Chapter 69

Chapter 69 – Nell’s POV

“Maybe ask Nell where her brother is right now.”

Those words rang through my ears like a scream.

I dropped my phone.

The sound of it hitting the floor didn’t even register. My knees buckled, but I didn’t fall. I couldn’t afford to. My legs moved on their own, turning toward Alex, who was already standing frozen in the middle of the room, his eyes fixed on me.

“What did he mean?” I whispered, barely able to speak. “What did he mean?”

Alex stepped forward, gently placing both hands on my shoulders. His voice was low and steady, trying to ground me.

“Nell. Breathe.”

“Alex,” I choked out. “He has Chris. He has my little brother.”

Alex didn’t speak right away. His jaw tightened. I could see the thoughts racing in his mind, the calculations, the threat assessment.

“We’re going to get him back,” he said firmly. “I promise you that.”

I nodded too quickly, trying to believe him. “I need—I need to know where he is. I can’t just sit here.”

“You’re not going to,” Alex said, turning away and already pulling his phone out again.

He barked orders into it, his calm mask cracking slightly. “Get me surveillance access—street cams, traffic feeds, everything in and out of the city perimeter in the last hour. Check for any unregistered black vans. Crosscheck with Reed’s known aliases. I want all of it. Now.”

A man appeared almost instantly at the door, one of his guards.

“Sir?”

“Prepare the second car. We’re not waiting for intel. We move in fifteen minutes.”

The guard nodded and disappeared.

Alex turned back to me. “I need you to stay calm. Everything is going to move very fast now.”

“I can’t just wait here.” My voice was shaking. “I can’t stay still while my brother is out there.”

“You won’t have to,” he said. “But I need you safe. You being reckless won’t help him.”

“Reed said to come alone,” I whispered.

That stopped him.

He stared at me. “What?”

“I—I got a message. A picture of Chris. He looked okay, but—” My voice cracked. “It said I had to come alone. Or he wouldn’t see another sunrise.”

Alex’s face darkened. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, the softness was gone.

“I’ll kill him,” he said quietly. “I swear to God, I’ll kill him.”

“I need to go,” I said suddenly, heart racing. “I need to go now.”

“You’re not going anywhere alone,” Alex snapped. “That’s exactly what he wants.”

“I don’t care!” I yelled. “This is my family! This is my little brother!”

Alex crossed the room, stopping right in front of me. “And I said no.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I hated him in that moment. Hated him for stopping me. Hated him for caring enough to hold me back.

“If I lose him,” I whispered, “I won’t survive it.”

His eyes softened again. He pulled me into his arms, one hand sliding up to hold the back of my head.

“You’re not going to lose him,” he said against my hair. “I’ll burn the city down before I let that happen.”

But I could feel his heart racing against mine.

He was scared too.

\---

The mansion was alive with quiet chaos after that.

Guards ran up and down the halls, whispering into earpieces. Phones buzzed. Maps were spread across the dining table. Rick appeared out of nowhere, barking orders of his own.

But I wasn’t part of any of it.

I sat on the edge of the bed in one of the guest rooms, arms wrapped around myself, staring at the wall.

I could still see Chris’s face in the photo.

Eyes wide.

Lips trembling.

His favorite hoodie wrinkled and half-zipped.

He was scared.

He was alone.

And I wasn’t doing anything to help him.

A soft knock at the door made me look up. Lena peeked inside.

“Nell?”

She slipped in and shut the door behind her.

“Hey,” she said gently. “I heard what happened.”

I nodded slowly. My throat was too tight to speak.

She sat beside me, silent for a moment. Then she reached into her pocket.

“I don’t know if this will help,” she said, holding out a folded piece of paper. “But Chris gave me this like… weeks ago. Before everything. He said it was for you. In case something ever happened.”

My hands trembled as I opened the note.

It was scribbled in his messy handwriting.

“Nell, if I ever disappear, don’t freak out. You’re the strongest person I know. You always protect me. So I believe in you. Please come find me. But don’t come alone. Please. Promise me that.”

The last line hit me like a punch in the chest.

But it didn’t change what I had already decided to do.

\---

It was nearly midnight when I made my move.

Everyone was still busy downstairs. The guard stationed outside my room had stepped away to take a call.

I’d been watching.

Waiting.

I slipped on black jeans and a hoodie, tucking the burner phone into my pocket. Reed had given a time. A place. He wanted me at the old train depot on the edge of the industrial district.

Alone.

I made it halfway down the marble hall before someone called my name.

“Nell?”

I froze.

It was Alex.

He stood at the far end of the hall, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his jacket gone. He looked exhausted—but alert.

“What are you doing?”

“I just needed air,” I lied, trying to sound casual.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re not thinking of doing something stupid, are you?”

I forced a weak smile. “Not tonight.”

But my heart was pounding in my chest.

He stared at me a moment longer, then nodded. “Be careful.”

“You too.”

I slipped down the back staircase once he turned away.

\---

The night air was cold against my skin as I stepped out the side door. I crossed the yard, slipping past the outer perimeter where the guards usually stood. The car I’d prepared earlier waited where I told Lena’s cousin to leave it. I paid him to leave the keys inside and walk away.

I didn’t say goodbye.

I just started the engine and drove.

\---

The city lights flickered behind me as I reached the edge of the warehouse district. Everything looked abandoned and rusted, like time had passed through and decided not to come back.

I pulled up two blocks away from the train depot and got out, heart pounding in my chest.

There was no one around.

Not yet.

I took a deep breath and started walking down the dark street.

Every sound made me flinch.

A bottle tipping over.

A dog barking somewhere far off.

My footsteps echoing off broken pavement.

Halfway down the block, my phone buzzed.

Another message from Reed.

“Good. You're alone. Now let’s talk about your brother.”

I stopped in my tracks, hands shaking.

Then I heard it.

The low growl of an engine.

Headlights flared behind me.

I spun around—too late.

A black car tore around the corner, speeding straight toward me.

I didn’t have time to move.

I didn’t have time to think.

I only had time to scream.