Page 171 of Restitution

I rush around while Kade thinks. I can see the gears turning in his head – I have to pack for him. My heart is in my throat that everything is going so badly. We need to run,again, and hide. Why does this keep happening to us?

“What about Luciella?” Aria asks, more to herself since no one has answers. “If Sebastian’s been arrested, how can he help her?”

“We need a way to reach out to Tobias,” Ewan says. “Whichone of them has a phone?”

“I… I don’t have his number. We couldn’t risk saving it and reaching out in case it was tracked. He’d call us when he had to.”

He’ll see the news and run. He won’t risk it.

Aria presses her hand to her chest. “Kade,” she says, grabbing her son’s face to make him look at her. He’s still blank. “Run before they get here. Please,” she says, shaking her head as she sobs. “This can’t be happening.”

“I can’t breathe properly,” I say, pressing my hand to my chest too, turning to Kade, who’s watching me without a word. “We won’t let them catch us; I promise. We’ll go to the safe house and get Lisa and Eva. We can stay there until… until we figure it out.”

My hands are shaking, and I fist them as I try to fill my lungs, my heart racing in my chest.

Aria and Ewan run to sort the dogs. We can’t leave without them.

I walk past Kade and grab his phone charger, shoving it into the bag.

“Stacey.”

“Do you know where I put my shoes?”

“Stacey, look at me.”

I grab the dogs’ harnesses. “Your mum and Ewan will be looking for these. Can you look for my shoes?”

Kade moves in front of me as I try to walk out the bedroom. “Think about this.”

“What’s there to think about? We don’t have time to talk this out. Why aren’t you getting ready?”

I don’t wait for him to reply. I grab the door handle then run down the hallway and hand the harnesses to Ewan.

The dogs are barking, not understanding the panic as I runback into the room. Kade’s sitting on the edge of the bed now. His elbows are on his knees, his hands clasped, his head bowed.

“Why are you just sitting there?”

Everything within me is close to shattering as he looks up at me, because I know what he’s thinking. He’s not doing this to me. He won’t do this to me. He can’t give up.

“No,” I snap. “Don’t say what I think you’re going to say.” I grab our bags and leave the bedroom, relieved when I hear his footsteps behind me, following me to the sitting room. For a second there, I thought Kade was going to—

“I’m not running.”

I turn to him, my hair whipping my face. “What are you talking about?” I ask in unison with Aria.

He scrapes his stubble with his knuckles. “If I don’t run, then you don’t need to either.”

I drop my bag. “What?”

“You’re not in any trouble. If I stay and let them arrest me, then you don’t need to hide. It’ll be done. All of this will be over.”

“No…” I step towards him, searching his face – he’s serious. “Don’t do this, Kade. Don’t. They’re going to arrest you for multiple murders. I’ll be lucky to ever see you again as a free man.”

I wordlessly move my mouth, glancing from Ewan to Aria. “Do something!”

Kade shakes his head. “I’m not running,” he tells them. “What’s the point? I’m not going to do that to Stacey. I’m not going to make us hide for the rest of our lives. This is what I deserve. I fucking deserve this.”

He paces, grabbing his hair. “Fuck. I can’t. I can’t keep running from this. I was thinking about it the other day. If this bit me onthe ass, I wouldn’t drag you down with me.”