Chapter <b>255 </b>


    NICK


    The ind was still, too still. No one slept that night. Luke had kept busy with his men, the sound of his voice drifting through the halls, low and intense. I couldn’t make out the words, but I could tell they weren’t discussing anything good.


    05/18/16/


    Ethan had joined them; he was more involved than I would have liked. I had asked him to keep an eye on Luke, to make sure things didn’t escte further. I didn’t trust Luke, not when he was like this, wild, unpredictable, the kind of man you couldn’t reason with once his mind was made up. He was like a caged animal finally set free, and I was terrified of what he might do to the people on this ind. They were innocent; they didn’t deserve to be dragged into whatever madness Luke was nning.


    As for me, I was stuck dealing with the kids. I tried to keep my mind upied, tried to push away the dread gnawing at me. But before anything, I knew I had to prepare. I organized money, lots of it. It felt like I was bracing for something big. Something I wasn’t sure we could undo once it started.


    I had a sick feeling in my gut that many people would needpensation once Luke’s rage was unleashed. I tried to talk to him, to convince him to stop whatever he was doing, but my words fell on deaf ears. Nothing I said worked. Maybe I wasn’t convincing enough. Maybe I gave up too quickly. Or maybe, just maybe, I didn’t want to stop him at all. Maybe I was letting it all happen. I didn’t know.


    I was conflicted. On one hand, the mother of my child was <b>in </b>the hands of a monster. But on the other hand, her father, Luke, was about to unleash chaos on an ind that would never recover. And where did that leave me? Standing between them, trying to find some middle ground knowing all along there was no way out.


    I wasn’t even sure what I was supposed to be doing anymore. By the time we were done, I was sure the ind would be empty, its people scattered, running as far as they could. The ce would be a ghost town. To make matters worse, Marcus had been calling me every day, demanding to know where we were. He was in Asia, hunting us down. I could feel the clock ticking. It was only a matter of time before he found us, before things got


    even worse.


    But there was no way I could let that happen. If Marcus got here before we found his wife, I didn’t know what would be of the ind. I barely slept, only managing two hours before the sun even started to rise. And as soon as it did, Luke and Ethan were back.


    “Get dressed. We are leaving. Ethan found his home. He told us he grew up here. We found his home.”


    My heart sank. What were they nning to do with his home? Did they think there was something left there? Xander had lived in a damn hotel, like a tourist. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t feel right.


    “I don’t need to know what you’re thinking, Nick. You can stay behind if you’re notfortable,” Luke said, his voice cold, almost mocking.


    But I wasn’t about to stay behind. Not now. I was the only one left who had any semnce of reason. Ethan had been consumed by anger, his once calm demeanour now reced with a vtile edge. Who would keep things in check when they all lost it? I had no choice. I had to go.


    “I’m going,” I said firmly, standing up and heading to change. When I returned, the room was empty. A quick nce out the window showed everyone already outside, standing by the cars, ready to go.


    I sighed, dread settling heavy on my chest. I knew this was just the beginning. By the time I made it downstairs, they were already in the cars. No time for small talk, no time for anything. We just drove,


    The drive wasn’t long. It didn’t take much time to get to what was once Xander’s home. It had long since been abandoned, the house looking like it had been forgotten by ime itself. The yard was overgrown, the windows dark


    and empty. There was no sign of life.


    We searched the house, each of us trying to find some clue, some trace of what they were looking for. But there was nothing. It was as if the ce had been untouched for years. I stood there, staring at the empty house, confusion and frustration swirling inside me.


    Luke was the first to speak. His voice was like ice, cold and unforgiving.


    “Burn it to the ground. Then we go find where his parents are buried.”


    My mouth hung open in shock. Burn it to the ground? I couldn’t understand. What was he hoping to aplish by destroying this ce? It was already gone. And yet, I knew better than to argue with him. The man was a ticking time bomb, and once he decided on something, nothing could change his mind.