I’d joined ESP because I wanted to do good in the world. I’d told myself that it was worth all the sacrificed time with myfamily and friends. That it didn’t matter that I’d lived more of my adult life as a made-up persona than I had as Jett Marian.
But more and more often, I’d felt caged.
Worse, I was afraid I’d started to forget who Jett Marian even was or what he wanted…
Until Locke Maris had helped me remember.
The following morning, I flew home from Liorland in a private plane and spent twenty hours asleep in my own bed. Then I woke up and caught a ride to the airport.
If I didn’t get the hell out of this city, I would drag my pathetic ass to Locke’s doorstep and throw myself on his mercy.
If Locke was still being watched, which I had to imagine he was, this would have made it very clear to my employer that I was a lying asshole.
None of which I needed right now as much as the loving arms (and horrible Dad-joke humor) of my parents.
The sun was settingas I drove over the bridge to Rabbit Island. The familiar expanse of my hometown was like serotonin mixed with Valium. The stress began to melt away as if I were passing through a protection barrier that surrounded the island.
The streets were peppered here and there with kids riding their bikes or people walking a dog after supper, but when I got to the house I’d grown up in, the one that had been in my dad’s family too long to remember, no one was outside.
I climbed the stairs to the front door and opened it, not surprised it wasn’t locked since doors on Rabbit Island rarely were.
Inside, my family was shouting at each other. Familiar voices raised in incredulity competed for dominance.
“You scratched me!” Becca wailed with all the drama of a telenovela.
“To be fair, sweetheart,” Mav said calmly, “Gabe’s still bleeding from the last round where you smacked his face instead of his hand.”
Gabe’s friend Hunter muttered, “And yet you won’t let me murder her.”
“Alright,” Beau said, heaving himself up from his chair at the game table in the corner of the family room. “Refill time. Who wants another glass of wine. Gabe, another beer?”
As I came into the room, the dog ratted me out. Pepper’s nails scrabbled on the hardwoods as she woke up and bolted toward me. Beau looked to see what had woken her and found me standing there.
“Jett! We didn’t know you were coming. Get in here.”
I finished giving the dog a head scratch before moving toward him for a hug. But as soon as I saw they’d been playing Egyptian Ratscrew, I felt overwhelming emotion.
Loss. Loneliness. Familiarity and comfort. Fear. Grief.Want.
Utter and devastating heartbreak.
“Jett?” Mav said, standing up and frowning. “What’s…? Oh dear.”
They surrounded me just as I broke down, Beau on one side of me and Maverick on the other. I turned into Mav’s chest and tucked myself into his arms, feeling Beau move in behind me to make a hug sandwich.
I’d come by my incredible hugging genius honestly. I wished I’d been able to tell Locke that.
“Honey, whatever it is, we’re here. It’ll be okay,” Beau murmured.
I could see my brother out of the corner of my eye, his forehead creased with concern. Becca blinked and stood up,moving to reach through the group hug to scratch lightly into my hair, a gesture she’d always used to soothe me when I was upset.
“Glad you’re home, Jetty-boo. We missed you.”
I tried to keep my sobs silent as my breath heaved, and hot tears slid down my face and into Mav’s shirt.
“Maybe I should go,” Hunter said softly to Gabe.
“What? Fuck off, you’re family, too,” Gabe replied.
