Chapter 234

The brothers, Carrie, and I are in the living room of the Pyramid together, and it is the most awkward moment of maybe my entire life.

Neil is pacing behind the couch, his phone to his ear. He’s calling in favors, looking for places for Carrie to stay and hide.

Steven is doing the same but on his tablet. He is sitting as far away from the rest of us as he can on the L-shaped couch.

Beau is nearest to him, tucked into the corner of the L. He’s not doing anything but crossing his arms and glaring at Carrie.

Archer isn’t even doing that. Instead he’s standing by the doorway, playing with a switchblade. Snapping it open, then closing it, then opening it again.

I’m sitting directly beside Carrie, who is barely alert to anyone but herself. She’s holding a tissue box and continuously dabbing away the tears that just keep coming. There’s a mountain of used tissues piling at her feet.

I sit very still, not totally sure what to do with myself. I didn’t expect to be back in the Pyramid this soon, but during a quick trip to the hospital, the doctors said Carrie and I should be kept an eye on, so somehow we ended up here.

“Can I at least see Mia?” Carrie sniffles. It’s hard to understand her through her tears. It’s only because this isn’t the first time she’s asked that I’m able to so easily parse together what she’s asking for.

“No,” Beau snaps. The others don’t give her any attention. Neil keeps talking. Steven keeps tapping. Archer continues to open and close the switchblade.

I’m annoyed with the lot of them. I know perfectly well that Mia is in this house. It’s cruel to not let Carrie see her after all she’s been through.

I huff as I hop to my feet and then storm from the room. I expect to be chased, though I’m not sure which brother will actually be mad enough to try and stop me.

I suppose I should have banked on Archer, the most obvious choice.

Archer storms after me into the hallway, then he snatches my arm and turns me to face him.

“That woman has no right to see Mia,” Archer snaps.

“Other than being her mother, you mean,” I say with an eye roll.

Archer glowers further. I want to make a remark, telling him if he keeps making that face, it will likely stay that way. But he’d probably prefer if it did, so I don’t bother.

“Leave it alone, Chloe, I mean it.”

“Then give me a better reason than ‘do what I say,’” I tell him.

Archer exhales loudly. I get it. He’s disgruntled. Why does he always have to make such a big show of it?

“You really think you’ll be doing them such a big favor. Reuniting them just to tear them apart again?”

“The reunion would be worth the pain of parting,” I say.

“Says you,” Archer replies. “To me, it sounds like the cruelest thing we could do to Mia and Carrie. Mia has missed you and Carrie. She’s near-inconsolable without you. And Carrie… Gods, she’s barely holding onto her sanity as it is. You want to risk shoving her off a mental cliff?”

I guess I can understand some of Archer’s concerns, but I don’t share them. Carrie is tougher than he thinks, broken down simply by false hope. She’d been convinced freedom had been within her grasp, only to discover that freedom never existed at all.

Yeah, okay, I’m not super happy that the freedom came at the expense of my person, but that doesn’t have anything to do with Mia.

“If Carrie can see how well Mia is taken care of here and how well you guys are protecting her, maybe she’ll realize that what she needs to do is get her own life in order. Once she’s settled somewhere, then they can be reunited permanently.”

“We tried to help her before,” Archer says.

“Maybe it will work this time.”

Archer shakes his head. “You are being too optimistic.”

“Please, Archer. Just let me try.”

He looks at me, and I look back, pushing all of my determination into my face, hoping he can read it. After a moment, he sighs.

“When this blows up, it’s going to be your fault,” he says, which is as close to permission as I could expect.

“Thank you!” I say with a smile and turn away before he can tell me off.

Mia supposedly was down for a nap, but she’s standing up in her crib now, little hands holding onto the bars of the crib for support. When she sees me, she laughs, and it’s like a piece of me I didn’t know was broken heals right back up.

I walk over to the crib and lift her from it. She makes grabby hands at me and then, when I’m holding her, she bunches my shirt into her little fists.

“I have a surprise for you,” I tell her as I carry her out of the room.

Archer is in the hallway. He shakes his head at me.

I pointedly ignore him as I walk around him and bring Mia into the living room.

“Carrie,” I say.

Her eyes lift. When she sees Mia, fresh tears burst from her eyes. She stumbles in her haste to get to Mia.

“Stay seating,” I tell her. “We’ll come to you.”

Carrie obeys, falling back into her seat.

Slowly, gently, I lower Mia down into Carrie’s waiting arms. Carrie immediately holds her daughter closer.

“Oh, Mia. My darling little girl. I’ve missed you so much.”

She lowers her face down, closer to Mia’s. Mia lifts her tiny chubby hands and plops them on Carrie’s cheeks. Then she laughs in delight.

Eventually, Carrie’s tears dry up. She continues to coo at her little girl, while holding and rocking her. Mia keeps her eyes on Carrie the entire time.

Not long after, Neil finally finishes his phone call. For the first time in a while, he returns his attention to us. He doesn’t seem surprised to find Mia in Carrie’s arms though I do notice a disapproving glance coming my way. I’ve been getting those from everyone since we got here, so it’s easy to ignore.

“I’ve found a place for you, Carrie,” Neil says as he slides his gaze back to her. “You can stay there for a few days until we can forge the proper paperwork to get you out of the country.”

Steven nods. Is he the one doing the forgery?

That sounds hella illegal so I guess the less I know the better.

“You have to go this time,” Neil says. “I think you know why.”

She nods.

I look between them. Maybe she knows but I sure don’t.

At seeing my confused face, Beau fills in the gaps, “Our father has amplified his efforts at controlling us. He’s using any means necessary, including Carrie.”

Neil steps closer to her. “Please, Carrie. Trust us. Not our father. As you have done in the past.”

“He’s so powerful,” Carrie says, her face crumpled with worry.

“He’s not infallible,” Neil says. “We are working to undo his power, and once we’ve taken him down, you will be free to finally do whatever you want.”

Carrie lifts her gaze from Mia for the first time since she’s entered the room. She considers Neil. I do too. He seems so very confident, so like the Neil I’ve grown so fond of.

“You really think you can take him on?” Carrie asks. “Can take him down?”

Neil’s response is crisp and firm, “Yes.”