“Wh-why?” Jet stammers, her voice a broken whisper.
“Because family’s everything,” Devil replies. Her smile softens as she wraps an arm around Jet.
Justice moves in, his presence a solid reassurance. He lays a hand on Jet’s shoulder, gently, nothing like the hard grips I’ve seen him use in fights.
“Let it out. It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble as comforting as a warm blanket on a cold night.
Jet looks at him, her confusion raw and open. “But you… you’re one of them.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not human,” Justice counters, his eyes locking onto hers.
I watch from the sidelines, my heart caught somewhere between pride and something else for the man who stands with us.
“Go on, then.” Devil nudges Jet gently. “Before your tearsshort-circuit the bloody thing.”
A small laugh hiccups through Jet’s sobs, and I can’t help but grin. Devil has a way about her that can turn a storm into a drizzle.
With shaking hands, Jet dials, each beep a step closer to a world she’s been torn from for too long. The call connects, and her voice is a quiet murmur, words meant only for the person on the other side of the line.
“Mom? It’s me… Jet.”
Something inside me eases as I watch her, this girl who’s seen too much darkness finding a sliver of light. And Justice, this brute of a man with a heart bigger than his biceps, stands by her, unwavering.
I leave them to their moment, stepping quietly away, my boots echoing softly on the gravel driveway. I keep going through the clubhouse and upstairs. The door to our room creaks open, revealing Highway stretched out on the bed, his chest rising and falling with the deep, even breaths of sleep.
Creeping in, I toe off my boots and slide under the covers beside him, careful not to wake him. His warmth seeps into me.
In the quiet of our room, with Highway’s steady breathing for company, I let my mind wander back to Jet, Justice, and the strange, twisted family we’ve become.
Outside, the world might be gunning for us, danger lurking in every shadow.
But here, now, there’s peace and hope.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s enough to keep the darkness at bay.
***
The stillness of the night is a lie.
My eyes snap open, my heart hammering against my ribcage, the afterimage of dreams fading fast. Darkness wraps around melike a shroud, but I’m alert now, senses sharp as shattered glass.
“Trouble’s brewing,” I murmur, words barely a whisper in the charged air.
Highway stirs beside me. “Bad dream?” he grunts, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“Yeah.” I slide out from under the covers, my feet planted firmly on the cold floor.
“Come back to bed. I’ll chase your demons away.” A dark promise is in his tone as he sits up, muscles coiling.
“Not sure I can sleep.”
“Then we can play,” Highway teases.
Shaking my head, I say, “You ever feel tired and awake at the same time?” I lay back down next to him.
“Yes.” Highway nods, the shadow of a smile on his face.
“Do I need to worry about the Diablos?”
