She's not trying to disappear.
She looks up when I enter, and I see the uncertainty flash across her face.
The fear that I'm going to tell her last night was a mistake.
That I'm going to push her away.
I cross the room and sit beside her.
Not too close, but close enough that she can feel my presence.
"What are you reading?"
She blinks, surprised by the question. Looks down at the book in her hands like she'd forgotten it was there.
"Um.Pride and Prejudice." A small, self-conscious smile. "I found it on one of the shelves. Someone must have left it."
"Any good?"
"It's my favorite." The smile grows a little, loses some of its uncertainty. "I've read it probably twenty times. There's something comforting about it. Knowing how it ends, knowing everything works out."
I don't read much.
Never had the time, never saw the point, but I understand wanting something predictable. Something safe.
"You okay?" I ask. "After last night?"
The smile fades. She sets the book aside, turning to face me fully. "I don't know. I think so. I feel..." She pauses, searching for the word. "Different. Like something shifted."
"Good different or bad different?"
"I'm not sure yet." Her eyes search my face. "Are you okay? You left this morning. I woke up and you were gone."
"I had to handle something."
"The police." It's not a question. "I heard the motorcycles, saw the cruisers from the window."
I shouldn't be surprised.
She's observant. Careful.
Three years with Cain taught her to pay attention to everything.
"Cain's father," I say. "He knows what I did. Can't prove it, but he knows. He's going to make things difficult for a while."
"Because of me."
"Because of Cain." I reach out, tilting her chin up so she has to meet my eyes. "None of this is your fault. You hear me? Nothing that happened—not Cain, not his father, not any of it—is because of you."
"But if I hadn't come here?—"
"If you hadn't come here, you'd be dead." The words are harsh, but they're true. "Cain would have killed you eventually. Maybe not on purpose, but it would have happened. You did the right thing."
She stares at me for a long moment. I watch her process the words, watch her try to believe them.
"What happens now?" she asks quietly.
"Now we're careful. We lay low, keep our heads down, and wait for Varro to make a mistake." I brush my thumb across her jaw, gentle over the bruises. "And you stay here. Where I can keep you safe."
