Novels by jameseddie468

Nate's POVJessica walked beside me with her arms crossed, still sniffling a little but with a smile that somehow made it all lighter. The sun was low now, throwing long shadows over the narrow path as we made our way back to the car.Visiting my mother's grave had made us both sadder than ever, but it was a necessary evil. We had to do it, especially me. I had to see the effects of what my father had done, and how it had cost me heavily. I thought that I had lost the only person who mattered to me before Jessica came into my life. I had to look at the grave and know that the revenge I enacted on my father was perfect.“You know, I think your mom would’ve liked me.” Jessica said, brushing her hair out of her face. "I think she definitely would have."I gave her a side glance. “Liked you? She would’ve spoiled you. You’d probably have a nickname by now.”Jessica laughed. “Something like what? Jessy-Boo?”“God, no,” I groaned. “More like Jess-the-boss. She loved naming people after their

Nate's POVIt was a weird kind of silence on the plane to Chicago, some days later. Jessica slept with her head on my shoulder for most of the flight. I didn’t move. It felt wrong to shift her. She woke once when a baby started crying and gave me a little apologetic smile, then went back to sleeping again. I stared out the window until the clouds turned into the flat gray of Chicago.Terrence dropped us at a small hotel not far from the cemetery. He gave us a quick hug. “You two okay?” he asked, but he already knew. He’d done the paperwork, pulled strings with the county records. He did everything so I didn’t have to learn the mechanics of grief.We rented a car and drove with no music. Traffic in Chicago has its own rhythm. I kept looking at Jessica in the passenger seat, and she was quiet as well. When we turned onto the narrow road that led to the small family plot, my hands got heavy. The cemetery was older than I expected. Stone markers leaned like old men with bad posture. Peop

“Court is now in session! All rise for the honorable Judge Reynolds.”The room went quiet in an instant. Wooden chairs creaked as everyone stood. My hands slid out of my pockets, and I straightened, trying not to let my nerves show. The judge walked in: he was a tall man with graying hair and a serious face. His black robe swished as he took his seat behind the bench.“You may be seated,” the bailiff announced.The room filled again with the sound of chairs scraping against the marble floor. Across the courtroom, my dad and Roosevelt sat together in the defendant’s box, both in orange jumpsuits. Roosevelt looked pale, his lips twitching like he wanted to argue with someone. My dad, however, leaned back like this was just another business meeting he was tolerating out of courtesy.Jessica sat beside me, with her eyes locked on the men who had almost ruined our lives. Terrence was next to her and he was fidgeting, and Jessica’s mother Freya was just behind us, clutching a tissue and dab

CHAPTER 191Nate's POVI slipped my hands into my pockets, watching the two bastards kneeling before me. Roosevelt’s mouth was bloody but he still had enough energy to glare at me like he wanted to rip my throat out. Dad on the other hand just looked annoyed, like this whole thing was beneath him as a person.I stared at them in silence before I finally spoke. “Why’d you do it, Dad?” My voice was calm, but I was far from it. “Why send someone to kill me? Why take Jessica away?”Dad chuckled, shaking his head like I was the one being ridiculous. “So, what? I should have let you two walk free, knowing that you were going to walk your pretty little legs to the police and tell them all that I did? Ha!"He started to chuckle to himself, and I stared at this man who was supposed to be my father, but who fell short at every opportunity. All I could whisper were six words:"You are the worst father ever."Dad’s expression didn’t change, but I knew I’d hit the mark. “You wanted the power and t

Nate's POVTerrence and I crouched behind a stack of rusted barrels, with the warehouse looming just a few feet away.Terrence pressed a finger to his lips and motioned for me to stay low. We moved closer and closer until we were both standing at opposite sides of the metal door. From inside came muffled voices: two of them, arguing.I leaned my ear against the cool steel and caught a few words.“...you’re wasting time, old man. You really think they’re gonna keep their mouths shut? We need to end it!”That was Roosevelt’s annoying voice.Dad’s voice came next, and he sounded sharp and irritated. “Shooting them will not fucking solve anything! You’re out of your damn mind! I’m not killing my own son.”“So what then?” Roosevelt snapped. “You’ll let them walk out and go to the cops? Real smart move, Seth.”“Don’t tell me what’s smart!” Dad growled. “I’m not a murderer, and they won't escape. That's the whole point of kidnapping them in the first place!”There was a pause, and then Roosev

Nate's POVWhen I came to, darkness pressed against my eyes, and some rough fabric was biting into my skin. My wrists hurt from how long they’d been bound, and my throat burned from shouting.“Dad!” I yelled again, my voice cracking. “You think this is funny? You cannot lock me up and get away with it!”No answer. All I heard was the low hum of something of a machinery. Am air-conditioning unit maybe, echoing through the space.I pulled at the ropes again, ignoring the sting as they cut deeper into my wrists. “You’re a coward, Dad! You hear me? A damn coward!”Silence answered me instead, and I realised that I was truly alone here. My breathing was uneven. Every second that passed, all I could think about was Jessica. Was she safe? Did she even know what happened?Just as I was thinking these thoughts, I heard footsteps approaching me. I paused my fidgeting to listen. The sound was faint at first, then closer, quicker. Someone was coming.“If that’s you, Dad,” I growled, “I swear, I’l