Finding A Ghost (Completed)

Chapter 24

**| North's POV |**

When Luke first explained what was going on, everything faded away except the roaring inside of me. Every cell in my body wanted to call bullshit. This couldn't be right. This wasn't Sang.

But it was her.

I knew with every little part of me that that woman was Sang. My Sang Baby. So I ran. I hopped out of the SUV against the wishes of everyone and I ran to my brother because he was there, right there, right where Sang was. I needed to see her. I needed to confront her. I needed answers, to clear up this mess going on in my head.

She would never do this. Never. She wouldn't sell children. She wouldn't harm them. She would never harm someone. She wouldn't become Aloïsia, this warrior chick. But I saw her with my own eyes. I saw the brutality as she fought that man, the determination to win. She was a single-sighted woman with a mission.

And I had no doubt it was Sang. She had the same scar I carefully cleaned out for her. Her face was shaped the same, a lovely heart. Her eyes were Sang's: Big, green, and expressive. Those moves, I was with her when she learned some of them.

She was Sang.

And when I was walking up to Sang, I grew numb. The roaring in my head went away and I felt nothing. I just wanted answers and my mind wanted to save me from the truth. But I knew numbness was wrong. Numbness meant I was giving up and I couldn't accept that. So I faked it until I could make it. I pretended I wasn't about to shut down, I fought through the numbness, to feel something anything.

Luke came out of the shadows of a tree and I froze, just staring at him. Something in me pulsed but there was a wall between my emotions and me. I took in his expression. He was so fucking sad and worried.

His eyes flickered to the log cabin and then back to me as he bit as his lips.

He didn't want me to go there.

But I needed too.

He stepped to the side to let me pass and when I walked by him, he followed.

He didn't say anything, he didn't try to stop me, or touch me. He just followed.

That one movement helped me climb out of the numbness I was in. I took in a deep breath, the sound sharp. I could feel again.

And I was pissed.

How dare she? Sang or not, how dare she? They were children. She was taking children away from their homes in the middle of the night. I needed to know what happened to her, how she became this woman.

I didn't pause or try to be sneaky. That wasn't me.

"Luke, go to the back and see what you can see and to watch the back door," Owen said. "We are on our way in case you need backup."

I ignored them and marched up to the porch. We shouldn't need back up. This should be a simple who the fuck are you conversation and Sang better start talking and giving me the damn answers I needed. We weren't part of that fucking gang, we would never associate ourselves with people like that, at least not for real. And she could try to run but I would hunt her down. She wasn't getting away from me. Not now that I could see her, not now that I knew where she was and who she became.

I knocked on the door, making each knock hard and demanding. There were sounds of movements before the door flew open to the man.

He stood at around my height but I was still bigger with more muscle mass. His eyes flickered over me and his skin went a shade lighter but he tried to keep up a strong and intimidating front.

Not fucking working with me.

I noted the way his hands gripped the door, his knuckles turning white. He did look slightly confused, probably expecting to see Sommer here and not me.

His lip twitched as if he wanted to growl at me.

"I'm here to see Sang," I said.

This time he did go pale at Sang's name and that was all the verification I needed.

I found her. I found Sang Baby.

"Not here," he said.

I just cocked an eyebrow, staring at him because we both knew how full of shit he was. She was there. He just needed to get out of my way so I could finally see her after seven years.

When he knew I wasn't going to budge, he leaned over to grab something out of sight. A moment later, he held a handgun bf pointed towards me.. Still, I didn't budge. I was too close to back off now.

I just smirked and his scowl deepened, telling me he wasn't going to shoot some stranger standing on his porch without a reason. He wasn't trigger happy.

"Was ist los? (What's happening?)" a soft voice spoke up and I wanted to shudder at the familiar sound. Her voice was older, mature now, but no doubt it belonged to Sang.

She came around the corner and took in the scene. I used that moment to take her in since I was much closer now. She filled out her t-shirt and jeans perfectly, her small figure strong and curvy. Her hair was pulled away from her face in one of those messy buns women used when they just want to get their hair up and out of their face. With her hair up, I got a good look at her facial features.

She was barefoot and for some reason that made me want to smile. Sang loved walking around outside without her shoes. She loved the feel of the ground on her feet.

Recognition flashed across her face and fear seeped in. I hated that she feared me right now but I had a good idea why. We have been meeting with the gang out to kill her.

"I have nothing for you, leave," she said, her eyes growing hard. I recognized the way she pressed her lips together and her eyebrows lowered as she prepared herself for something that scared her. She put up a good front but I knew she was scared.

"Sang," I breathed out. I'd pictured this moment a million times. What would I say? How would we react? But now...I didn't know what to say exactly. I was confused. She became someone I wasn't expecting, though I wasn't sure what I should have expected. Seven years really did change people. "It's me, you're North Star. I'm back."

Her body stilled as her eyes flicked over me. She looked at the man and then back at me, her eyes filled with disbelief and pain.

"You're working with the Wahre Sachsen?" she whispered. I narrowed my eyes.

"And that's what you believe?" I asked simply. "That I would do that? That I would do anything bad?"

She flinched and I could see all the guilt built up from the last few years come out.

She opened her mouth to say something but then there was a soft pop and the wooden frame next to my head splintered. We all froze, staring at the spot in disbelief before the man shoved Sang away and lifted his gun. He aimed and I could tell he was aiming at me. As he went to fire, I dove to the side, slamming into a patio table. Pain shot up my shoulder as I heard a scream and more shots.

"Shots fired," I reported quickly, flipping the table onto it's side to cover me as I tried to get a better idea of what the fuck was going on. "Who the fuck is shooting?"

"We are almost there," Owen reported, his voice hard in my ear. "We called for back-up. Stay hidden while we try to assess the situation."

"Don't shoot him!" I heard Sang cry out and I could also hear children inside the house crying and screaming.

Shit.

"He brought them with him. Er ist nicht gut. (He is not good.)"

"No," she said but the man shoved her into the house as another shot hit the door frame. He swore and closed the door behind him, yelling something out in German. He said it too fast for me to understand but it was something about children and escaping.

Now I was the only one left on the porch and I didn't like my chances here.

Who the hell was shooting at us?