She jerks up, stalks over to AJ, and gets right in his face. “Let me? Now listen here, Stone. I’m a grown-ass woman, a Ranger, and Grace’s friend. Yours too when you’re not bein’ a total and complete idjit. You didn’t let me come with you to Mexico. You didn’t let me call out the other day. You certainly didn’t let me punch the chief in the face. That was my call, and I’d do it again.”
The two of them glare at one another, but after a second or two, I can’t see them through the tears brimming in my eyes.
Grace’s friend.
I didn’t know how much I needed one of those until this moment.
Before I was taken, I had friends. Not many I was close to, from what AJ said. But a few. Cristina, an English teacher at the community college. Savannah, one of the women I met at yoga. Isha, from my running club. But they don’t know me anymore. Parker does.
When the doorbell rings, I yelp, blink back my tears, and shrink behind Belle. The dog lets out a low growl. Her body vibrates against me. Tension gathers in my shoulders, the muscles so tight, I feel the ache all the way to my temples.
AJ checks his phone, then snaps his fingers. “Belle, down. It’s Connor.”
Parker drops back into the chair next to me. “Grace, Harris is an asshole. Every Ranger who’s ever served under him knows it. He had no right to barge in here like that. Screaming at you? That was a dick move. Fucker deserved that punch. And a hell of a lot more.”
“I…I wish I’d seen it.” Trapped in my panic, I heard the angry voices. And somewhere deep down, I latched onto AJ’s calm, soothing baritone to keep myself from disappearing completely. But the dark shadows from my nightmares were all I could see.
Parker flexes her fingers with a wince. Her knuckles are bright red and already a little swollen. “This is gonna hurt like a sombitch tomorrow. But still…totally worth it.”
“Parker, I hear you went and got yourself suspended.” Connor ambles in, carrying two pizza boxes.
“While you…brought pizza,” she says.
“Ran into the delivery guy in the driveway. Figured we didn’t need anyone else Grace didn’t know comin’ to the door.”
I lift my gaze to Connor’s and fight the almost overwhelming urge to immediately look away. I haven’t seen him since we returned to Austin, but his kind smile helps me find my voice. “Th-thanks.”
He nods. “Ain’t nothing to it. Jasper should be here any minute. Hardison on his way?”
“If he doesn’t get lost,” Parker says. “I told him he had to leave his phone at home. Didn’t want the chief getting to him before we did. He’s a good guy, but he’s not one to buck the system, y’know?”
“Well, he’s about to get a crash course in rebellion. I hope he’s a quick study.” Connor heads for the kitchen, shaking his head the whole way.
AJ follows him. “I’ll get some beer and Coke out of the garage. You think you can handle the plates?”
The men’s voices fade to a dull hum. I dig my fingers into the arm of the couch, trying to steady myself, and turn to Parker. Belle shifts so her muzzle rests on my thigh. “H-Hardison d-doesn’t know about m-me?”
“No. He’s…kind of a boy scout. We were planning on reading him in this weekend. Until Harris showed up. Now…we’ve got to get ahead of this.”
Guilt eats away at me. If I were braver—or if I could hold on to even the tiniest fragments of memories from the past three years—none of this would be necessary.
My breath catches in my throat as I stare down at the scars around my wrists the sweater doesn’t quite hide. It’s bad enough there’s about to be another man in this house I don’t know. I can’t even find my voice reliably around Connor yet, and I trust him. But Hardison is going to take one look at my scars—at the yellowing bruise that still covers most of my cheek—and I’ll have to watch his eyes fill with pity.
Parker gives my hand a quick squeeze. “Grace, I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”
I don’t have to ask her where AJ will be. I already know. If I need it, he’ll stand in front of me.
“Jasper’s here,” AJ says, peering out at the driveway through a crack in the drapes. “With Emi.”
Emi? His girlfriend?
“Smart. She’ll know how to spin this so the public is on our side.” Parker accepts the fresh bottle of beer AJ offers her. “Thanks. Mine’s warm as piss now thanks to Chief Yells-A-Lot.”
Emi. Another person I don’t know. Another person who’s supposed to be family. My heart starts to beat hard enough I’m surprised Parker can’t see it. I push the fear down, wedging it under the heavy weight of my anger.
I can do this.
The front door opens, and Jasper starts swearing the second he steps inside. “That goddamn piece of shit don’t deserve to wear the Ranger star.”
