Chapter 24 "Family Loyalty"
ADRIAN
The locker room was controlled chaos teammates suiting up, coach barking last-minute instructions, the smell of sweat and determination thick in the air.
Adrian went through his pre-game routine on autopilot: stretch, tape his ankles, lace his shoes just tight enough. But his mind was miles away, planning, calculating, trying to figure out how to get through this night without anyone getting hurt.
"Crane! You with us?" Coach Morrison's voice cut through the noise.
"Yeah, Coach. I'm here."
"You better be. Whitmore's defense is aggressive. I need you sharp out there."
"I will be."
But Adrian wasn't sure that was true. How could he be sharp when his grandmother was planning to kill the girl sitting in the stands? When he'd promised Kelly he'd help save her but had no real plan for how?
His phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: Don't do anything stupid tonight. Remember your family loyalty. - Aunt Millicent
Adrian's blood ran cold. Aunt Millicent. His grandmother's sister. Which meant Margaret had backup. Which meant even if Adrian tried to run with Ember, they'd be hunted.
Another text, this one from Margaret: I'm watching. Don't disappoint me.
"Five minutes!" Coach called out.
Adrian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made a decision.
He was going to play this game. He was going to give Ember a normal, happy evening.
Even if it meant losing everything.
EMBER
The game was incredible.
Ember had never been particularly interested in sports, but watching Adrian play was like watching art. He moved with a grace that seemed impossible for someone his size, anticipating plays before they happened, sinking shots that made the crowd roar.
Every time he scored, he'd glance toward her section, just for a second, like making sure she was still there. And every time, Ember's heart did that complicated flip that was becoming familiar.
By halftime, Ravencrest was up by twelve points, and Ember had learned enough to understand why the crowd was chanting Adrian's name.
A girl sitting next to Ember wearing a cheerleading uniform leaned over. "You're Adrian's date, right?"
"Um, yeah. I'm Ember."
"I'm Jessica. I've known Adrian since freshman year. This is the first time he's ever invited someone to watch him play." Jessica's smile was knowing. "He must really like you."
"We're just, we're friends"
"Honey, the way he keeps looking at you? That's not friendship. That's" Jessica searched for the word. "That's 'I'd cross an ocean for you' looking. Trust me. I know the difference."
Ember felt her face heat. "He's just being nice."
"Adrian Crane is a lot of things. Nice is one of them. But he doesn't look at people the way he looks at you." Jessica's expression turned more serious. "Just be careful with him, okay?
"Just" Jessica hesitated. "Adrian's a good guy.
Before Ember could ask more, the buzzer sounded for the second half.
Adrian came back on the court, found Ember in the stands, and smiled. Just for her. Just for that moment.
KELLY
Kelly sat in his car in the gymnasium parking lot, watching the exits, his phone clutched in his hand.
Maya was beside him, quiet and tense.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked for the third time.
"No. But it's the only plan we have." Kelly checked his phone again. No messages from Adrian. "My dad's already at the church. He's prepared the sanctuary. Once we get Ember there, she'll be safe."
"And if Adrian doesn't help us?
"Then we stop him. By force if necessary."
Maya looked at Kelly really looked at him. "You'd fight him? For Ember?"
"I'd do anything for Ember. You know that."
"Even watch her be happy with someone else."
It wasn't a question. Kelly's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Even that. As long as she's alive and safe, I don't care who she loves."
"That's" Maya's voice cracked. "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard."
"Yeah, well. Love's not always happy." Kelly tried for a smile. "Look at you and Jordan."
"Don't remind me." Maya pulled out her own phone, checking for messages that weren't there. "Do you think we're doing the right thing? Keeping Ember in the dark?"
"I think we're doing the only thing we can do."
"What if she hates us? When she finds out what we've been hiding?"
"Then she hates us. But at least she'll be alive to hate us."
They sat in silence as the sounds of the game echoed from inside the gymnasium cheers, buzzers, the thunder of feet on hardwood.
"I'm scared," Maya whispered.
"Me too."
"What if we can't save her?"
Kelly didn't answer. Because he didn't have a good answer. All he had was determination and a prayer that it would be enough.
EMBER
Ravencrest won by twenty points.
The crowd erupted as the final buzzer sounded, students pouring onto the court in celebration. Ember stayed in her seat, watching Adrian get mobbed by teammates and fans, his face flushed with victory and exertion.
Eventually, he extracted himself and jogged over to where Ember was standing at the edge of the court.
"So?" he asked, slightly breathless. "What did you think?"
"I think you're really good at putting balls through hoops."
Adrian laughed. "High praise."
"No, really. That was, you were amazing. I've never seen anything like that."
"I had good motivation." Adrian's voice dropped, more intimate despite the chaos around them. "I need to shower and change. Give me twenty minutes? Then we can grab dinner?"
"Sounds perfect."
"There's a party after. At the Delta Sigma house. We don't have to go if you don't want to"
Ember thought about the last party. The blackout. Waking up confused and scared. But this time would be different. This time she'd be with Adrian. This time she'd be safe.
"Let's play it by ear," she said. "Dinner first, and then we'll see how we feel."
"Deal." Adrian hesitated, then took her hand, squeezing gently before heading to the locker rooms.
Ember stood there, hand tingling from his touch, surrounded by celebrating students, feeling like maybe just maybe everything was going to be okay.
ADRIAN
Adrian's phone buzzed as he stepped out of the shower. A text from Margaret:
Excellent game. Now it's time for your other responsibility. Bring her to the estate. The family is waiting.
His hands shook as he typed back: sure I would
The response was immediate: Good make everything snappy ok darling
Adrian stared at the message, feeling sick.
Another text, this one from Kelly: Where are you? Are you still in?
Yes. Meet at the church after dinner. I'll bring her.
Are you sure you can do this?
Adrian looked at himself in the mirror still in his towel, hair dripping, looking like someone about to betray the person they cared about most.
Adrian pulled on his jacket and grabbed his keys.
He'd made his decision.
Now he just had to live with it.