Page 37 of Oblivion
I’d wasted so much time brimming with anger, letting it eat me alive, that I failed to see what was really important. Nothing mattered anymore if I couldn’t have her next to me.
“I want to see her,” I murmured, looking at the mess on the floor. “I need to see her.”
“That can be arranged,” Indigo murmured from the other end of the office. “But I must warn you, Storm… it won’t be pretty.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
It didn’t matter. If Ophelia was truly dead, I had nothing left to live for anymore.
10
OPHELIA
It’d beenyears since I last went to the Ventus City, and it felt almost comical that I would come back here while running away from Storm, when I actually ran away from here when I found Kieran with that bitch.
My fucking brain hurt from thinking about it all.
Cillian kept quiet the whole time we drove, only speaking up when I asked him if we could stop to eat. I had no idea how he managed to drive all this time, but I wasn’t going to ask. I was too tired to even offer my help, and something told me that he wouldn’t have accepted it either way.
I wondered if they already discovered the bodies and if Storm knew I was still alive, or if he believed the coroner’s report.
News about the fire in the middle of the forest broke approximately one hour after we left, and I turned the radio off as soon as the broadcaster started saying my name. It felt good getting away from that, but it was also wrong, hearing your name in association with death when you were still very much alive.
The sun broke through the morning clouds ten minutes ago, and when I looked around, I realized that I had never been in this part of the neighborhood.
“Where are we?” I asked as Cillian took a right turn onto a street with only three houses.
“Home,” he murmured before turning the ignition off and getting out of the car.
I watched as the front door opened, revealing a sleepy looking Tristan who hugged Cillian as if he hadn't seen him for months, when I knew that wasn’t the truth. Kill tried spending as much time as possible with his youngest brother. If he wasn’t with me or doing this or that job, he was visiting Tristan.
My eyes ran over both of them, noticing similarities but also glaring differences that could only be seen by people who knew them long enough.
While Cillian looked like the type of person who could kill you if you blinked wrongly, Tristan was a cuddly bear. But wolves often hid in sheep’s clothing, and I knew what a lethal son of a bitch he could be.
I pushed the door open, deciding to join them and stretch my legs. Driving for so many hours, with only a couple of breaks in between, was not my idea of fun, but I understood that we needed to put some much-needed distance between us and Los Angeles.
“Birdy.” Tristan chuckled as he came down the stairs and walked toward me. “You look like hell.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.” I smiled when he hugged me, enveloping my entire body. “Last time I saw you, you wanted to sell me.”
“Well, last time I saw you, you wanted to kill me.” He laughed. “But it's a good thing that neither one of us succeeded.”
He draped his arm around my shoulders and started walking back toward the house. “You guys must be exhausted, and Kill, you could use a shower.”
“Ah-ha.” I pointed at Cillian. “See, I’m not the only one who stinks.”
“So, both of you are going to turn against me now?” Cillian asked as we entered the house. “I think I’m going to call Kieran to have some backup.”
“Don’t you dare,” I gritted out.
“Uh, I think it’s much healthier for all parties involved if Kieran doesn’t know what we’re up to,” Tristan said.
Cillian’s eyes widened, and he looked from me to Tristan. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, the fewer people who know about this entire stunt, the better. Come on.” Tristan let go of me and walked toward what looked like a kitchen. “Your new papers are here.”
I followed after him, with Cillian right behind me. My eyes zeroed in on a bowl on top of the kitchen counter.
