The drive back to town was long and silent and we still had an hour or so to go.
In the back, Shelly was asleep laying against Mark who had his head rested against the window. Dante and I had decided that they would come to Thomas' house for awhile and we could figure out our next move there.
I'm sure Luther had people watching my uncle's and Joseph's every move, so whatever we did had to be quick.
One thing that stuck out to me last night was when Dante told me that Angel had placed that clue in the washer with Lucille's number. It made sense because she'd written the word dial while my dad had written the word call on the piece of paper hidden in the necklace.
The more Dante told me, the more I could tell I trusted him and he trusted me. I still was hesitant to and after finding out Cole was working with their dad all this time it didn't help. But the more Dante and I got to know each other, the harder it was to not trust him.
I knew Thomas and Joseph wouldn't be happy that Dante had been with me the last several days or the one who helped me leave town, but he was the reason I was alive. He'd kept me safe. He even left his brother behind to make sure Mark, Shelly, and I were safe.
He was pure in a way I hadn't seen before. By the way he talked about being a TIA agent, I knew he'd done some things he wasn't proud of. He hasn't told me what he's done or not done, but it was clear he wanted to make a difference. He was pure in a way that differentiated itself from evil.
Maybe my dad could tell that when he trained Dante, but it was sad to think that my dad had seen Dante as his killer in his last moments. That's probably why when we were in the car, in his final moments, he hadn't mention the clues. He didn't want me to find Dante.
The clues after all were for Thomas, but I don't think Thomas could've figured it out unless we were missing something. The only reason I'd solved what the clues meant was because of Dante's tattoo and the necklace he showed me.
There was no way Thomas would've figured that out unless he found another clue that he'd hid from me. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the truth though. Thomas didn't want me near any of this mess and I understood why, but it still frustrated me at the possibility that he had hid something from me all this time.
Dante turned on the blinker and he reached over the console to tap me on the thigh. He kept his eyes on the road, but spoke to me. "We're getting close. You want to call them and let them know we're almost there?"
I nodded my head and pulled out my phone, scrolling to Thomas' name. My thumb hovered over the call button. I hadn't spoken to him in over a month. What if he didn't want me to come back.
"Nina, call him." Dante glanced at me and I could see the urgency in his eyes.
"Okay," I whispered.
The phone rang once before Thomas picked up. "Nina?" he breathed through the phone.
"Hey, Uncle Thomas."
"Where have you been? I've texted you this whole last month and you haven't responded at all." I thought he would've been angry, but he sounded worn out and tired instead.
"I'll tell you soon, I promise, but I'm headed home and we think there might be people watching you and Joseph. Plus the house," I explained.
The whole me coming home must've gone over his head because he asked, "We who? Who's with you?"
I turned around in my seat to look at Shelly and Mark still passed out. "It's a long story, but I need you to help us get home without being detected."
He sighed impatiently. Thomas was a smart man so I knew he knew he probably had someone watching his every move. "I had Joseph hack the alarm system on a loop so I come home everyday and leave everyday around the same time, having it changed up ever day by a few minutes. You should be able to get into the house without being detected. Text me when you're there."
I nodded my head even though he couldn't see me.
"And Nina-"
"Yes?" I asked.
"I'm glad you're coming home kid. I've missed you and I'm so glad you're alright."
The relief in his voice caused me to smile. Tears welled up in my eyes just from hearing from him. It was a relief to hear he still wanted me to come home. After talking a bit more, we hung up.
Dante and I were silent the rest of the ride until he pulled into the gravel driveway in front of Thomas' house. "Joseph's here." My brother's car sat outside so I knew he must've been inside waiting for us to arrive.
"Great," Dante whispered to himself. He gave me a look and I could tell he was nervous about facing Joseph. They were best friends at one point, but their most recent history with each other wasn't the best track record.
Shelly and Mark stirred in the backseat, probably sensing we'd stopped driving. They leaned forward together to peer at the house.
"This is my Uncle's place. We're going to stay with him until we decide what we should do," I explained to them.
Mark huffed loudly, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "I think we should still go to the cops."
Shelly fidgeted beside him. "Mark, Dante and Nina have been through this with us. It's not safe right now. I want to go home too, trust me I do. I can't imagine what my clingy mother has been thinking the last month or so, but I also don't want to die or put my family at risk. They know what's best for us right now."
As much as Shelly's words hurt to hear, they were honest about the danger of the situation we were all in. I nodded my head at Shelly as a silent thank you and she gave me a wistful smile in return.
The four of us got out of the truck and walked up the steps to the house. I pulled open the screen door and it squeaked like always. The familiarity of it brought comfort to me even though the sound was annoying.
Shelly and Mark walked in first with me behind them. Dante held the door open for me to go through before him, probably hesitant to see Joseph.
The kitchen door swung open and Joseph walked out. His eyes traveled over the four of us. The look in his eyes clouded with hatred when he saw Dante standing behind me. "What are you doing here?"
He glanced between the two of us for several seconds, but landed his eyes on me. The expression on his face told me he thought I was crazy.
"Why would you bring him here? He tried to kill you!"
"Joseph." I stepped forward. "He helped me leave. He's been helping me for some time now. I-"
I didn't get to finish because Joseph stepped past me and nailed his fist into Dante's jaw. Dante bent over and scrunched his face up in pain. He tilted his head side to side as he stood up. "I deserved that."
I gave him a weird look. Sometimes I didn't get guys.
Joseph's hand was still formed in a fist by his side as he continued to glare at Dante. "Yeah. You held my sister at gunpoint. I think you deserve a lot more for that," Joseph spat, anger laced in his words.
Dante didn't argue, he just nodded his head.
I could tell it surprised Jospeh because his stance seemed to loosen up. He backed away so he could stand in front of the four of us again. "So, explain to me what's happened because the whole state is on alert for three missing teens. Shelly, Mark, and Cole."
"Cole?" Mark, Shelly, and I asked in union.
Jospeh nodded his head, looking slightly confused. "Yeah, he went missing on the same camping trip as you two," Joseph said to Mark and Shelly. "The whole town is freaked out right now."
"What about Nina?" Dante asked. I appreciated it because I wondered the same thing.
Joseph shifted from foot to foot. "Thomas told the school and police officers that you were supposed to go but ended up not going."
"Didn't they want to ask me questions?" That's normally how investigations went.
Joseph mashed his lips together. "He told them you were too scared to leave the house after finding out what happened to your friends. They actually agreed and wanted you to stay safe."
"And they bought that?" I asked. It's one thing to say that yourself to people, but for them to believe it without seeing me is another.
"Well-" A haunted look crossed Joseph's face. "He told them you lost your parents to get them off his back from asking questions. They really really wanted to speak with you but Thomas told them after losing your friends, you didn't want to leave or see anyone. People bought that."
As much as I hated people knowing my business, at least it stopped them from bothering Thomas and Joseph. But a thought crossed my mind.
"Why didn't you or Thomas ever include in your texts that they'd been kidnapped? They're my friends after all." Realizing that Joseph and Thomas had lied to me in a way didn't feel right.
Joseph looked uncomfortable as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Nina. They weren't our main priority." He glanced at Mark and Shelly. "I'm sorry to say that, but you're my sister Nina. I was supposed to look after you and I couldn't even do that."
I nodded my head. I guess I could understand that, but I still didn't like it. But that was another reason that set Dante apart. He could've easily left Mark and Shelly at the warehouse. He could've left all of us to save himself, but he didn't. He could've turned on us to save himself too, but he still didn't.
"So, I need to know everything that has happened since that night," Joseph said, referring to the night Mark, Shelly, and I were supposed to go camping.
Also the same night Dante held me at gunpoint. And the night I ran away. Plus the night Shelly and Mark went missing. A lot went on that night.
Joseph crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at Dante, who tensed up beside me. A shadow of a bruise had already started forming on his jaw. It went along with the rest of the bruises on his face as sad as it was to admit.
I sighed, hoping to break up some of the tension between the two of them. "There's a lot to explain. It's probably best if we wait for Thomas."
His eyes stayed locked onto Dante. "Can't wait," Joseph said sarcastically.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed and if you did, please vote! :)