“You’re safe,” I said. “We’ll talk to my dad and Becket as soon as we get home.”
She nodded again, quiet but certain. As we pulled out of the lot, Harmony watched the side mirror as if expecting headlights to follow us. I kept my hand on the wheel, but my other hand settled on her thigh without thinking. She placed her hand over mine and held on.
“Eric,” she said softly, “do you think this is Vesper?”
I shook my head. “I think Vesper is part of the problem, but not all of it.”
The trees blurred past the truck windows. Harmony kept her eyes forward, but her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke again.
“Then someone else is coming for me.” The fear in her words settled heavy in my chest.
“No,” I said. “Someone is circling. But no one is getting close.”
Her eyes closed for a moment, as if she wanted to believe it.
“I’m tired of being scared,” she whispered.
“I know,” I said. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
When she opened her eyes, something steadier lived there. Not relief. Not calm. Something like determination fighting its way to the surface. She squeezed my hand once. The road curved toward Maple Valley. Frost glimmered along the fence line. Smoke curled from our chimney in the distance.
Home.
But I didn’t let myself relax. Harmony had trusted me to protect her. That trust felt like weight and purpose at the same time. We would meet with Dad and Becket, go over every detail again. We would tighten the security around her and the property. We wouldn’t let anyone touch her. That was the plan because whoever thought they were closing in on her today had no idea what it meant to threaten someone I cared about.
CHAPTER 29
Harmony
The Thorne house was warm when we stepped inside, but the tension in the air made it feel colder than the evening outside. Eric’s hand rested at the small of my back as he guided me through the front entryway. The familiar scent of coffee and woodsmoke floated through the space, normally comforting, but tonight it only reminded me this wasn’t my home. I was a guest in a house already stretched thin with worry. Pierre stood near the kitchen island. His posture was straight and firm, a man who spent his whole life searching for patterns in silence. Becket leaned against the counter beside him, flipping a pen between his fingers. Sandy stood near the stove with a soft expression I could barely meet. All three of them turned when I walked in. My breath caught in my throat.
Pierre’s gaze moved over me with the quiet assessment of someone who noticed everything. “You’re safe. That’s what matters,” he said in a calm, steady voice. “Tell us what happened.”
My fingers twisted together. “A car circled the community center three times. I didn’t see the driver though; the windows were very dark.”
Becket set his pen down. “Did it slow down or only pass by?”
“It slowed,” I whispered. “Like it was looking for something or maybe someone.” Growing up in my father’s shadow meant I knew how the criminal world worked. I knew tactics that were used to instill fear. Just the thought alone caused a shiver to run down my spine. Pierre exchanged a glance with his sons. The kind of look that held an entire conversation without words.
Asher appeared in the hallway just then. He kept his hands in his pockets, shoulders loose in a way that looked practiced. His eyes flicked to me and then to Eric. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. He had been watching. He had been everywhere, moving like a shadow across town and pretending it was coincidence. He may have come across to most people as a happy-go-lucky young guy, but there were layers beneath the surface that were deep and caring.
Sandy stepped forward and gently touched my arm. “You’re home now. You did everything right.”
Her kindness nearly broke me. Because I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t feel smart. I didn’t feel like I belonged here. What I did feel was like a burden dropped into the middle of their lives.
“I shouldn’t be here,” I whispered. “I’m causing trouble for all of you. You’re in danger for being close to me. It isn’t fair to you. I know my father’s world all too well. I knew what I was doing when I put him away and I didn’t care. I just wanted him behind bars where he couldn’t hurt people anymore. Only I was wrong. His reach extends beyond the bars of prison.”
Pierre’s eyes softened in a way I didn’t expect. “Keeping you safe isn’t trouble or danger. I’m the director of the police. I’ve been dealing with criminal gangs like your father’s for decades.”
“We’ve handled danger before,” Becket said. “Trust me. This family is built for it.”
The words were meant to reassure me, but they only made guilt press harder against my ribs.
Eric saw it instantly. He stepped closer and touched my elbow. “Come upstairs with me.”
I nodded, unable to breathe past the pressure building in my chest. He guided me through the hall and up the stairs, each step heavier than the last.
When we reached his room, he closed the door and turned to face me.
