Lib Novel Page 102
“Keep an eye out for tails,” I told Abby, scanning the rearview mirror for any sign of the cops or worse—Ba’s guys.
“Nothing yet,” she replied, her voice steady despite the situation. “Just focus on getting us there, Nathan.”
Her calmness grounded me, gave me something to hold onto as my mind raced with possibilities of what could be waiting for us. When we reached Justin’s apartment building, the car skidded slightly as I hit the brakes harder than necessary.
“Apartment number?” The urgency made my voice sharper than I intended.
“Two-eighteen, second floor,” Abby said, climbing out of the car right behind me.
I bolted toward the stairs, taking them two at a time, dread pounding in sync with my footsteps. Reaching the door marked 218, I raised my fist and knocked hard, the sound echoing down the hall.
“Come on, Justin,” I murmured, fear knotting in my stomach when there was no answer.
“Wait, Nathan!” Abby’s hand grabbed my arm just as I was about to turn my frustration into a kick against the door. Her grip was firm but gentle, stopping me from making a decision I’d regret.
“Give him a second,” she whispered.
As if on cue, the lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing my brother’s confused face.
“Justin,” I breathed out, relief momentarily washing over me before reality set back in.
We weren’t safe yet—not by a long shot.
“Justin,” I managed to say again, struggling to find the right words. His gaze shifted from confusion to concern as he took in my expression.
“Hey, big brother,” he said groggily—then more alert when he saw the expression on my face, “What the hell is going on?”
I could feel the weight of everything threatening to spill out—the secrets, the lies, the danger we were all in—but I couldn’t bring myself to unload it all on him right there in the doorway. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing coherent came out.
“Can we come in?” Abby interjected smoothly, her hand still resting lightly on my arm. She always knew how to step in when I was too tangled up inside my own head.
“Uh, yeah, of course.” Justin stepped aside, scratching the back of his neck as he allowed us entry into his space.
“Hey Derek,” Justin called back without turning his head, “can you start a pot of coffee? We’ve got company.”
“Sure thing!” came a muffled response from somewhere inside.
I stepped into Justin’s apartment and was immediately struck by how homey it felt. The walls were adorned with art that seemed to reflect personal memories rather than chosen for design. A collection of vibrant potted plants breathed life into the space, and the furniture looked lived-in, comfortable. The whole domestic bliss vibe was completed by an overweight tabby that purred as it walked in lazy circles around Justin’s legs, a bell jingling on its collar.
It was cozy, really cute—a sharp contrast to the sterile environment I associated with my own place, or the picture perfect home we’d been raised in.
A pang of regret hit me hard. I didn’t know my brother at all. It took a crisis of this magnitude to bring me here, and it stung that I had to learn his address from Abby, not from him.
“Sit down, guys,” Justin gestured to an inviting sofa surrounded by bookshelves filled with an eclectic mix of literature and knick-knacks. “Abby, I hope you like cats–Bao is a little overfriendly.”
Abby gave me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before releasing me and taking a seat next to Justin, her posture relaxed yet attentive. I couldn’t sit; I couldn’t still the storm raging inside me. So instead, I paced, my eyes scanning the room but not really seeing anything.
“Hey, Nathan,” Justin’s voice broke through my thoughts, “you’re scaring me, man. What’s wrong?”
His words should have prompted me to confide in him, to spill every dark and twisted detail of the mess we were in. But I couldn’t find the words, and the fear of what might be coming for us kept my mouth firmly shut.
Instead, I just shook my head and continued pacing, feeling like a caged animal.
“Justin,” Abby said calmly. “We’re sorry to show up so early, but you weren’t answering your phone and well…Lily got a visit from the FBI this morning. They were asking about us—about someone named Tyler Matthews. Did they come here too?”
Justin’s eyebrows knotted in confusion. “FBI? No, nobody’s been here. What’s this about, Nate?”
I turned to him, finally ready to talk—fully prepared to come clean, because I couldn’t bear to keep all these secrets alone—but before I could muster an answer, the piercing trill of my phone cut through the tension. My hand shot into my pocket like it was on fire, fishing out the device. I was certain it would be Lily, telling me she was being taken into custody, that our empire of lies was crumbling…