Chapter 72: The Road Home (Part II)

Twenty minutes later, the operations room no longer looked like a place where people gathered to discuss plans.

It looked like the final room before a war.

Weapons were checked.

Earpieces distributed.

Maps transferred onto portable devices.

Medical packs clipped to belts.

Security teams moved in coordinated silence, their boots soft against the floor, their faces unreadable.

Allison stood near the center table watching all of it happen.

Not as an outsider.

Not as someone being protected.

As someone preparing to walk into it.

That thought settled strangely in her chest.

For so long, she had been surviving other people’s decisions.

Anthony’s lies.

Martha’s cruelty.

Vivienne’s obsession.

Aaron’s games.

Even her father’s protection.

Everyone had moved around her.

For her.

Against her.

Because of her.

But now, for the first time, Allison felt the shift.

She wasn’t waiting to be saved.

She was going.

Roman dropped a black case onto the table in front of her.

The sound snapped her from her thoughts.

"Open it."

Allison lifted a brow. "You always this warm?"

"Only with people I like."

Theo passed behind them. "That explains a lot."

Roman didn’t even look at him. "Keep walking."

Theo kept walking.

Allison opened the case.

Inside sat a fitted black tactical vest, gloves, an earpiece, a compact flashlight, a slim blade, and several pieces of equipment she couldn’t immediately name.

Lucian’s attention shifted instantly.

So did Adrian’s.

Allison noticed both men tense at the exact same time.

"Oh, here we go."

Lucian stepped closer. "You’re not carrying a gun."

Roman answered before Allison could. "She doesn’t need one unless we reach last resort."

Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "You trained her."

Roman shrugged. "A little."

Allison looked between them. "Why does everyone keep saying that like I wasn’t present for my own childhood?"

Roman picked up the gloves and handed them to her. "Because you weren’t supposed to remember half of it as training."

She paused.

That made her look up.

"What?"

Roman’s expression softened slightly. "Balance games. Escape drills. The hiking routes. The way I taught you to count exits in every room."

Allison’s breath caught.

Those memories came back slowly.

Not as formal lessons.

As summers in the mountains.

Roman laughing when she slipped on wet rocks.

Roman telling her never to let anyone trap her between furniture and a wall.

Roman showing her how to breathe through fear.

Roman making her repeat, panic wastes time.

She stared at him.

"That was training?"

Roman smiled faintly. "That was me being your uncle."

Something inside her tightened.

Because she had remembered those summers.

Remembered the cabin.

Remembered the man who smelled like pine, smoke, and leather.

But nobody had ever explained where he went.

Nobody had ever told her why he disappeared.

And now he stood in front of her as if the missing years were a locked door neither of them had time to open.

Not yet.

Allison put on the gloves.

Her fingers flexed inside them.

Lucian watched silently.

His face was controlled, but she could read him better now.

He hated this.

He hated every part of it.

But he wasn’t stopping her.

That mattered.

She turned toward him.

"Say it."

His jaw flexed. "Say what?"

"The protective husband speech."

Theo immediately drifted closer.

"Yes, please. I love speeches."

Lucian shot him a look.

Theo smiled. "Supportively."

Lucian ignored him and looked at Allison.

"I don’t want you there."

The honesty landed.

Hard.

Allison nodded. "I know."

"I want you somewhere safe."

"I know."

"I hate that safe doesn’t exist anymore."

That silenced her.

Because it wasn’t control in his voice.

It was fear.

Not fear of her weakness.

Fear of the world.

Fear of losing her.

Allison stepped closer.

"Then don’t ask me to hide from something that’s already found us."

Lucian stared at her for a long moment.

Then exhaled slowly.

"I won’t."

Adrian looked ready to argue.

Roman spoke before he could.

"She goes."

Adrian’s eyes snapped toward him.

Roman held his gaze. "She sees things we don’t. Susanna did too."

That hit.

Adrian looked at Allison again.

Really looked.

Not at the bruises.

Not at the fear.

At the woman standing in front of him.

His daughter.

His heir.

Susanna’s child.

He nodded once.

It looked like it hurt.

But he nodded.

"Stay close to Lucian."

Allison tilted her head. "That was almost reasonable."

Adrian frowned. "It was an order."

"There it is."

Roman laughed under his breath.

Lucian reached for Allison’s vest strap and adjusted it carefully near her shoulder.

His fingers were gentle.

Too gentle for a room full of weapons.

"You okay?"

She looked down at his hands.

Then at his face.

"No."

He paused.

She smiled faintly. "But I’m going."

His eyes softened.

"Yeah."

Then quieter—

"I know."

⸻

The helicopters waited on the ship’s upper landing deck.

The storm had weakened into cold mist, but the ocean below still moved angrily, black waves rolling beneath pale morning light.

The sky looked bruised.

Gray-blue clouds stretched over the horizon while the first hint of dawn bled faintly behind them.

Allison stepped onto the deck and immediately felt the cold wind whip against her face.

The air smelled like salt, rain, fuel, and metal.

Alive.

Sharp.

Unforgiving.

Gabriel emerged behind her with Clara bundled in his arms.

The little girl was awake now, though exhausted, one cheek pressed against his shoulder.

Her eyes followed everything.

Every person.

Every movement.

Every loud sound made her flinch.

Gabriel murmured something into her hair.

She clung tighter.

Allison walked over.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Clara lifted tired eyes to her.

"Are you leaving?"

The question hurt more than it should have.

Allison crouched slightly so Clara didn’t have to look up so far.

"Just for a little while."

Clara’s fingers tightened around Gabriel’s shirt. "To find your mommy?"

Allison nodded.

"Yeah."

Clara looked down at the charm still around her neck.

Then she pulled it over her head and held it out.

Gabriel stiffened.

"Clara—"

The little girl ignored him and offered it to Allison.

"For luck."

Allison stared at the silver crescent charm.

For a second, she couldn’t speak.

Then she gently closed Clara’s fingers back around it.

"You keep it."

Clara blinked.

"But—"

Allison smiled softly.

"You already gave me luck."

"How?"

"You got out."

Clara’s eyes filled.

Gabriel looked away quickly.

Allison stood before she started crying too.

Lucian watched from several feet away, expression soft in a way she rarely saw when others were watching.

When she reached him, he quietly took her hand.

No words.

Just that.

Simone came up behind them wrapped in a borrowed tactical jacket that was absolutely too large.

"I would like it noted for the record that I hate mountains."

Elias adjusted his tablet strap. "We haven’t reached the mountains yet."

"Emotionally, I have."

Theo climbed into the helicopter first. "She’s dramatic."

Simone pointed at him. "You jumped off a ship railing and smiled."

"That was athletic."

"That was unwell."

Dorian, escorted by two guards, stopped near the second helicopter.

His wrists were restrained again.

Roman looked him over.

"You coming?"

Dorian laughed. "Am I invited?"

"No."

"Then why ask?"

"Because Aaron knows you. That makes you useful."

Dorian’s expression darkened.

Then he looked toward Clara.

For one moment, the arrogance disappeared.

Regret crossed his face.

Quiet.

Ugly.

Honest.

"I’ll help find Susanna," he said.

Roman studied him.

"Don’t make me regret keeping you alive."

Dorian smiled faintly. "I’ll try to be charming."

"You’ll fail."

Theo leaned out of the helicopter. "He fails often."

Dorian glared.

Somehow, the ridiculous exchange helped everyone breathe.

Then the engines roared.

One by one, they boarded.

⸻

Allison sat beside Lucian near the helicopter window.

The aircraft lifted from the deck, rising through mist and salt air as the ship fell away below them.

The cargo vessel looked smaller from above.

Less monstrous.

Almost ordinary.

That unsettled her.

So many terrible things looked ordinary from a distance.

Anthony had.

Their marriage had.

The Morrison mansion had.

All of it had looked polished until she stood close enough to see the cracks.

Her fingers curled in her lap.

Lucian noticed.

Of course.

He covered her hand with his.

She didn’t pull away.

For several minutes, neither spoke.

The helicopter blades thundered overhead, loud enough that conversation required closeness.

Lucian leaned slightly toward her.

"You’re thinking about him."

Allison’s breath caught.

She knew who he meant.

Anthony.

The ghost that kept showing up when things got quiet.

"I hate that you can tell."

"I hate that he still gets to take space in your head."

That honesty startled her.

She looked at him.

His expression wasn’t jealous.

It wasn’t insecure.

It was angry.

On her behalf.

That somehow made it easier to answer.

"I don’t want him back."

"I know."

"I don’t miss him."

"I know."

Her throat tightened anyway.

"But I miss who I was before I knew."

Lucian’s thumb stilled against her knuckles.

Allison looked out at the clouds.

"I miss thinking my life made sense. I miss believing someone chose me. I miss not questioning every soft thing someone does like there’s a hook underneath it."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

She swallowed quickly.

"I’m sorry."

Lucian’s brows drew together. "For what?"

"For bringing him into this. Into us."

His answer came instantly.

"You didn’t."

She looked at him.

Lucian’s voice lowered.

"He hurt you. That doesn’t mean he owns any part of this marriage."

Marriage.

The word still struck her strangely.

Some days it felt tactical.

Some moments it felt unreal.

Then Lucian looked at her like that and it felt painfully real.

"I don’t want you to feel like you have to fix what he broke," she whispered.

Lucian’s expression softened.

"I don’t."

She gave him a look.

He sighed faintly.

"Fine. I want to."

That pulled a weak laugh from her.

"At least you’re honest."

"Trying to be."

Then his face became serious again.

"But I know I can’t fix it for you."

The helicopter dipped through a cloud, mist swallowing the windows.

Lucian continued.

"I can only stay while you do."

Allison looked at him.

Really looked.

The words were simple.

No grand speech.

No dramatic promise.

But they settled in her chest heavier than any vow.

Because Anthony had promised forever while already leaving.

Lucian promised presence.

And maybe that was harder.

Maybe that mattered more.

Allison slowly leaned her head against his shoulder.

Lucian went still for half a second.

Then his arm came around her.

Carefully.

Like he still didn’t want to assume too much.

Like every act of closeness with her was something sacred.

Across from them, Theo looked out the window with unnatural intensity.

Simone watched them openly.

Elias watched Simone watching them.

Roman watched the mountains.

Adrian watched Allison.

Everyone pretended not to notice everything.

Nobody succeeded.

⸻

Roman spread the monastery layout across the central screen mounted inside the helicopter.

"Look here."

The monastery appeared as a rotating digital model.

Ancient stone walls.

Broken towers.

A collapsed eastern wing.

A chapel carved partially into the mountain.

And beneath it—

Tunnels.

Allison lifted her head from Lucian’s shoulder.

The emotional softness receded.

Focus replaced it.

Roman noticed instantly.

Good.

"Official records say the lower levels collapsed twelve years ago," he said.

Elias nodded. "Satellite scans show otherwise."

Adrian leaned forward. "Aaron wants us entering from the front."

Roman looked at Allison.

"What do you see?"

Everyone turned toward her.

The question startled her.

Not because she didn’t have an answer.

Because he expected one.

Allison studied the model.

The longer she looked, the more the map bothered her.

She leaned closer.

"That tunnel shouldn’t be there."

Elias blinked. "Which one?"

She pointed. "West ridge drainage line."

Roman’s mouth curved slightly.

Allison continued, gaining confidence.

"If the monastery is abandoned and sealed, why maintain drainage infrastructure?"

Theo leaned over. "Because old buildings are creepy?"

"No," Allison said. "Because something below still needs to stay dry."

Lucian smiled.

Small.

Proud.

Adrian stared at her like he was seeing Susanna at twenty-one.

Roman nodded slowly.

"Keep going."

Allison’s pulse quickened.

Not from panic this time.

From clarity.

"The chapel is the obvious entrance. The archives are the obvious target. Aaron knows we know about the ledger now, which means he’ll expect us to head directly toward anything labeled archive."

She pointed again.

"But if Susanna tried to save Elena, and if she knew where the ledger passed through, then she wouldn’t hide something in the most obvious room."

Roman’s eyes gleamed.

"Where would she hide it?"

Allison looked toward the west ridge.

"Somewhere boring."

Theo frowned. "Boring?"

"Boring things don’t draw attention," Allison said. "Drainage tunnels. Maintenance corridors. Storage."

Lucian’s thumb brushed once over her hand.

Encouragement.

Not interruption.

Allison looked up.

"We start at the west ridge."

Roman laughed softly.

"Well damn."

Adrian’s voice was quiet.

"That is exactly what your mother would have said."

The words hit Allison harder than expected.

She looked back at the map.

For the first time since Susanna was taken, fear loosened slightly.

Not gone.

Never gone.

But now she had something better.

Direction.

Then the helicopters dipped beneath the clouds.

The mountains appeared.

Dark.

Jagged.

Vast.

The monastery emerged from the mist like something that had been waiting centuries to be found.

Ancient stone clung to the mountainside.

Broken towers stabbed into the gray sky.

Ivy swallowed entire walls.

Narrow windows stared out like hollow eyes.

The whole structure looked less abandoned than asleep.

And then—

One window lit.

A single golden glow near the chapel tower.

Everyone saw it.

Nobody spoke.

Roman’s face hardened.

"Aaron isn’t waiting for us."

Allison looked at him.

Roman stared at the monastery.

"He’s expecting us."

The helicopter alarms suddenly chirped.

Elias looked down at his tablet.

His face went pale.

Lucian straightened. "What?"

Elias swallowed.

"The countdown changed."

Every screen flickered.

The forty-six hours vanished.

A new timer appeared.

02:00:00

01:59:59

01:59:58

Allison’s blood went cold.

Then Aaron Mercer’s voice filled the helicopter.

Soft.

Regretful.

Almost kind.

"Welcome home, Susanna’s daughter."

Below them, the monastery gates opened by themselves.

And Allison understood with chilling certainty—

The game had never been about finding the entrance.

It had been about whether she was brave enough to walk through it.