I narrowed my eyes at him. “But you went along with it.”
Travis took a step toward me. “I had to, or I was going to prison for being involved in that fire on campus.”
I balled my hands into fists. I wasn’t sure who or what I wanted to punch, but it was just seconds away.
Dad stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. He wobbled a bit, making my rage dwindle. I helped steady him, and then he brought me in for a hug, holding on tight when I tried to let go. He held me until the anger subsided. I helped him back to the bench and then I sat on a section of the bench in the corner. Camille took a step toward me, and I held up my hand. “Don’t.”
Ellie patted the empty space next to her, and Camille sat down, her bottom lip trembling.
“So,” Taylor began. “You’re a fed. Thomas is a fed, and this is all because of some case you’re working on?”
Travis took a deep breath, looked at Agent Blevins and Agent Davies, and then emptied his lungs. “Fuck it.” He sat down next to Dad, resting his elbows on his knees, and put his hands together like he was praying, touching his fingers to his lips. He sat up. “I was there that night … when the building at Eastern caught fire. I’d talked Trenton into staying with Abby while I went toe-to-toe with John Savage. It was a small basement. Too small for a final fight. We’d almost been busted once, so Adam wouldn’t allow any lights. We just had a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There was …” he trailed off, remembering, “furniture covered in sheets lining the room and the main hallway. A lantern fell, and the whole place went up in flames in seconds. I was separated from Abby and Trent, and I had to go find them. I found Abby, but didn’t find Trent until later. Scariest night of my life.”
I sunk back, realizing I’d been lying for years, too. I’d lied to the FBI about being in the building when it caught fire, and only Travis and Abby knew that I’d left Abby because I was scared. I waited for him to out me.
Travis continued, “A lot of kids died that night. Adam was arrested. I knew I was next, even though Abby had concocted a plan for us to go to Vegas and get married to try to make it seem like we weren’t.”
America looked up at Travis. “You knew about that?”
I looked down. I knew about that, too, and kept it from him. Fuck, now I’m a hypocrite. I thought we were a tight family. Turns out we were just spiders caught in our web of lies. I felt my face flush. The anger was returning.
“How could I not? She suddenly wanted to run off to Vegas an hour after we’d escaped a fire. After our classmates had died? Either she was crazy, callous, or concocting a plan. Whichever it was, I was desperate to be her husband. I ignored it. Probably not the most honest thing to do. Thankfully,” he said, gesturing toward Abby’s room, “it worked out.”
“But that agent,” I said. “He came to the house. He was asking about you. They didn’t just buy the Vegas wedding story, did they?”
“I was given a choice,” Travis said.
“But why you?” Tyler asked. “Why not Adam … why—”
“Mick Abernathy,” Dad said.
“I’m not sure if you’re lucky or not,” Taylor said.
“So how does Tommy fit into all of this?” I asked. “He was a fed before that. Long before that, I’d guess.” I looked at Camille, who was still staying maddeningly quiet. “Even now?” I asked her. “It’s all coming out, and you’re just going to sit there … loyal to him?”
“She couldn’t tell you, Trent,” Travis said. “It was a safety issue.”
I stood, looking around, holding out my hands. “Because we’re all safe now? Awake at three a.m. with two … sorry, three feds babysitting us to make sure whoever you pissed off doesn’t gun down our kids?”
“I know it sounds bad, and I understand you’re angry. And it’s not over yet. I’m sorry, Trent, I really am. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
Travis being so patient and calm only made me angrier. I took a step toward him, but Camille stood between us.
“Trenton!” she yelled, holding up her hands.
“Travis, go back to your wife,” Dad said. “Trenton, sit your ass down. Now. We’re not going to understand tonight, and we don’t have to. What’s important is keeping our family safe.”
I grudgingly sat down, obeying my father. He was feeble. Not nearly the intimidating man I remembered from my childhood, but he was my dad, and he deserved my respect.
Camille took a few steps toward me, asking permission without using words. I scooted over and held out my arm, and she rushed to sit next to me, burying her face in my neck and wrapping her arms around my middle. Deep down, I knew her keeping Thomas’s secret wasn’t a matter of her choosing to be loyal to him or honest with me, but it was hard to push that completely from my mind. I hugged her to my side, but only because I refused to let a seven-minute-old feeling of betrayal overshadow the love I’d felt for Camille for most of my life.
“Is Abby sleeping?” Ellie asked.
“She can’t,” America answered. “She wants to see Carter. They’re supposed to tell us soon when she can.”
“I’d like to see her if I can,” Ellie said.
“Me too,” Falyn said.
Travis gestured for them to follow, and they trailed behind him. Falyn turned to me with an unmistakable warning glare not to upset Camille while she was gone. I sighed and kissed my wife’s hair. She was quietly sniffing, her body jerking against me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say it was going to be okay. I didn’t know if it would be or not. I wondered what new heartbreak the next day would bring and how much more our family could take.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TRAVIS
I WALKED INTO ABBY’S BIRTHING SUITE with Falyn and Ellie, instantly regretting bringing anyone but Carter. My wife’s face lit up for a fraction of a second, and then she tried to hide her disappointment with her sweet smile.
“We can go see him in a few minutes,” I assured her.
Abby’s hair was barely sprouting out of a low ponytail. Pieces had fallen out to frame her face. Her eyes were still red from delivery and then the tears after. I’d never seen her as devastated as the moment they took our son away.
“He’s beautiful,” Ellie said with a smile.
“You saw him?” Abby asked. She sat up on the bed and tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear.
“In the hall. He’s just at the end of this wing,” Falyn said.
“That’s comforting.” Abby’s eyes began to gloss over, and she looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears.
“It’s okay to cry,” Ellie said, taking the chair closest to the bed. “You’ve had a long day. You’re exhausted. Your hormones are going nuts.”
Abby wiped her cheeks. “I don’t want to cry.”
I sat down on the bed next to her, holding her hand. Several pieces of tape secured her IV that was now delivering antibiotics to stave off the infection that had caused her premature labor. She’d tried everything to get her contractions to slow down naturally, but the harder she tried, the more intense and closer together they were. When the doctor told her we were going to have a baby, she broke down. She had such a normal delivery with the twins, we were surprised that a single birth was anything but a breeze.