Chapter Thirty: The Right Stone

Aiden landed hard on his back in the dark, all the air rushing from his punished body on impact. He groaned and rolled on his side, flinching away from filthy cloth and overpowering stench.

Aiden crawled to his knees, forcing himself to move, knowing he had little time to act before Tremaine came after them. He stumbled around in the dark for a full minute before he realized he knew where he was.

He stood in his father's study. Reacher was passed out on the floor under the window where he landed. Aiden shook his head in wonder and confusion. How had they ended up back here?

He shuffled his feet, keeping himself moving, when his toe impacted something hard. Aiden stooped and picked up the yellow stone. It cracked in half in his hands, the two pieces turning to dust, drifting through his fingers. He whispered a silent thank you to the Key, she who gladly gave her existence to save his. Aiden's eyes welled with tears. She had done her best after all. And it was good enough.