Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
CELESTE
Celeste Vale stood outside the medical facility when we escaped.
She wasn't alone.
Six cars surrounded the building.
Men in dark coats stood beside them.
Armed.
Waiting.
Damon pushed me behind him.
Eli stayed close to Michael.
Marian whispered,
“Don't fight.”
Damon stared at her.
“What?”
“That's what they want.”
A car door opened.
Celeste stepped out.
She looked exactly as I remembered.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Almost impossibly calm.
She looked at Damon.
Then me.
Then Eli.
Finally, Michael.
Her expression cracked.
Only for a second.
“Michael.”
Michael stared at her.
“You knew.”
Celeste's face went pale.
“Yes.”
“You knew I was alive.”
“Yes.”
“And you let Anna die believing I was dead.”
Celeste closed her eyes.
“I was trying to protect her.”
Michael laughed weakly.
“You protected the family.”
“No.”
“You protected Thomas.”
Celeste said nothing.
Damon stepped forward.
“What did you do to my father?”
Celeste looked at him.
“Your father is no longer the man you remember.”
“Then why is he alive?”
“Because death would have been easier.”
Her voice trembled.
“For all of us.”
I stared at her.
“Why did you move Eli?”
Celeste looked at my son.
“I didn't.”
Lucas stepped from behind one of the vehicles.
“I did.”
Damon turned.
“You.”
Lucas raised his hands.
“I was trying to keep him alive.”
Damon's voice became dangerous.
“You kidnapped my son.”
“I moved him before Thomas could reach him.”
“And you couldn't tell us?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
Lucas looked at me.
“The note.”
My heart dropped.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED ME.”
“Yes.”
Eli stared at Lucas.
“You wrote it.”
Lucas nodded.
“I needed you to leave the house without alerting the people watching.”
Damon's expression remained hard.
“You could have told me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because your father was monitoring you.”
Celeste stepped forward.
“He still is.”
Damon looked at her.
“You're working with him.”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To stop him.”
A voice came from behind us.
“Too late.”
Thomas emerged from the darkness.
Celeste turned.
“Thomas.”
He smiled.
“You always did enjoy arriving late.”
Celeste stepped between him and Eli.
“Leave them alone.”
Thomas laughed.
“You're protecting them now?”
“I've always protected them.”
“No.”
His expression hardened.
“You protected the secret.”
Celeste's face changed.
“The secret kept them alive.”
Thomas looked at Damon.
“Your mother was never as loyal as you thought.”
Damon looked at Celeste.
“What secret?”
Celeste said nothing.
Thomas smiled.
“She knows who really killed Elias.”
My heart stopped.
Michael's eyes widened.
Celeste whispered,
“Thomas, don't.”
Damon stared at her.
“What did you just say?”
Thomas continued.
“Elias didn't die naturally.”
Damon's voice dropped.
“Who killed him?”
Thomas looked at Celeste.
“Tell him.”
Celeste began crying.
“I didn't.”
Thomas laughed.
“You didn't pull the trigger.”
He paused.
“But you handed him the gun.”
Silence.
Damon looked devastated.
“What does that mean?”
Celeste shook her head.
“I was nineteen.”
“No.”
“I didn't understand.”
“No.”
“I thought he was going to kill Thomas.”
Damon's voice broke.
“You killed my grandfather.”
Celeste sobbed.
“I was trying to save you.”
“You killed him.”
“I didn't know the gun was loaded.”
Thomas stepped closer.
“Lies.”
Celeste looked at him.
“You told me to do it.”
Thomas smiled.
“And you did.”
Damon looked at me.
I had never seen him look so lost.
Like every piece of his childhood had been pulled out from under him.
I reached for his hand.
He didn't notice.
Then Eli stepped forward.
“Stop.”
Everyone looked at him.
Eli stood between us.
His voice shook.
“But he didn't do it.”
Thomas frowned.
“Do what?”
Eli pointed at him.
“You keep saying everyone else is responsible.”
Thomas's face darkened.
“But you're the one who keeps hurting people.”
Silence.
Damon looked at his son.
Pride filled his eyes.
Thomas slowly smiled.
“You sound like your mother.”
Eli didn't move.
“Good.”
Thomas's smile disappeared.
A gunshot cracked.
Celeste screamed.
Damon pushed Eli down.
I dropped beside them.
“Damon!”
He wasn't bleeding.
The bullet had struck the ground.
Lucas tackled one of the guards.
Chaos erupted.
People shouted.
Cars started.
Michael was pulled behind the vehicle.
Marian grabbed my arm.
“Run!”
“No!”
“My son!”
Damon was already fighting his way toward us.
He reached Eli.
“Go!”
We ran.
Through the trees.
Across the wet ground.
Toward the shoreline.
Behind us came shouting.
Then another gunshot.
Damon stumbled.
I screamed.
“Damon!”
He caught himself against a tree.
Blood appeared on his shoulder.
“I'm fine.”
“You're shot.”
“It's a graze.”
Eli started crying.
“Dad.”
Damon crouched.
“Hey.”
“You're bleeding.”
“Barely.”
“You promised.”
Damon froze.
“What?”
“You promised we wouldn't leave each other.”
Damon pulled him close.
“I remember.”
We kept running.
Until we reached the boat.
Marian climbed aboard first.
Michael followed.
Eli.
Me.
Damon last.
The engine roared.
As the boat pulled away, I looked back.
Thomas stood on the shore.
He wasn't chasing us.
He was simply watching.
And smiling.
My stomach dropped.
Damon saw it too.
“What's wrong?”
I pointed.
Thomas raised one hand.
He was holding something.
A phone.
My phone.
I checked my pocket.
Empty.
My blood turned cold.
“Evelyn?”
I remembered.
Earlier.
At the house.
Thomas had been near me.
He must have taken it.
The screen lit up.
A message appeared.
From my own number.
YOU BROUGHT MICHAEL BACK. EXACTLY AS PLANNED.
I stared.
Then another message arrived.
NOW COME HOME.
Below it was an address.
The Vale estate.
And a photograph.
A photograph of someone standing in the doorway.
My breath stopped.
It was my mother.
May you like
Anna.
Alive.
