"Tash moved the girls out here last week," I said, matching the hush. "Right before Christmas. They were living in Knoxville."
He watched me the way Lola eyed birds landing on the lawn.
"Cut to the chase, Chance."
I took a deep breath. "They're mine, Xav. No question. Fiona and Meredith. Born sixteen years ago. They look like me, act like me, and," I dropped my voice, barely above a breath. "Fifi shifted. Maeve confirmed the other's a witch."
For a half beat, the world went still.
Connie's laugh spun up from the back, all fake syrup and cigarette edges. The bankers at the next table started arguing about the Titans game, something about turnovers. Nobody was listening, but I doubleddown anyway, hand cupped over my coffee like we were exchanging nuclear launch codes.
Xavier tapped the edge of his cup, pattern perfect. "Who else knows?"
"Mom, Maeve. Probably Damon and Evan. Now you."
He processed that, eyes never leaving my face. "And you trust her? Tash?"
Christ, the way he said her name. I nearly bristled, but the family's cautious streak ran deep in Xavier.
"She's the strongest person I've ever met. Sixteen years alone, never flinched. Got the girls through early teens without knowing what was bothering them. If anything, I'm the risky one here."
Xavier's mouth twitched at the corner. Maybe a smile, maybe not.
"How did the shift go? Coverup needed?"
"It was at the house," I admitted. "Living room carpet's toast. Furniture's still broken. But she's doing well now. That's why they moved in. Caden's working double time to keep her steady."
He nodded, then checked the window. It was an old habit of his, even in familiar places.
"Do you need anything?" he said. "A heads up if I hear chatter?"
I shook my head, but not to say no. "Just keep an eye on SkyArc."
He looked almost amused. "They're being careful. They've hired best-in-class lawyers, playing by the rules, at least where the development game's played. But I've got tabs on one of their security consultants. Ex-military, with a sealed record. No priors, but he didn't come out of D.C. clean. You get another name, you let me know."
Connie barreled back in with our plates. She set the club sandwich and soup in front of Xavier, then dropped the burger and fries with a little flourish. Last came the pie, already cut, with a fork stabbed straight through the heart of it.
"Anything else, boys?" She looked at me, then winked at the sheriff. "You need coffee, just holler, no charge for family heroes."
Xavier's smile was razor-thin. "I'll let you know if we need backup."
She cackled, then vanished in a cloud of fake vanilla body spray.
I attacked the burger like it owed me rent, but Xavier just dipped a spoon in his soup and waited. He had that look, the one that meant the next question mattered.
"You think the Order flagged her? Or was it pure luck she didn't get noticed?"
"Luck. She thought Fifi had an anxiety disorder. No real blips, nothing to trigger surveillance. She had no idea about any of this. Then we met, the girls said they wanted to see me, and it triggered Fifi's change."
We ate in near silence for a minute, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Lunch buzzed around us, phones ringing, orders getting yelled, the hiss of the soda gun and the counter girl dropping quarters in the till. I watched the world, but every cell was tuned to what my cousin would say next.
He waited until I was halfway through the fries. "Get your girl's shifting stable, keep the other out of public fights, and don't let Maeve run wild teaching them. Teach them to be careful when they head back to school. Phones, webcams, even the damn school nurse, you know the drill."
"Got it."
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned forward, hard. "But if anything blows, we run the Meyer plan. Disappear. Have you told them yet?"
"Yeah." I rattled off the three fallback options, kept it short. "If it happens, we'll be out in five."
