“Until I get an answer I like,” I said.
She thought about it.“Better than yesterday,” she said finally.“Still angry.Less… hollow.”
“Good,” I said.
“You going to tell me what happens down there?”she asked.
“The parts you need,” I said.“Not every detail.Atilla’s clear on that.So am I.”
She studied me for a second.“You’re already carrying enough ghosts,” she said.“I don’t need to borrow more.”
I leaned in and kissed her.Slow.Careful.Letting my mouth say the things I couldn’t put into clean words yet.
She kissed me back, fingers curling in the front of my T-shirt.
When I pulled away, her eyes looked a little steadier.
“You and Casey are the line between ‘scared kids in a basement’ and ‘traumatized adults.’You’re good at that work.Doesn’t look like much from the outside.Means everything from here.”
She made a face.“Your bar for ‘good’ still feels way too low.”
“We’ll argue about it later,” I said.“Right now, I need to go watch Spade poke a snake.”
She shivered.“Don’t get bit.”
“I’ve been vaccinated,” I said.
She snorted.“Go.I’ll find coffee, then Casey.”
I dragged myself out of bed, pulled on jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, then shrugged into my cut out of habit.The leather settled over my shoulders like armor.
I caught Jade watching me, eyes dark.She slid to the edge of the bed and stood, sheet wrapped around her body.Bare feet on the floor.Hair tangled.Eyes serious.“Come back,” she said.
I cupped her jaw.“That the way you’re going to say I love you now?”I asked.
“Consider it shorthand.”
I kissed her once more and left before I forgot why I needed to.
* * *
The morning air cut through the haze in my head as soon as I stepped outside.
Dawn painted the yard in pale colors.A couple of Prospects already moved between the garage and the gate, trading off shifts.Engines rumbled faintly from somewhere beyond the tree line as someone warmed up a bike.
I forced my gaze away and headed for the clubhouse.
Inside, the smell of coffee hit me first.Pancakes sizzled on the griddle as Casey weaved through the kitchen, balancing stacks of plates between counter and table.No children occupied their usual corner yet, though cartoon voices drifted down the hallway, signaling an early start to their day.
General leaned against the end of the bar, mug in hand, talking to Atilla.Their voices hummed low, steady.
“Morning,” I said.
General lifted his mug.“You get any sleep?”he asked.
“Some,” I said.
Atilla’s gaze flicked over me.“Spade already text you?”
