Chapter 10 THE STORAGE UNIT
NOVA'S POV
I woke up to find Elias still in the chair next to my bed.
He was asleep, his head tilted at an angle that was definitely going to give him neck pain, his arms crossed over his chest.
He'd changed out of his dress shirt from yesterday into a plain black t-shirt and jeans, but he still looked uncomfortable as hell in that chair.
I sat up slowly, trying not to wake him, and just watched him for a minute. His dark hair was messy, falling across his forehead. There was stubble on his jaw. He looked younger when he slept, less guarded.
He'd stayed all night. Just like he promised.
"You're staring," Elias said without opening his eyes.
I jumped. "I thought you were asleep."
"I was. Until about two minutes ago when you started burning holes in my face with your eyes." He opened one eye and looked at me, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Morning."
"Morning." I pulled my knees up to my chest, suddenly aware that I was wearing an old t-shirt and shorts to bed. "Did you actually sleep at all?"
"A little." He sat up and stretched, wincing. "This chair is about as comfortable as sitting on concrete."
"You didn't have to stay."
"Yes I did." He stood up and rolled his shoulders. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm about to go through my dead mother's things and probably have a breakdown in front of both of you," I said honestly.
Elias walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. "You're allowed to have a breakdown."
"I don't want to fall apart."
"Too bad. You get to be human." His voice was firm but not unkind.
I looked at him for a long moment. At the concern in his dark eyes, the set of his jaw, the way his hand lingered near my face like he wanted to touch me again but wasn't sure if he should.
He stood up. "Now get dressed. We're leaving for the storage unit in an hour."
My stomach dropped. "An hour? That's not enough time—"
"It's plenty of time. Throw on some jeans and a shirt. You don't need to look pretty for this." He headed toward the door, then paused and looked back at me. "Although for the record, you always look pretty."
He left before I could respond, closing the door behind him.
I sat there for a second, my heart doing stupid things in my chest, and then forced myself to get up.
\---
Forty-five minutes later I was downstairs in the dining room, showered and dressed in jeans and a hoodie, my hair pulled back in a ponytail this time. I have never tried a ponytail but I kinda looked cute on it this morning.
Callum was already there, dressed in dark jeans and a black button-down, sitting at the head of the table with a cup of coffee and his phone. He looked up when I came in.
"You're early," he said.
"Elias told me an hour ago. I figured that meant he'd drag me out of the house in forty-five minutes whether I was ready or not."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Smart girl."
I poured myself coffee from the pot on the sideboard and sat down across from him. My hands were shaking slightly and I wrapped them around the mug to steady them.
"Nervous?" Callum asked, watching me.
"Terrified," I admitted. "I haven't been to that storage unit since... since right after my mom died. I don't even know what's in there."
"We'll find out." He set down his phone and looked at me steadily.
"What if there's nothing there? What if the key doesn't even work anymore?"
"Then we keep looking until we find answers." He leaned forward. "Nova, listen to me. We're not giving up on this. Not today, not ever.”
Elias walked in before I could respond, also dressed in dark jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed a piece of toast from the table and bit into it.
"Are we ready?" he asked, his mouth still full.
"You have no manners," I said.
"And you have control issues about food etiquette." He grinned at me. "Come on. Car's out front."
I gulped down the rest of my coffee and stood up, my legs feeling shaky. Callum and Elias flanked me on either side as we walked to the front door, and I realized they were already in protection mode.
"You guys know I can walk on my own, right?" I said as we stepped outside.
"Yup," Elias said.
"But you're doing it anyway."
"Yup," Callum echoed.
I rolled my eyes but secretly I was grateful. Because the truth was, I felt like I might fall apart at any second.
We got into Callum's black Mercedes, Callum driving, Elias in the passenger seat, me in the back.
As we pulled out of the driveway, I stared out the window at the perfectly manicured grounds of the Blackthorn estate and tried to prepare myself for whatever we were about to find.
\---
The storage facility was in a run-down part of the city I barely recognized. Chain-link fences, metal buildings, broken asphalt.
Callum pulled into the parking lot and we got out of the car and walked toward the main building. The guy at the desk barely looked up from his magazine when we came in.
"How can I help you?" he asked, not sounding like he actually wanted to help anyone.
"We have a storage unit. Number 247." I showed him the key.
He glanced at it and waved toward the back. "Building C. Down the hall, take a left."
We followed his directions through a maze of concrete hallways that smelled like dust and mildew. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead and our footsteps echoed.
Finally we found it. Unit 247.
I stood in front of the metal door, the key in my hand, and couldn't move.
"You want me to do it?" Elias asked quietly.
I shook my head. "No. I need to."
I slid the key into the lock. It turned smoothly, like someone had been keeping it oiled. The lock clicked open and I pulled up the rolling door.
It screeched as it went up, revealing the dark space inside.
Callum found a light switch and suddenly the unit was flooded with harsh fluorescent light.
Boxes. Everywhere. Stacked floor to ceiling. Old furniture covered in sheets. A rolled-up rug.
My mother's entire life, packed away in a storage unit.
"Oh god," I whispered.