"She won't be alone," Sergio says from behind me. "She has us."
Stacey looks at the four of them standing there, solid and protective and ready to go to war for me.
"Yeah," she says softly. "She does."
We hug goodbye on the porch. Long and tight and full of unspoken things.
"Call me after," Stacey orders. "I don't care what time it is. I want to know you're okay."
"I will."
"And kick their asses." She pulls back to look at me. "The Morrisons. The reporters. Anyone who tries to make you feel small. Kick. Their. Asses."
"I'll try."
"Don't try. Do."
I watch her taillights disappear down the driveway. The night feels colder without her. Emptier.
"Come inside," Sergio says gently. "It's late. You should sleep. Tomorrow's going to be hard."
"I don't think I can sleep."
"Then we'll stay up with you."
And they do. All four of them. Sitting with me in the living room, the fire burning low, until exhaustion finally pulls me under.
Tomorrow I tell my truth.
But tonight, I'm surrounded by pack, and that's enough.
30
JESSICA
Ipay a visit to Mom's house to see the changes and take my mind off things. For a little while. I stand in the doorway of my childhood bedroom and try not to cry.
The carpet is new. Pale blue instead of the water-stained beige I left behind three weeks ago. The walls have been repainted, fresh white that still smells faintly of primer. The ceiling shows no trace of the brown water damage that spread like a disease across the plaster.
Even the baseboards are new.
"They replaced everything that got damaged." Pedro's voice comes from behind me in the hallway. "Carlos insisted on upgrading while we were at it. New insulation. Better subflooring. He said if we were doing it, we should do it right."
I step into the room. Run my hand along the wall. The texture is smooth under my fingers. Perfect. Like the flood never happened.
Like that night never happened.
Except it did. And these men showed up and fixed it without asking for anything in return.
"Why?" The word comes out small.
"Why what?" Pedro moves to stand beside me.
"Why do all this? Fix my mom's house. Let me live with you. Stand beside me against Callum." I gesture at the pristine room around us. "You don't owe me anything."
Something flickers across Pedro's face. His jaw tightens. "You really think we need to owe you something to help you?"
"I just..." My throat gets tight. "I'm not used to people doing things without expecting something back."
