Chapter 148

Chapter 148
Lincoln

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Blake asked as we slipped into the tunnels and moved down the metal stairs.

Neither one of us had spoken since we had left Hope in the evil blood suckers clutches. I didn’t speak because there was literally nothing to say. I didn’t know what Blake’s excuse was. I knew he had questions because in his place I would have a million but he didn’t ask them and I was glad of that but I knew that reprieve was over. Now we were off the streets he was gonna ask them all.

“I don’t know what you mean.” My hand clenched at my side. He side eyed me. “You left her there.” He said flatly.

“She made her choice and I took your advice and listened to her. She wanted to stay and I have to respect that.” I lied as I stepped off the bottom of the escalator and moved on to the platform. Blake was right on my heels. 

Catching up with me, he grabbed at my arm and whirled me around to face him. “Bull shit Lincoln.” He snapped. “Tell me what is going on.”

“I just told you.”

“And I’m telling you I am not buying it.” Blake’s voice dropped. “I saw the way you looked at each other. And then what you said about Faith…” he trailed off. “Fuck.” His eyes grew wide and bright. “You two hatched a plan didn’t you?” Shaking his head he let go of my arm and carried on walking. 

I watched him go for a second before hurrying to the edge of the platform and jumping down on the warped and rusted tracks.

“I don’t know what you are talking about-“

“Lincoln-“ he warned. “Crossing Justin is insanely dangerous. He’s obsessed with your mate and from what I overheard it’s been that way for centuries. I hope you know what you are doing?”

“I just want my daughter safe. Hope wants the same,”

Side by side we trudged into the dark. And neither one of us spoke until the darkness swallowed us and our eyes adjusted. 

“We all want that for our children,” Blake said finally. 

“Yes we do. Did you know,” I took a deep breath. “That he can travel in time and that he’s planning on taking Hope back.”

Blake’s head snapped around to stare at me. “For good? But how is that going to work? Don’t the bombs fall only a few years-“

I cut him off. “To visit her folks.” I muttered. I needed him to click on so I didn’t have to say the words out loud. Around us seemed empty but I knew that walls had ears and Justin's spies could be everything. I didn’t want him to know what we were planning. It would put everyone in danger.

“A few days I think. I didn’t have a chance to ask. I’m sure hope will want to introduce Faith to her grandparents.” I chuckled. “Although I’m not sure how she will explain a baby to them.”

“Yeah.” Blake's laughter cut off and suddenly he was staring at me. “Ahhh you sly son of a bitch.” He shook his head. “Do you think she will manage it?”

The corners of my mouth twitched. “Do you think she won’t?” Cocking my head to the side I grinned and he grinned right back. 

“You’re right I shouldn’t doubt her but what then? What happens when she is safe?”

“No idea yet but we will work something out by working together. Hope is right, things have to change. I don’t know how they will change but I’m hoping we have a few years before-“

“You’re right.” A woman’s voice said and there she was again. The woman who had given birth to me. The woman who had left me. 

“You’re not welcome here.” I spat. “I think I made it clear  when you accosted us on the street that I have absolutely nothing to say to you.”

My mother didn’t look put out at all. She simply smiled. Not the warm smile from my childhood. This one was more snake like. Like she was plotting something.

“And I told you.” She said firmly. “That you needed to leave that girl alone. You decided to go against my advice and now we have to make a contingency plan for when she brings ruin down on us all.”

The way she said it made my blood boil. How dare she come here and tell me not to trust my mate. How dare she come back into my life after all of this time and try and dictate what I did and with whom.

“And what do you have in mind?” Blake asked from my side. His own voice was even.

“Firstly you need to get your people out of here. Justin knows your camps and he will expect loyalty,” her eyes twinkled. “Especially now he has given you back your mate. You can come out now.”

Confused, I frowned , what was she on about? I didn’t have long to wait. There was a shuffling noise and then Blake was pushing past me.

He took off at a run , barrelling into a small figure that appeared out of a side passageway. He picked her up , spinning her round and the sound of kissing was suddenly everywhere.

His mate. Justin had given her back to him just like he had promised. 

“I love you.” Blake muttered over and over again between kisses.

My heart gave a weird sort of pang. They were happy. And I was happy for them but it did drive home that my own love was with another man. A crazy dangerous man.

I didn’t know when I would get to kiss and hold her again.

“Blake now owes Justin his loyalty, Lincoln. When Justin realises he is your man through and through Justin will punish him. He needs to move his people.”

I sighed because she was right and I hated that. “Agreed. But where?”

“I have a few ideas for that but it will be dangerous.”

“When is life here not?” Blake moved towards us with his arm around the shoulders of a thin woman with pretty eyes. “We aren’t afraid of danger. So tell us what we need to do. What is the plan?”

“The plan,” my mother drawled and something in her voice made my skin crawl. Had she always been this cold? “Is to change the world. To make it a better place. Whatever it takes.”

I blinked. “That sounds just like Justin and his bunch of crazies. When they dropped the bombs they did it to make the world better and all they did was ruin us all forever.”

“We wouldn’t make the same mistakes Blake. And I’m not talking about dropping bombs.” She met my eyes in the darkness. “Well not yet. There’s lots of things to do before we wipe the slate clean. We need to - well we can talk about that later can’t we?”

“You’re talking about killing thousands, maybe millions of people.” I snapped. “Not wiping the slate clean

Wipe the slate clean? She was talking about mass murder on an epic scale. 

It was official, my mother was crazy.