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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Noel

Nick—of course—was successful in finding the addresses, and as soon as the sun set we released our drones. Nick and I guided ours, and fortunately JJ and Mason knew how to control them too. We had four of them going in different directions.

Mason’s was going to the funeral home. Nick’s was going to Jaron’s home; I had Hank’s and his parents’ house, and JJ’s was going to an address listed as a separate office space Jaron rented.

We figured those were the best locations to go to first. If none of them were there, we’d need to figure out a new plan.

If they were, we had to hope for little to no FBI presence.

“We can’t go in tonight, so what are the odds that if we find them tonight, they’ll be there tomorrow?” Angel leaned against the archway, staring at the monitors.

“If we know where they are, we can plan better,” I answered.

“That’s if they’re at same location tomorrow.”

I glared at Angel but didn’t linger. I had to focus on the drone so I didn’t lead it into a tree.

“I thought you had to be a certain distance for a drone to work remotely?” Phoenix’s nose scrunched up adorably, and I wanted to abandon my drone and kiss his lips.

“Normally, yeah.”

He glanced at me, his lips twisting. “What does normally mean?”

“What Noel is trying to not tell you is that these aren’t your everyday drones. They don’t follow FAA regulations, and blah blah blah. Nick and he built these bad boys themselves. They’re fancy.” JJ waggled his brows.

“Oh…” Phoenix chuckled. “Nice.”

“Jaron is at the funeral home with Hank,” Mason announced. “They’re walking to the car.”

“Follow them.” I wanted Jaron more than the others. While we could call our drones back, I wanted to see where the brothers were going. If something happened to Mason’s drone, ours would be close enough to take its place.

These drones were high-tech and had hover-mode capability, staying stationary so we were able to watch as Mason followed the BMW.

It wasn’t headed in the direction of Hank’s parents’ house, Jaron’s home, or the office space.

He turned down a long road, and the canopy of leaves made it difficult to see but fortunately, it was night so the headlights helped us stay on target.

After what seemed like forever, a small cabin came into view, and the car pulled up to the front.

“Where are they?” Gabe whispered as if they could hear us.

“In the middle of fucking nowhere. Mason, drop a tracker on the roof.”

“A tracker?” Phoenix’s voice rose to almost a squeal. “That’s some James Bond shit.”

I snorted. “Nah, but thanks, babe.”

I felt all my brothers’ eyes on me at the endearment, but I kept my gaze on the screen. They could fuck right off.

“Okay, dropped.”

“We’ll be able to get there if we have to,” Nick said as the car doors opened and Hank and Jaron stepped out.

“Maybe it’s a vacation spot, and they’re spending brotherly time together.” Matt was adorable in his thinking, but come on.

“Nice thought, sweetheart.” Nick reached over to pat his head, but Matt whacked his hand away.

“Don’t placate me, asshole.”

“Focus,” Angel barked.

“Sorry, Daddy,” I whispered.…I’d thought it was low enough, but the smack on the back of my head told me that he had in fact heard that.

“Someone’s coming out of the house.” Four pointed at the monitor.

“Zoom in, Mason.” I rolled my chair closer to the screen while Mason did as instructed. The man with the brothers gestured a lot as he spoke to them.

“Who is that?” JJ asked.

A gentle hand touched my arm and I looked down.

Phoenix was staring at the men, wide-eyed.

When his bottom lip trembled, I could tell he was terrified.

There was only one person in this world right now that would scare him like that.

I knew it had to be Amo. Of course, Phoenix would pick up on it quicker than anyone; he’d had his undivided attention for over three months.

He could probably identify the man’s shadow.

At that moment the man—Amo—laughed, and his neck craning up gave us a good view. He had a covering obstructing the bottom part of his face. Mason was able to get really close, and we could see his blue eyes. Nothing was on his head, and like Phoenix had said, he had black hair.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Phoenix’s voice was so low, I could barely hear it.

It was the second his body started shaking that I wheeled my chair in front of him, blocking his view.

“Phoenix, look at me, baby. See my eyes, hear my voice, feel my hands. You’re not there, you’re here, with me. He can’t get to you at all. None of us in this room would dare let him.”

His eyes began to tear, and I kissed his lips, swallowing his sob. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and I stood, lifting him with me. He buried his face into the crook of my neck, and I turned to Nick.

“Don’t lose any of them.”

“Go take care of him; we got this.”

I managed to get my door open, and I shut it with my foot. I carried Phoenix to my bed and as carefully as I could manage, I lay down. He remained attached to me like an octopus, and I didn’t dare move him.

His face was still hidden in my neck, and his breaths were shaky, but he wasn’t crying any longer. I rubbed soothing circles on his back, and soon he started to loosen his hold on me.

“He said no one would ever love me or hold me or want me.” His words were muffled, but I understood them.

“He’s wrong.”

“I hate how he makes me feel when I think about him, Noel. When I think it’s over, when I think he can’t get inside my head anymore, something pushes me into that dark place.

” He lifted his head, and his expression broke my heart.

“You’ve been the light for me since I was rescued, and I’m terrified he’ll find a way to shatter you too. ”

“No.” I cradled his face in my hands. “He won’t break me, or anyone else. We found him, Phoenix, and his days are numbered. He won’t get his rebirth.”

“I’m scared.” A lone tear slid along his cheek.

“It’s okay to be scared. But soon you won’t have to be, baby. I promise.” I pulled him close and kissed him until I felt his body relax.

I turned us so his back was to the mattress and I could look at him.

“I need you, Noel.”

“You have me, Phoenix. Always.”