Nothing Without You | Eric Coulter [2]

eighteen

Uriah, Lynn and Zeke watch me with worried eyes as I paced the length of the room, wearing a hole into the Pedrads' living room floor as I went.

Marlene's absence is still glaring to me, and I miss the sage advice that she would probably have for me in this situation.

I shake the thought out of my head, reminding myself that there wasn't time to grieve. Not when Eric's life was at stake.

"I need to see him." I blew out a frustrated breath.

"We know, Ness. And we'll figure out how to get you to him," Zeke says, "For now-"

Uriah cuts him off before he could finish his sentence, straightening up from the couch, looking like he was having his lightbulb moment.

"We just need a distraction big enough to lure the guards away, right?"

I nod, "I just need to talk to him before the trial begins."

Uriah doesn't even bother to hear the end of my sentence before he's marching towards his bedroom with purposeful steps.

There's rustling coming from inside, followed by a loud thump seconds before Uriah re-emerges from the room with a cardboard box in his hand that looks like it's seconds away from falling apart.

Its reddish print is faded down and the words on the lid are practically illegible, but the second Zeke's eyes land on it, his lips tug into a mischievous grin.

Uriah flips the box open to reveal that it's filled with little paper-wrapped things that looked almost like candy. But judging by the look on their faces, I was willing to bet that they weren't.

"Firecrackers," Uriah states, "I don't know about you, but they sound a lot like gunshots, don't you think, Zeke?"

The brothers exchange a look that only spelt trouble. Luckily for me, trouble was exactly what I needed today.

And that was how I found myself crouching behind a wall, peering out every so often at the burley guard who was standing watch.

It was almost peacefully silent in the lockup area...of course, that was before the Pedrad brothers were let loose around here.

Now, loud cracking echoed through the space, and Uriah was right, they sounded a whole lot like gunshots. Close enough to have the guards rushing to investigate the source of the noise, worried that we were under attack.

Once the guards disappeared down the hallway, I quickly raise from where I was hiding down a dark hallway on the opposite end that was rarely used.

The cells were empty for the most part, which made it easy for me to find Eric.

His cell was in the back corner and my heart pinches at the sight of him locked up behind bars.

He's sitting on a metal bench- the only accommodation he has been given, it seems- with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed. But as if he feels my presence, his eyes snap up to meet mine the moment I come to a stop in front of his cell.

"What are you doing here?" He demands, raising from his seat and approaching the bars. Jerking a chin over my shoulder he asks, "The chaos is your friends' doing, I assume?"

I smile for the first time since he's been taken from me, "You didn't think I would just leave you here and not try to see you, did you?"

He reaches a large hand through the bars, touching the side of my face.

"I love you, you know that right?"