Page 122 of Twisted Truths

“I found this under Zara’s bed. It belonged to our Uncle Kaleb, but he left it to Levi. You’ll find his prints on it, along with Zara’s blood.”

Shaking his head, Shane pockets the compass before bending to pull Levi to his feet. He doesn’t resist.

After Shane reads Levi his rights, I follow them out of the house, lowering my head when I notice the neighbours standing in their doorways, watching as Shane helps my half-brother into the back of the patrol car.

It’s over.

Hadley and Franklin are free from the Circle’s clutches.

Gabriel and Isaac have all the information they require to shut down their parents’ cult.

And I found justice for my sister.

Ziggy, Mum, Paul, and Rylan can finally rest.

Chapter Forty-One

HADLEY

Iclutch Franklin close to my body, silent tears streaming down my face as Gabriel drives us to Sydney. My heart feels like it’s been ripped clear out of my chest, despite the text message Gabriel received an hour into the journey.

Levi confessed.

Nash got it all on his phone, and Shane arrived to arrest Levi before anything bad could happen.

It doesn’t stop the ache I feel, wishing I could be there for Nash. His brother killed his family. I can’t even begin to imagine how he’s feeling right now.

Speaking of brothers, Gabriel has barely spoken to his since finding out Isaac helped Zara get out of the Circle.

Apparently, Zara approached him after Sierra told her someone had been looking for her. It wasn’t long after I saw Tanner talking to Seraphina. Knowing he was sniffing around must have spooked her, and she trusted Gabriel and me to take care of Franklin while she tried to find a way for us to get out of Barrenridge. She asked Isaac to drop her off at her mum’s house, and that was the last he heard fromher.

Gabriel’s pissed that Isaac didn’t tell him until it was too late.

Franklin starts to fuss about an hour from Sydney, but thankfully, there’s a twenty-four-hour service station that Gabriel pulls into, and we’re able to buy some baby formula, bottles, and nappies.

The fluorescent lights buzz overhead while Isaac paces with Zara’s baby in his arms, murmuring softly as he tries to soothe him. I grab some painkillers from the shelf, desperate to relieve the headache that has been forming since we left Nash behind, but I know they’ll do no good. Nothing will ease the tension in my body until he’s here with us.

“Here,” Gabriel says, slipping his phone into my hand as he comes up behind me to pay the attendant. “Call him. I know you’re worried.”

My breathing hitches. “Thank you.”

With shaking hands, I bring up Nash’s contact details and press the call button. It rings, but disappointment floods through me when it goes to voicemail. He must still be at the police station.

I resist the urge to try him again immediately. He said he’d call when he could, but that was hours ago, and the longer the silence stretches, the more tightly wound I become.

Instead, I type out a text.

Gabriel: It’s me, Hadley. Please let me know you’re okay? I need you to be okay.

Blinking back tears, I pocket Gabriel’s phone and head back to the car, where the brothers are waiting for me. Isaac sits in the back with Franklin, who has fallen asleep in his arms, so I climb into the passenger side.

“He’ll call when he can,” Gabriel tries to reassure me.

Unable to speak without bursting into tears, I simply nodand lean my head against the window, watching the scenery blur past.

The city lights flicker into view in the distance, but instead of feeling relief, my stomach knots tighter. Nash is still in Barrenridge, and the longer he’s there, the more terrified I am of the Circle connecting him to Zara and realising he had something to do with the fire. He’s still not out of danger, even if he is at the police station.

By the time we pull up outside the safe house in Sydney, organised by Hayden Grimshaw, my nerves are completely shot. I can barely unbuckle my seatbelt; my fingers tremble so badly that Gabriel has to reach over and help me.