Echoes of the Past

Chapter Three

The car sped down the empty stretch of road, the hum of the engine mingling with the faint rustle of wind cutting through the open windows. Scarlett watched the city disappear behind them, swallowed by the rolling hills and thick patches of trees that lined the outskirts. Liam dozed against her chest, his small body warm and heavy, the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing the only steady thing in a world that had tilted wildly off its axis.

Daniel hadn’t spoken since they left the city limits. His eyes were locked on the horizon as though it contained answers, and his hands were gripping the driving wheel with white knuckles. From the rear seat, Scarlett examined him, the distant yet familiar profile of his face. She could not have predicted the depth of the shadows that now hung over this man who had once captured her heart.

The silence finally got to be too much. Her voice broke over the din of the traffic as she inquired, "How much further?"

Daniel's gaze briefly met hers as it shifted to the rearview mirror. Thirty more minutes. We're going to the woods to a safe home. It is not connected to the grid.

Scarlett nodded, turning her gaze out the window. The landscape was changing, the road narrowing as trees closed in, their branches arching over the car like the bars of a cage. A shiver danced along her spine, a warning that settled in her bones. She couldn't wait any longer to get the answers to some of her questions.

"Daniel, why did you return?" She asked in a calm, low voice. "After all this time, why now?"

The muscles beneath his skin clenched his jaw. She briefly believed he wouldn't respond. Subsequently, he spoke in a gruff, darkly edged voice.

He looked back at her with regretful eyes and said, "I didn't know about Liam until a month ago." Victor monitors every member of the family and everything. I anticipated that he would view your youngster as a danger once he learned. a danger to his legacy and the authority he so desperately wants to maintain.

Scarlett’s heart clenched, a cold wave of fear washing over her. “He’s just a boy, Daniel,” she whispered, looking down at Liam, who shifted in his sleep, his tiny fingers clutching his bear. "How was he a threat to Victor?"

"Because Liam is my son," Daniel stated, his words bearing weight. That elevates Victor above the status of a mere child in his eyes. He could eventually assert what he feels is rightly his, making him a possible rival.

Scarlett gasped with surprise. She had never realized how intricate the web of deceit, power, and control was. She saw the turmoil engraved on Daniel's face as she stared at him. He was torn between the father he wanted to be and the man he used to be.

"Why should I trust you?" she inquired, her chest flaming momentarily with rage. "Daniel, you went out. When I most needed you, you were gone.

Daniel tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "I understand," he responded, his words laden with remorse. And every day I've been paying for that error. But this isn’t about me. It’s about Liam. You don’t have to trust me, Scarlett, but you need to trust that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”

The sincerity in his voice softened the edges of her anger, but it wasn’t enough to erase it. She turned away, staring out at the trees that blurred past. They were deep into the woods now, the road turning to gravel under the tires. Liam stirred, his eyes fluttering open as the car jolted over a bump.

“Are we there, Mama?” he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

She smoothed his hair and remarked, "Almost, sweetheart." She was given new strength of resolve by the way he gazed up at her with such trust. She was determined to keep him safe at all costs.

They came to a little, obscure turnoff, and the automobile slowed. As Daniel led them along a dirt path, the trees grew closer until it seemed as though they were entering the middle of the forest. The trail eventually led to a clearing with a little cabin sitting in it, its worn wood blending well with the surrounding landscape.

Daniel shut off the engine and parked. The rustle of foliage and the trill of distant birds filled the awful silence that followed. He went out first, looking around, then signaled to Scarlett to come.

As she got out of the car, Scarlett lifted Liam and whispered, "Come on." Here, the smell of damp ground and pine filled the chilly air. She glanced at the cabin, the cracked windows, and the slanted porch, making it look like a relic of a forgotten time.

“This place doesn’t look very safe,” she said, doubting her voice.

Daniel answered, "It's safer than it looks," and proceeded to unlock the door. "What matters is what lies beneath."

Scarlett gave him a curious glance, but he didn't go into further detail. Rather, he opened the door and led them inside. The interior of the cabin was simple but tidy. A small fireplace sat in one corner, a cot pushed against the far wall, and a table covered with maps and papers.

Liam wandered over to the cot, settling down with his bear as Scarlett turned to Daniel. “We’re here. Now what?”

Daniel locked the door and turned to face her. Between them sat the weight of all that was unsaid. His voice was tense as he said, "Now, we figure out our next move." Victor is unstoppable. However, we cannot simply wait for him to approach us.

There was a new, distinct resolution in his eyes. Scarlett had known Daniel as a power-hungry, ambition-driven guy who was not prepared to defend his family. It was confusing to see him like this. In an attempt to maintain a steady voice, she crossed her arms. "What are your plans?"

Before he could answer, a faint noise—a c***k of a branch outside—cut through the cabin. Daniel’s eyes snapped to the window, every muscle in his body going taut.

“Get down,” he hissed, moving swiftly to pull Scarlett and Liam away from view. The tension in the air thickened as the noise outside grew, footsteps crunching over leaves, closer and closer.

Scarlett’s heart slammed against her ribs, her pulse roaring in her ears. She clutched Liam to her chest, his small body stiffening with fear. Daniel reached for something under the table—a g*n sleek and black that made Scarlett’s blood turn cold.

The footsteps paused just outside the door and the handle rattled.

Scarlett held her breath, the silence stretching out like a thin wire ready to snap.