Page 97 of Bound By Crimson

Chapter Ninety-Seven

The Road Out

Grayson guided them toward his truck.

He opened the back door and snapped a car seat into place.

“I wasn’t sure how old he was, so I brought two. Hope this one works.”

Lyric stared at him, throat tight.

He gently took Noah and buckled him in. “There we go, buddy. Safe and sound.”

She leaned in and kissed him one last time before climbing into the passenger seat.

The night felt endless, but the road ahead was waiting.

She looked over at him as he slid behind the wheel.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Of course.”

The engine rumbled softly to life.

She stared out the window for a while. Then it hit her.

“I don’t know where to go.”

Her voice cracked. She didn’t have family. Velora was an option, maybe—but Editha would find her there.

Grayson didn’t hesitate.

“It’s okay. I have a place we can go. It’s a long drive—near Miami. Big house by the ocean. Quiet. Safe. Are you ready for a road trip? ”

She looked at him. His hands on the wheel. His voice calm. Steady.

“I’ll never hurt you, Lyric. Or Noah. You have my word.”

She felt her throat tighten.

The way he looked at her—like she was whole. Like she wasn’t ruined. Like she mattered.

“Okay,” she said.

He nodded.

“I packed snacks. There’s milk for the baby. Diapers. Blankets. We’ll stop wherever you need. Just say the word.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

“You thought of everything?”

He smiled.

“I just wanted to be ready. Just in case you said yes.”

They drove in silence for a while, the hum of the tires filling the dark. Noah slept, snug in the car seat.

She looked back at him.

His tiny hand was curled near his cheek. His mouth slightly open. Chest rising and falling in a soft, perfect rhythm.

Peaceful.

Safe.

“We did it,” she whispered to him, fighting the tears forming in her eyes.

Then, softly—

“Lyric?”

She turned.

“I’m sorry you had to go through whatever you’ve been through. Maybe one day you’ll tell me. But I understand if you can’t. Not now.”

She didn’t speak, but something inside her eased.

Her shoulders dropped—just slightly.

She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been holding herself until now.

For the first time in forever, her body began to let go.

Not because she was saved.

But because—for the first time in a long time—she didn’t feel alone.

-- -

The sky was beginning to lighten.

They had a long way to go.

But she wasn’t running anymore.

She was driving toward something.

Something new.

Something safe.

It wasn’t the end.

It wasn’t quite a beginning either.

It was something she never thought she’d have.

Freedom.