.
Joe swore. “What the fuck is he thinking?”
“Do we know where he went?” Ethan asked.
Sam ran a hand through his hair. Fuck, but he was tired. “He filed flight plans for Crescent City, California. Is that where he’ll end up? Who knows? Who the hell knows what he’s thinking right now? Anyone have any idea what’s in Crescent City?”
“This is crazy,” Joe said. “I thought…Hell, I don’t know what I thought. One minute he and Van are laughing and horsing around. The next, he’s on a plane to Crescent City? I think it’s time the gloves come off. He obviously needs help beyond whatever self-healing bullshit he’s attempting.”
“Cut him some slack. He’s fighting for what’s left of his sanity,” Swanny cut in.
Everyone turned to Swanny in surprise. He was a man of few words. Sam couldn’t remember him ever willingly volunteering information. He was a “speak only when spoken to” person and sometimes not even then.
Donovan’s arms dropped and he stepped forward, his focus solely on Swanny. “Do you know something, Swanny? One of the last things Nathan said to me was that before he could commit to KGI he had to do something. He wouldn’t tell me what. Clammed up tight when I pressed. Next thing I know, he freaks out and hops a jet to California?”
Swanny lowered his head and grasped the back of his neck. He looked indecisive, as if he wasn’t sure whether to betray his loyalty to Nathan. Sam understood that. He did. But fuck it. Nathan was his brother and he needed help whether the stubborn son of a bitch wanted it or not.
“Tell us, Swanny. Whatever you know. Now isn’t the time to hold out. Nathan could be in trouble. We aren’t going to let him go off half-cocked.”
Swanny stared up at Sam. “You don’t understand. How could you? We were in the worst sort of hell. We weren’t living day to day or even hour to hour. We survived minute by excruciating minute. The next day was an eternity away and we didn’t want it. Death wasn’t the enemy. It was our salvation. Our hope. Because only then would we be able to escape our reality.”
Sam’s gut clenched. His mom let out a soft cry of distress and turned her face into Frank’s chest. Tears glimmered in Rusty’s eyes and Rachel looked haunted by past demons. Demons Nathan had firsthand