I hear the rumble of the engine before my own car idles beside me, Holland staring at me through the window, her face hidden by the shadow of the shade visor.
I stop, breathing out softly and turning to her with a brow raised, still feeling the remnants of our conversation thrumming though my blood, hearing my heartbeat in my ears.
"I'm sorry." Holland says when she notices my attention, her head tilted to stare at me through the open window.
"What are you doing out of the house, I put you there cause it was safe." I cross my arms over my chest.
"Liam is a hard person to live with when I don't have people as buffers." She informs me as if I haven't figured that out.
I hesitate, "You still would have been safe."
She narrows her eyes on me, "Get in the car."
"I don't want to do this, Holland," my mind is tired, my body very much the same.
"Get in the car, Lilac."
I stop, turning to glare at her, "I don't want to talk."
"I don't care. Get in."
I turn, the car drifting to a stop slightly in front of me before I bend down to look in the window at my sister, she lifts a challenging brow at me. "Are you getting in?"
"Why are you here, you need to be resting back at the house." I say again.
"You walked out." Holland says, her words tapering off softly.
"You were being a bitch." I say monotone, looking at her face.
She sighs, her eyes dropping. "Yeah, I'm sorry." She sighs, "I'm sorry for pushing you." She looks back up at me, her face earnest. "You were right, I understand you." She breathes in slightly, taking in a deep breath. "I just wish I didn't."
I narrow my eyes at the words before reaching forward, opening the passenger door and getting in.
"I'm sorry." Holland says again and I look over to her, breathing out slowly.
"It's okay." I say, "I know." After a moment I speak again. "I'm sorry too."
"For what?"
"For hurting you." I reply softly. "Even if I didn't mean to."
Holland is silent for a moment, letting my words sink in before she nods her head and looks back at the road, and she begins driving again.
The car is silent for a few streets before she speaks, her words soft but the emotion behind them strong.
"You're my sister Lilac and I've only just found out you're alive again. I thought you were dead for the past year and a half, I blamed myself, just to find out you were alive but didn't come to me for help, I feel like I failed you."
My heart beats erratically in my chest and I stare out the window as I reply. "You didn't."
"But I feel like I did."
I turn to stare at the side of her face, "I was protecting you for once."
"I'm the older sister." She says.
I laugh, the sound short. "That doesn't mean shit."
"It does to me," Holland says, "I want to protect you. And you don't need me to anymore."
"I still need you, I just don't want you to get hurt. You were safe when you went rogue, it was the best decision you made." I say, shrugging, "but then you came back and by then it was too late to tell you, I'd already made up my mind."
"Were you really going to just give up after everything?"
I hesitate before answering, "I don't know what I'm going to do when this is done. It seemed so easy at the beginning, there was always an expiration date but now. . ." I trail off, "I don't know."
I blink, pushing out the image that forms in my mind and shrug, looking out the window as the car turns into a familiar street.
"Lilac-"
"What are we doing here?" I ask, changing the subject as the car pulls to a stop in front of the building.
"You need it."
"Holland-"
"Get out of the car, Lilac."
I sigh, hearing the door open before I can escape, the large man who exits causing tears to brim my eyes, my heart aching, throat closing.
"You look good for a dead girl, Lil."
I laugh, the sound bubbling with both joy and sadness.
"Gary." I murmur
I see Holland smile before she gets out, rounding the car as Gary reaches for my door, opening it and practically forcing me out of the vehicle.
He wraps me in a bear hug, the warmth from him encircling me, before I circle my arms around him, squeezing back as I force the tears away.
"Now why is my shoulder getting wet?" He jokes, even as his voice wobbles, his own tears making an appearance.
I laugh, the sound choked and push away from him, forcing the tears back.
My gaze slips over his shoulder and Lukas smiles at me, Ray by his side.
"Long time no see, Cuz." Lukas rumbles, opening his arms and I walk around Gary, slipping my arms around Lukas and feeling Ray join in.
I step back from the two of them after a minute, looking back towards where Gary and Holland stand, the smiles on their faces strained with worry but still present.
"Where have you been, Lil?" Gary asks, stepping forward to walk into the bar.
I walk in behind him, feeling my cousins and sister follow and I look back at Holland but she avoids my eyes. And I know she did this on purpose.
I turn back, confounding on.
Gary looks back at me but shakes his head, "You know what, it doesn't matter." He takes a seat at the bar, his fingers drumming along the scarred countertop. "Does your good for nothing father have something to do with it?"
"I'm going to kill him." I say instead of answering the question.
Everyone is silent for a moment. Before Holland takes a seat beside Gary, and he nods, "Tell me what you need."
It's not a request.
I open my mouth to deny the help when he lifts a brow at me, "This isn't up for discussion, Lilac. We'll be helping you."
I huff out a breath, stalking to the empty seat nearby and taking it. Lukas and Ray slip behind the counter, busying themselves making a drink for all of us before they stand, shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed and they wait, raising their brows when they see me staring.
"I have a plan." I finally mutter, "It's half cocked and may not even work, but it's something."
Gary tilts his head, showing he's listening and I open my mouth.
"I need a distraction. I was thinking a bomb or fire and then I was going to slip inside, and find whoever I could. It's not much but I don't have many options."
"You didn't." Gary amends, "But now you have us."
"I'll be going with you," Holland adds, "I'm not being left out of this."
"So am I." Gary says.
"And us." Ray and Lukas say, nodding their heads.
"And I may have some people who will be willing to help." Gary says, interlocking his fingers together.
"I can't ask-"
"You're not." Ray says, "We're telling you, we are helping." He leans his arms on the counter, resting lazily before he looks to his father. "I can figure out the distraction."
"We'll make it big enough that there will be too much chaos for them to notice you entering the premises."
"Smoke bombs." Holland says and I look to her. "If we're going fire or bomb, then smoke will already be hanging around but if we set off smoke bombs in the hallways, that limits visibility for everyone but us, we'll be prepared."
I nod, already imagining the carnage.
"I'll stay on the edge of the premises, so will the others and we'll have your backs." Gary says.
I breath in a quick breath, "You have to run if there is any sign of trouble, promise me."
"No." He doesn't even let me argue before he's contouring, "We won't run until we're running together." Gary says, looking at me swiftly, his fatherly features stopping any more words I may have said to fight him.
I nod.
"Now, who do you have on your side?"
"Not many." I reply. "Two, other than us."
"What can they do?"
"Liam can fight, he'll want to come in."
"Andy can't," I reply, "but she can be our eyes and ears."
"Good, I need help with that in my old age." Gary smiles.
"When?" Holland asks, her hands resting in her lap, fidgeting nervously.
"Not tomorrow night but the next," I answer, "We can't leave it too long otherwise he may move them agai.
"How many?" Gary asks.
"Three." Holland answers.
"Okay, we get in and get them out. No dilly dallying." Gary says, standing up, "And if you see your father, shoot. The answers you seek to torture from him aren't worth your lives." He pins Holland and I both with a sharp look until we agree.
"Good." He mutters, "get some rest, you'll need your energy." He says the words to us all but his gaze is on Holland, brow furrowed. And I follow his gaze to her, trying to figure out what he sees that I don't.
"I'll organise the weapons." He mutters, "okay Lilac?" He asks, pulling my scrutiny from Holland but still I watch her from the finer of my eye as I nod.
She straightens in her seat, lifting her head from where she had it staring down into her lap, her face contemplative, a tinge of fear ringing her eyes and she nods, slipping from the stool and avoiding Gary's eyes.
I look back at my Uncle and step closer to him, curling my arms around him once more before stepping back.
"Where are we meeting?" Gary asks before we leave.
"Thirteen Lithuania Crescent." I answer, giving him Andy's address.
Gary's grunts his reply and I exit the bar, climbing into the drivers seat of my car as Holland gets behind the passenger seat, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.