“Idiot coming through.” Theo affectionately nudged me aside and swooped in, wrapping Laura up in his arms. His silliness had her laughing when she otherwise might have cried. He lifted her from the floor and swung her around, taking care not to clip the armchairs we’d moved back to the centre of the foyer.
I sniffed and moved away, leaving them to chat in private.
Tim and Varesh were waiting near the rear door to walk us out to the car, and I was conscious of not taking too long.
Owen stood over by the mailboxes with the girls on either side of him, his arms resting protectively across their shoulders. It settled my nerves knowing they were in such good hands.
Ellie looked older now, serious and alert. Willow had her lower lip clamped between her teeth, her chest shuddering.
I crossed to them, my heart pounding harder with each step.
Before I could reach them, Ellie broke away from her dad and met me halfway, her eyes fierce. She didn’t utter a word. Just threw her arms around my waist and squeezed.
My throat tightened as I hugged her back, my eyes filling until I closed them and squeezed the tears free. Willow made a small, desperate sound that broke something in me, then ran over and joined us. I drew her into a three-person hug, keeping them close for the last time. All those endless hours we’d spent together in my apartment or on the rooftop, laughing, watching music videos, sharing reels. It was over.
“I feel like I’m saying goodbye to my little sisters.” My voice thickened as I breathed them in, knowing their softness would disappear soon enough—if it hadn’t already started to fade.
“I hate this,” Ellie said. “I wish you could come with us.” She squeezed me once—hard—before stepping back and swiping at her face with her sleeve.
“So do I.” I kept hugging Willow and stroked her hair, sifting the silky strands between my fingers. The dampness on her cheek seeped through my t-shirt. “If you’re lucky, you might meet another big sister when you get to your aunt’s place.”
“Probably not,” Willow said. "It’s just farmers and sheep and horses.”
I smiled at the surly edge in her voice. “Well, that sounds pretty peaceful.”
Theo moved onto the girls, so I patted Willow’s hair one last time and turned my attention to Owen in our production line of goodbyes.
None of them were nearly long enough to encapsulate all we’d been through together.
His dark eyes caught mine, then he gave me one firm, brief hug, keeping hold of my shoulders after he’d pulled back. “Take care of yourself, Sadie,” he said. “I mean it. I don’t want to think about you two struggling out there. Keep your head in the game. Eyes up. Don’t get complacent for a second.”
My chest grew heavy, and my eyes stung. I nodded quickly, willing myself to stay in control for a little bit longer.
“Promise me,” he insisted.
“I will.” I blinked and ran my forefingers under my eyes. “You too, okay? Don’t turn your back on the infected. Keep that sword handy,” I said, smiling through the sadness. “Good luck with the drive to Ro’s.”
We parted ways, and I shot a glance at Dustin’s apartment. He hadn’t appeared since the incident this morning, following hisusual pattern of causing trouble, then hiding from the fallout. Whatever he’d used to secure the door looked to still be there, and no sounds came from inside. He must have been using the window to come and go.
“What do you want to do about that?” I asked Tim, tipping my head towards the door. “You’re the ones stuck here with him.”
With his hands in his pockets, he shrugged and sent Varesh a sideways look. “Haven’t decided yet. We’re not even sure he’s still here. His car’s gone.”
“Want us to sort it out before we leave?” Theo asked, slotting in beside me. “I don’t mind working off some energy. We can check and make sure he’s moved on.”
His comment plunged me back into memories of the way he’d worked off energy with me this morning, and I coughed to create a distraction—as if anyone could know what was going through my mind.
Theo slipped his arm around me and planted a kiss on my hair.
Okay. Maybe one person knew.
Varesh repositioned his glasses. His gaze bounced from Theo to me, and heat rushed to my cheeks. Make that two.God.
“Don’t worry about it,” Tim said. “We won’t be here much longer. If he hasn’t left yet, he can rattle around in the empty building all on his own.”
I didn’t need to ask them to protect Ava from Dustin when she arrived. I knew they’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“We should get moving then,” Theo said, brushing my shoulder with his thumb.
