“Can you text me an update if you get one?” I flashed what I hoped was a winning smile. Life would be easier if I won over more enforcers with a tighter inside track than Sloane had access to as a new recruit. “I would visit after I get Jess cooled down, but I promised Goldie to help with refreshments for the kids at tonight’s gathering.”
“Glad to do it.” He dipped his chin. “Your time is better spent on the wee ones. Their safety is our priority during this transition.” He wiped a hand over his impressive beard. “Goldie is a clever lass and eager to lend a hand, but children her own age flummox her. She’s always gotten on better with adults, but even then she’s slow to form bonds outside her family.” He sucked on his teeth. “I’m glad to see she’s taken to you so quickly.” He hesitated. “Earning that child’s trust, well, it’s not nothing.”
“She’s a good kid.” I eyed Sloane guiding Jess into the backyard through the side gate. “I’m thinking of asking to apprentice under her. She’s got thoseself-made millionaire at eighteenvibes. I’m not that ambitious, but it would be nice to grow a nest egg for retirement.”
“You have no idea, do you?” His chuckle turned into a jaw-cracking yawn, proving he had been awake and running last-minute errands for the clan for hours. “Ah, well. I should get going. Lots to do today.”
Lifting my index finger, I rocked forward, about to follow. “No idea about…?”
“Save some snacks for me,” he called, waving as he got in and drove away.
“Sure.” I anchored my hands on my hips. “Glad we had this talk.”
Footsteps pounded out behind me, and Sloane flung her arms around my waist.
“Did you see?” She jumped in a circle, kicking off a best friend mosh pit. “I rode a polar bear.”
Clearly, she had elected to go the distraction route to keep my mind off Becca, and I appreciated the momentary reprieve.
“That was you?” I winced as my teeth clacked together. “I am both shocked and stunned.”
“I’m going to frame that third photo you sent to go on the mantel next to my parents’ urns.”
“I thought you loved your parents…”
“I did. Ido. I always will.” She kept bouncing until I crushed a buttercup under my heel. “I only meant it can serve as a symbol of how they taught me to always pursue my dreams.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Because rubbing her rule breaking in her parents’ urns’ faces would be wrong.
Tightness gathered in my chest to see how close she was to them. That even in death, she wanted to share a joke they would have laughed at had they still been here. Probablyafterthey understood Jess wasn’t a wild bear but a shifter.
“Jess is happy in her pools, so I’m going to walk you to Rían’s so you can get started baking. I saw the list Goldie was working on, and it’s brutal. You should also be aware there were notes in the margin about a pay-to-play scheme. I don’t know the details. All I saw was the name: Operation No Child Plays Alone.”
“Sounds innocent enough.” A smile tickled my lips in curiosity over what that particular child had dreamt up this time. “Rude of you to assume she has an angle.” A snort escaped me. “Okay, I can’t even say that with a straight face. It’s Goldie. Of course there is one.”
“Hmm.” Sloane checked her phone each time it pinged, and every time, a sigh escaped her. Most everyone else wore the same weary expression, giving the impression it was a habit none of us had missed since the Walsh occupation of Brentwood began. “Fayne had your supplies brought to her house.” Her eyes closed for a moment. “Your escorts will meet you there.”
Escorts.
A pretty word for guards.
A vise clamped over my chest, making it hard to breathe, but I shook off the uncomfortable sensation.
“Hey.” Sloane gripped my wrist and shook my arm to get my attention. “Look at me.”
With no small amount of effort, I hauled my gaze up to hers, my pulse still pounding.
“This is a temporary safety measure. Just until we see how things go with the wards being down. The guards and extra precautions aren’t forever. Rían is being shadowed. Fayne and Goldie too.” She rolled her eyes at me. “You’re not special.”
A startled laugh burst free, breaking the tension pinching my chest. “Thaaanks.”
“Besties’ primary jobs are to keep each other humble.”
“Consider your job done.”
“You’re welcome.”
