His expression softened just a little. “Phoenix and Elyna landed in Paris this morning. Dad said they’ll be moving through Italy and Greece next. They won’t be back for a while.”
Harmony let out a shaky breath. “Good. I don’t want them in danger.”
“None of us do,” Becket said quietly. Then he turned to me. “When you get to the bakery, check the external feed. Something triggered a motion alert around 4:00 a.m.”
A cold sweep moved through my chest. “Outside or inside?”
“Outside,” he said. “Near the orchard fence.”
Harmony’s breath hitched. “Where the photo was taken…”
Becket nodded once. “Could be the wind. Could be an animal. But check it.”
“I will,” I confirmed.
He shifted into work mode again. “I’ll be at the station. Call if anything changes. Keep her close.”
I shut the door gently and turned back into the room. Harmony stood in the center, looking small and strong at the same time, like someone holding herself together with sheer will.
“You okay?” I asked.
“No,” she whispered. “But I will be.”
I moved closer, careful not to overwhelm her. “I’ll drop you at the center before I go to the bakery. Stay inside. Stay where there are people. And text me if anything feels wrong.”
She nodded, and for the first time that morning, there was something new in her expression. Not fear.
Resolve.
We both got dressed together to get ready for the day, it all felt so normal and natural, except for the small fact there was danger close by.
“Ready?” I asked.
She drew in a breath. “Yes.”
We stepped into the hallway together. For a brief moment, as she fell into step beside me, it felt like whatever was coming next, we were walking toward it side by side. Before the week was over, I would learn just how wrong and how right that feeling was.
CHAPTER 27
Harmony
The drive to the community center passed in a blur of frost-lined trees and early sunlight that felt too bright for how hollow I felt inside. Eric kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting loosely on the console like he was ready to reach for me at a moment’s notice. The closer we got to the community center, the more the tension in my shoulders tightened. I pressed my hands together and tried to keep my breathing steady.
“You’re sure you want to do this today?” Eric asked quietly.
“No,” I admitted. “But I need to. Being here… it reminds me I’m more than what he made me.”
He nodded, understanding settling in his expression. He didn’t try to talk me out of it.
When he pulled into the lot, I unbuckled slowly, my pulse fluttering like it didn’t know which way to run.
“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said. “Call or text me if anything feels wrong. Anything,” he accentuated the last word, but I already knew I had to be on alert.
“I will.” I forced a smile, despite my nerves.
He watched me until I stepped through the glass doors.
Inside, warmth wrapped around me. The community center always smelled faintly of old books and lavender cleaner, and today it felt like walking into a place where the past couldn’t follow me, if only for an hour.
