Chapter 81

Nathan's POV

I took Christopher's small hand in mine as we stepped out of the car. His fingers trembled against my palm, and guilt crashed through me like a tidal wave. What kind of man uses a child as a bargaining chip? But I had no choice—Lily and our baby's lives were at stake.

"Are you scared?" Christopher whispered, looking up at me with those wide, trusting eyes.

The question caught me off guard. It should've been me asking him that. "A little," I admitted, surprising myself with the honesty.

"Me too," he said, squeezing my hand tighter.

This brave kid reminded me so much of myself at his age, except he had more courage than I ever did. When I was his age, I'd learned to hide my fear behind a mask of indifference, but Christopher wore his emotions openly, yet still stood tall.

"Remember what I told you," I said as we approached the back entrance of Joseph's place. "Stay behind me, and if anything happens—"

"Run," he finished for me. "I know."

I nodded, taking a deep breath before pushing open the door. The silence inside was deafening, setting my nerves on edge. Something wasn't right.

We entered the living room, and I immediately tensed. Joseph stood across the room, a gun pointed directly at me, his face hard and unreadable.

"Joseph—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Give me my brother," he demanded, his finger hovering dangerously close to the trigger.

Christopher whimpered behind me, his small hands clutching the back of my jacket. The fear radiating from him only intensified my guilt. I'd promised to protect him, and here I was, putting him in the line of fire.

"Joseph, I didn't come here to argue. I came to spare your life," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the gun aimed at my head.

Slowly, deliberately, I placed my weapon on the floor and kicked it away, raising my hands in surrender. "I could have handed Christopher over to my family, but I didn't. They don't even know I have him—because believe me, I have no intention of hurting him."

Joseph's eyes flickered with uncertainty, but the gun in his hand remained steady.

I felt Christopher shaking behind me, and it hit me—I needed another approach. Violence and threats wouldn't work here, not with a child caught in the middle.

"You know, I was planning to threaten Christopher's life to make you cooperate," I admitted, watching Joseph's face contort with rage. "But seeing you now... Joseph, you need help."

"Shut up and hand him over," Joseph hissed, taking a step closer.

I stood my ground. "Joseph, you need to put the gun down—you can't win this fight. Christopher helped Tyler escape."

The shock that flashed across Joseph's face was unmistakable. His grip on the gun faltered for just a moment.

"That's right," I continued, seizing the opportunity. "Tyler is free, and when your father finds out Christopher helped him escape..."

"He'll kill him," Joseph whispered, the truth of it dawning on him. Then, as if realizing his position of weakness, he raised the gun higher. "If I kill you now, he never has to know."

I couldn't help but laugh—not from amusement, but from the absurdity of it all. "You're not going to shoot me." I pulled Christopher to stand in front of me, my hands protectively on his shoulders. "And even if you kill me, there's still Tyler and Victoria. She's on my side now."

"You're lying!" Joseph shouted, his hand trembling slightly.

"No, she's the one who let him go." I took a step toward him, then another. "Joseph, you've lost—I'm offering you mercy. I've begged everyone to show you and Christopher mercy."

With each step, I closed the distance between us. Joseph's gun was now inches from my forehead, but I wasn't afraid. I knew the real Joseph was still in there somewhere, buried beneath years of his father's manipulation.

"Lily—she's innocent in all this, she has nothing to do with it, and she begged me to show you mercy. She could have told my family everything, but she didn't—because she cares about you."

I was close enough now to cover his gun with my free hand. "If you wanted to hurt me, you would have done it already." I looked him straight in the eyes. "I know I made some mistakes. I abandoned you like everyone else—maybe if I had been there when you needed me... things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Tears welled in Joseph's eyes, and I knew I'd hit a nerve. When he needed me most, I'd turned away in disgust, and the only family that made him feel valued was his father.

"You're on the losing side, and I'm trying to save you," I said softly. "I'll make sure you and Christopher are pardoned, but you have to work with me."

Joseph shook his head, pushing my hand away and aiming the gun at my head again. "I can't do that—I can't watch you and Lily and the baby live happily when I have to protect Christopher from the monster that the Sullivan and Donovan families created. When I have to live without a mother!"

"The people responsible for her death were punished years ago—the Donovans involved were punished years ago, and so were the Sullivans." I slowly covered the gun again.

"Lily grew up without a family, Tyler lived as your father's puppet, they shouldn't be punished for what their parents did... you know this, that's why we were friends for so long. Because you knew right from wrong."

I watched his face carefully. "You know your father gave the order to burn down that house—that's why you've always hated him, so why are you doing this?"

His breathing was rapid, shallow.

"We have a common enemy, and that enemy is Antonio—you've always told me Antonio was our enemy. How far are you going to go, are you going to wait until he hurts Christopher?"

Joseph lowered his head, his voice almost a whisper. "If I don't have my father or Christopher, I have no one. I have no choice." He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"We talked about your father's situation a long time ago—we both agreed he wasn't a good man... tell me, why are you really doing this?"

Joseph began, "I-I told you, my mother—"

"Is dead," I cut him off harshly. "She's dead. She's gone, and you can't change that."

I softened my tone, seeing his pain. "Joseph, you don't really want to hurt Lily or Tyler—because you love them. The last thing you want to do is hurt the people you love, and when you come to your senses—you'll have to live with that for the rest of your life."