∞∞∞
Morning came with the promise of nothing on the schedule. No emergency meeting, no lesson plan, and no shooters waiting in the stairwell. I didn’t even brush my hair, just let Ryker steal a kiss before we checked out.
We drove west in no rush, knowing that neither of us wanted to go home, or whatever “home” meant. Somewhere past Chilliwack, in the rain, I asked, “What’s next?”
Ryker glanced over, eyes flat and honest, thumb stroking the scar behind his ear. “You want job security?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Okay. Kindergarten teacher and retired mercenary, open a pet rescue in the North Shore. We take in strays, solve minor crimes for fun, and never set foot in a school board meeting again.”
It was the first time I’d laughed since leaving the little hick town with the carnival, a real laugh, snorting and all. I punched his arm. “Deal.”
Two hours later, we pulled outside Sarah’s home. She came to the door, hair in a scrunchie, a baby on her hip and Mabel twined around her feet like a velvet shadow. She let out a shriek, shoved the baby into Ryker’s arms, and hugged me so hard I thought my ribs would snap for the second time in days.
“You made it,” she whispered in my ear, then turned to Ryker. “Take care of her, or I’ll find you and crush your nuts in a vise.”
He grinned and handed the baby back to her. “Wouldn’t expect less.”
We headed back to my apartment, once there, he pulled up to the curb and watched as I trudged up the fire escape. When I was safely inside, he took off to find a secluded place to dump the Prius.
I stood looking around and was surprised at how my own home felt so foreign to me. Being away for almost a month would do that to a person.
Once out of her carrier, Mabel inspected every nook and cranny. Satisfied, she jumped onto the windowsill and watched the world go by, three stories down. And that’s when I noticed it. All my plants that were lush and thriving were either dead or wilted.
The only energy I had to do anything with them was water the ones that might have a chance... the rest I would deal with another day.
I opened the fridge to see what I could whip up for dinner and closed it with a thud. There was nothing. I reached into my bag looking for my burner phone to ask Ryker to pick up some takeout when I heard a bang coming from my bedroom down the hall.
They say hindsight is 20/20, and that is true. I had watched enough horror flicks in my time that I should have known to get out of the apartment, but I didn’t. And I paid for it dearly.
Chapter 16
Ryker
Imade my way back to the apartment, feeling upbeat and whistling a tune, holding a brown paper bag after picking up dinner from her favorite takeout place. I bounded up the fire escape two steps at a time and froze when I reached the landing.
She stood there as if waiting for me, tears streaming down her cheeks. I set the bag down and reached for the window frame.
“Ryker, don’t come in.”
“What... what do you mean, don’t come in?!”
“I’ve had time to think about everything, about us, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to keep seeing each other.”
At first, I assumed she was kidding, or that I'd heard wrong. But her face, the way her lips pressed together to keep them from trembling, said it all.
A breeze from the open window caught her hair, stirring it over her eyes. She didn’t move to brush it aside. She just stood still with her arms crossed, holding her elbows as if she could insulate herself from whatever came next.
"Is this because of what happened with the bear?" I asked. Doubtful, but I did leave her alone to fend for herself.
She shook her head, a single sharp movement. "It’s not that. I just—" The words caught, and she tried to steady herself. "I thought I wanted to be brave. But all I feel is... terrified. Not of what’s out there, but of myself. The things I’ve done. The person I’m becoming."
I pressed my hand to the glass. "You did what you had to do to survive, Lily. You’ve been fighting for your life."
"And I dragged you into it. You and Royal and poor Mabel and—maybe that's the last family I've got, and I can't lose it, not after everything." Her voice was fragile, parched. "So, I need you to go. Just go. Please."
I waited for her to open her eyes, to say something, anything other than telling me to go.
