Ash wraps her arm around me from behind, and I lean into her as I hold my sister. Ash sniffles, and I press a kiss to her head.
“You should never have had to see anything like that, Lili. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Lili sniffles, wiping her nose along the back of her sleeve as she eases out of my arms. “And I don’t want to talk about it.” She looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes and a weary expression way beyond her years.
It hurts me for her, but it could have been a lot worse.
“Could I have a shower and get into different clothes? I want to scrub that place from my skin.”
“Of course. I’ll organize that for you,” Ash says as footsteps approach.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Jase’s mom says, materializing at our side. “But I couldn’t help overhearing. My daughter Jocelyn has some clothes that should fit you, and she can show you one of the guest bedrooms upstairs if you want to get cleaned up.”
Jocelyn appears behind her mom, smiling and waving shyly at Lili. “Hi, I’m Jocelyn. You can pick what you want from my closet.”
“Can you come too?” Lili links her fingers in mine and looks up at me.
“Sure thing.”
“I’ll fix us some lunch,” Anna-Lynn says. “Is there anything in particular you would like to eat, Lilianna?”
“You can call me Lili, and I would die for some pizza. I haven’t had it in years.”
“Pizza it is.” Anna-Lynn smiles warmly at us as I steer Lili toward Jocelyn and let her lead the way.
* * *
Ashley
“Is she okay?” I ask Ares when he reappears forty minutes later with his sister in tow. Lili is wearing skinny jeans, a Taylor Swift T-shirt, a hoodie, and sneakers, looking like a normal teenager.
Ares rests his butt on the corner of the couch as Jocelyn and Lili sit cross-legged on the floor, huddled together, deep in conversation. “I think so.” He scrubs his hands down his face.
“She is so resilient and strong. I’m in awe of her.”
“Me too.” Ares’s smile is proud. Watching them together has only made me love him even more. “I’m so relieved she wasn’t abused and she seems okay,” he says.
“Me too, but I hate she had to see others abused. That will still be traumatic for her. When we get through everything, we’ll need to organize some therapy for her.”
I’ll be signing myself up too. I’ve been pushing stuff aside to deal with later, and I know I’ll fall apart unless I allow myself the time to process everything that has happened to me in these past few months.
“For sure.”
“They seem to be getting on well,” Jase says, looming over us and nodding toward the girls.
Ares bobs his head. “They are like lifelong friends already,” he admits as Anna-Lynn pops her head in the room and calls everyone to lunch. Ares slides his arm around my shoulders and draws me in close as Lili looks over at him. “Lili was so excited when she saw her closet. When things have died down, maybe you can take her shopping, get her whatever she needs?”
“I would love that.”
Chad appears in the doorway, slipping his cell back in his pocket. He was talking to his mom and Tess on a secure line Baz organized for him.
Ares pulls me to my feet, threading his fingers through mine as we walk to where Lili is waiting with Jocelyn. She seems unwilling to let her brother out of her sight, and I don’t blame her. After her ordeal, I think she’ll be clinging to his side any chance she gets. I’m not looking forward to her leaving for the safe house. It won’t be pleasant watching them be separated again.
Lunch is a lively affair, and it’s remarkable we can all feel such normalcy with the threat hovering over our heads. Lili fits right in, and I don’t see any of the shy girl Ares alluded to previously in the girl chatting with everyone around the table.
Eric returns wearing a somber expression, and the good mood dissipates. He pulls his wife into his arms. “Love, I think it’s best you and Jocelyn move to the safe house for now. Just until we track Carter down and deal with him.”
Anna-Lynn looks up at her husband with nothing but trust in her eyes. “We’ll pack our bags.”
