I nod, but my body is on alert, and my first instinct is to run and hide somewhere.
“Want me to get Kevlar?”
I suck in a deep breath. “I’m okay.” No, I’m not. I want to throw up or cry suddenly, and I don’t know why.
I follow her into the bathroom and grip the sink.
“It can be overwhelming the first time being around the madness.” Ashley wets some paper towels and presses them to the back of my neck. “Better?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve had quite a day.”
“You could say that again.”
She smiles at me through the reflection in the mirror. “Take as long as you need.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because it’s how I hope someone would have treated my sister.”
“Would have?”
“My sister, Shelby. She passed away recently. Blood and I are raising her son.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
She lifts a shoulder, and I don’t miss the tears glimmering in the creases of her eyes.
Now it’s my turn to ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just get a little sad sometimes when I think about her.”
I squeeze her hand in return, trying to return some of the comfort and kindness she’s shown me since my arrival. “I’m sure she was a great person.”
She erupts into a fit of laughter, shaking her head. “No, she wasn’t. She did terrible things before she died, and I am probably the only person who misses her.”
“Good people can do bad things.”
“You say that like you know.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. It felt like the right thing to say.”
“Fair enough. Ready to get back out there?”
“Yes and no.” I laugh with her.
“You’re going to be okay, Lacey. I won’t fail you like I did Shelby.”
When we exit the bathroom, Blood and Kevlar are both waiting for us.
“There you are,” Blood complains, doting on his wife as though he can’t bear for her to be out of his sight. The second she’s in his arms and his lips touch hers, the brutal man melts a little, and I think to myself maybe he’s not so tough after all.
“You doing okay?” Kevlar slips an arm around me, and I lean my head on his shoulder. He smells of the beach. Like sunshine and the salt of the ocean.
“A little tired but good.”
“You ready to call it a night?”
