"Oh, shit, they found the truck." Kie panicked as the six drove back the way they came. After heading to the church, they found the cross gone with two people in mind of who had it.

"Just relax. Relax." John B spoke quickly back at her.

"Well, lookee here." Shoupe spoke as he walked over. Bali sighed from where she ducked down in the back.

"Good evening officer." John B commented.

"Sheriff." Shoupe corrected.

"Sheriff. That's right." John B nodded.

"I pulled the tags and I know who's car that is." Shoupe said sternly as he looked around the van, shining his light in the back to find Bali crouched down, "Looking for something?"

"Tying my shoe." Bali shook her head.

"Sheriff, I just wanted to say that this is all my fault." Pope spoke up, trying to take the blame, "She had nothing to do with this. I take 100% responsibility."

"Nothing to do with it?" Shoupe questioning in a tone of disbelief, "You wanna try that again? Your mom called and reported a missing jeep after one of you forgot to close the garage."

Bali awkwardly sighed as he nodded toward Kie and Bali, "Both of you, let's go."

"She has nothing to do with this." Bali defended Kie.

"Her parents called after word got out about Cassandra Pandaros kid getting wrapped up with the wrong crowd, sounded familiar to them." Shoupe shrugged as the officer pulled the door open.

"Want me to come with you?" JJ asked Bali with worried eyes.

"I'll call you when i'm home." Bali pecked him on the lips, looking at Sarah with a nod, climbing out and walking with Kie toward the cop car.

"Dad!" Bali called as she was dropped off before Kie, opening the door as she heard the cop car pull off, "Dad! You home? Mom!"

There wasn't a answer, Bali began to question if her mom was out. Though she hadn't seen her dad all day, last she checked he was at the hotel. Cassandra had two days to clean out the house of what was hers, though there were many boxes in the hallway, "Mom!"

Nothing.

Bali pulled her phone from her pocket, freezing as she heard a single thump. Her heart shouldn't have raced the way it did, but it had. She took a step, the wood beneath her creaking slightly. Another thump hit, earning a small gasp.

"Dad?" Bali called, though it came more like a whisper then anything.

Thump.

It was clear it had been coming from her moms office. The doors were still broken from where Bali destroyed it a few days ago, though the glass was cleaned up by now. Her office was cleared out, a few boxes on the ground. Bali let out a small screech as the thump vibrated at her feet.

Looking down, Bali realized the thumping was coming from below her.

The Pandaros girl hesitated, crawling onto the floor as she laid her head onto the polished floors, waiting a moment. The thump vibrated her head, sitting up quickly with wide eyes. Her fist knocked on the wood, holding her breath. A string of violent knocks began to bounce from under the wood.

"Dad!" Bali called, thinking the worse that her father had somehow been trapped under the wood. She rose to her feet quickly, her heel digging into the wooden floor. Bali ran over toward the closet, grabbing hold of the shot gun she knew her mom kept in there for safety reasons. She stood over the wooden floor again, "Stand back!"

She could only hope that her dad had heard and stepped back. She gave it a second, cocking the gun and pulling the trigger. It put a hole in the floor, the floor she always thought concrete had been under. Bali then thought about the bunker she saw in the island room, how her house had been build over it. It was still there, how could she not know it was there?

"Bali!"

Her heart came in slow, painful beats when she heard her name from below. The hole in the floor making it open for her to hear now rather then just the thump of something hitting.

"Oh my god, Conner!" Bali yelled in panic, dropped the gun out of stupidity.

"Bali!" he called back up, he was crying, it was clear, "Please, please."

"I've got you, hang on!" Bali called, fall on the ground and yanking at the, now broken, wood. Conner helped her from below, the hole growing big enough for them to see each other. Conner's face was beaten up with bruises and cuts, dirt coating all his pores, if Bali hadn't recognized his voice, she wouldn't have realized it was him.

"Bali." Conner cried, a smile across his face as he looked up at her, "Oh my god."

Bali jumped done into the broken floor, landing on her feet infront of him. Conner wrapped his arms around her immediately, crying into her shoulder and laughing at the same time. His entire body shook as he hugged her tightly, her arms hugging him back. When Bali and Conner first got together, they hugged a lot actually. Both were really affectionate people, but their hugs back then never compared to the one right now. Now he held her like he was seconds from dying, like hugging her was what would save his life, "I'm so glad you're here."

"What happened?" Bali panicked as she pulled his shoulders back to look at his face, "Your message in the book! I followed it but someone shot-"

"That's where they took me first, I escaped and went to Charleston." Conner shook his head as he blinked behind his swollen and red eyes, "Then I was taken here and have been, please, you have to get me out."

"Who?" Bali asked, looking around for a latter of some sort, "How did you-"

"Bali, watch out!" Conner yelled, the last thing she heard before she felt a harsh hit on her head and saw blackness.

"Bal, Bali, hey. Hey, wake up, come on, open your eyes." Conner shook Bali, tapping her face. At first, when Bali fluttered her eyes open, she would have sworn she was in a car, asleep in the back. It reminded her of the times when her, her mom, and her dad would drive home late from the hotel. She'd be tired, way past her bedtime and she'd pass out in the back. Dante would always pick her up and carry her into her room, kissing her forehead, and making sure her princess nightlight was on.

That stopped shortly after she got rid of that nightlight, why did she never think of it before? Why did she not take those moments more serious, why would she think of that exact memory before she was about to die.

"JJ." Bali spoke as she opened her eyes.

Conner blinked as he latched into her, seeing panic set in, "Woah, woah, hang on, hang on."

"Where are we?" Bali asked with wide eyes, looking around in a panic.

"A boat." Conner said, the loud horn coming on que, "Let me see your head."

Bali leaned forward, Conner checking the back of her head, "There's some blood, do you feel dizzy?"

"No, just a pounding feelings." Bali said as she squinted slightly, "What the hell happened?"

"Bal, your-" Conner began, the loud door of the ship opening.

Bali turned her head, her heart hitting against her rib cage, "Mom?"

Conner held her arms as they stood up with wide, scared eyes.

"Hi, baby." Cassandra smiled at her daughter, "Don't be scared, Bal. I would never hurt you."

"What is wrong with you!" Bali yelled at her mom, pointing her finger, and tears rolling down her cheeks, "Where's dad!"

"How should I know where your father is? You should be glad I saved you from him." Cassandra looked at her in worry, "He has brainwashed you so bad, Bal."

"You cheated on him!" Bali said in disbelief, taking a step forward but Conners arms around her forearm brought her back, "You kidnapped Conner!"

"For you!" Cassandra yelled at her, "He's hurt you!"

"You hurt me!" Bali hollered at her, "You're insane."

Cassandras jaw tightened, "Don't say that."

"You're fucking insane!" Bali yelled at her again.

"I'm not insane!" Cassandras eyes went wide as she pointed at Bali harshly, "He hurt you and I took him to protect you! Your father hurt you and-"

"Where is dad?" Bali asked her again, cutting her off with watery eyes, "What did you do to him?"

"He's alive." Cassandra stated, calmly now, "He's somewhere where he can't hurt you."

"Where's my dad?" Conner asked, body shaking.

"With Ward." Cassandra spoke, revealing who they had been with.

"I want to leave." Bali stated, inhaling as she looked at her mother.

"You can leave when we dock." Cassandra said as she turned to the door.

"No!" Bali yelled, lunging for the door but only having it slammed in her face. She inhaled shakily, leaning against the closed door of the dark, dirty room.

"I'm so sorry." Conners voice made her eyes opened, slowing her small cries down, "Bali, I-I'm so sorry. For all of it."

Bali turned to him with wide, watery eyes. The tears rolled on her cheeks, standing out under the faint red light. Her voice was in her throat and cracked slightly when she spoke, "Do not apologize to me just because we could die and you want a clear conscience."

"I was down there for a few weeks now." Conner ignored her, big brown eyes staring her way, "I did a lot of thinking. It doesn't fix what i've done but i'm so god damn sorry, Bali. I was an asshole, I'm still an asshole and I can't believe I treated you the way I did."

Bali swallow as she leaned off the door, taking a breath.

"And then you saved me, when I didn't deserve it." Conner nodded, his lips trembling again, "After my mom- I just felt so fucked up and I thought acting like everyone else would make me feel more normal."

Bali gave a sad smile, "I know you were."

"You were the only person that saw me and I hate that I treated you the way I did." Conner admired with a minor nod, a sad laugh left his lips, "Maybe if I didn't, neither of us would have ended up here."

Bali shook her head, "We're gonna get out of here. And after that, we can do that apologize over again."

"How?" Conner shook his head as he looked around, "No windows."

Bali sighed, "Mom said Ward was here."

"So?" Conner shook her head.

"Means Rafe is too."

•

kylie speaks

i've been waiting this
entire book to bring
conner in and here we
are! he's still a ass but
his attempt to apologize
to bali is more then a lot
of people would do.