Face Your Fears

Chapter 31

It was a little after midnight when I turned the SUV down the road to my aunt Sophia's house.

I was beyond exhausted, my ass was sore, and I just wanted to get out of the car to finally, finally be able to see Hadley for myself.

In reality it had only been about two days since I'd last seen her, but it felt as if it had been much longer than that.

I'd had to do some smoothing over before I was actually able to leave the city for Albany. Like getting the information from the four international flight tickets that had been mysteriously placed on my kitchen counter to my mother, and visting my aunt Karin and Carlo to ensure them that everything was fine, and that my business had taken me out of the city for a few days.

Business. I felt incredibly guilty about lying to them. But what choice did I have?

They wouldn't even believe the truth if I told them. There was no point in upsetting the apple cart any further.

Lauren had finally been released from the hospital, my mother and my little sisters were coming home, and I was on the way to be with my wife. All was supposedly right with the world.

At the very least, the drive gave me time to reflect over everything that had happened.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would spend hours laying awake at night, every night, staring up at the ceiling and wondering why Lucrezia had done what she did, why Death had even bothered in the first place. Why things were the way that they had come to be.

Destiny seemed like too stupid of a word. The same with fate.

But after everything that had happened, was it really so difficult to believe that sometimes things simply just happened the way they did?

I was anxious to tell Hadley everything. She'd known Death and had been apart of that world longer than I had. I hoped she would be able to shed some small light on what had happened.

I'd called Sophia when I'd left the city to tell her that I was on the way to Albany, but I'd asked her not to tell Hadley. I was afraid that if I heard her voice, I'd lose it. I needed to see her for myself, to have her in my arms, and not just hear her voice over the phone. That way I could be sure she was okay and not hurt.

I stomped a little too forcefully on the breaks when I pulled the car round into my aunt's driveway and killed the engine.

The windows were all dark, but I knew there had to be at least one person awake. Sophia had known I was coming.

I stepped quietly up the porch, to the front door, and raised a hand to knock gently.

A few seconds later, the door swung open and Sophia was standing in the doorway, looking out at me with slightly sleep dazed eyes.

"Archer?"

"Hi, zia," I said. "I'm sorry it's so late."

"No, no, come in." She ushered me inside and then threw her arms around me in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here. Is everything okay now?"

My family was much smarter than I gave them credit for. I wasn't that good of an actor, and neither was Hadley. Of course they'd known something was wrong.

"Yeah," I said. "Everything's fine. It's going to stay fine."

I felt a huge wave of relief washing over me at finally being able to say those words and knowing that they were the truth, and not a lie.

I wanted the rest of my life to be like that.

"Good," Sophia said, leaning back to place a hand against my cheek. "Glad to hear it."