“Valen?” Clover’s voice breaks through my wild thoughts.
I blink and scratch the itchiness where my heart is. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Madi asked if you’re taking care of yourself too.”
I focus on the screen for half a second, fully aware that I’m being interviewed by her best friends.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“That’s what Clover always says too.” Savvy unnerves me. “And it’s not usually true.”
Fair point. It still doesn’t mean I like how easily Savvy reads me.
“I’m good,” I amend. “Promise.”
She studies me while I scan from the phone to the road and back again. Finally, she nods. “Okay. But call us tomorrow, Clover. Same time.”
“I will.”
“And text us tonight,” Madi says.
“I will.” Clover’s tone is amused. She’s relaxed, even with the interrogation.
“And if anything happens?—”
“I’ll call.” She giggles. “I promise. I love you guys.”
“Love you too.” Their voices sing the words in harmony.
Clover ends the call and leans back into her seat with a lightness about her that was missing earlier. “They’re a lot.”
“They love you,” I say.
“They do.” I feel her gaze on me. “What were you thinking about? When I was talking with them.”
“Nothing.” It falls from my lips too quickly, denial coating every syllable.
“Liar,” she breathes, but before she can press me further, my phone rings with Roman’s name flashing on the console.
Pressing the green accept button, I say, “Roman.”
“Hey. Got a minute?”
I glance at Clover beside me, then at Chief lounging in his recliner. “Yeah, you’re on speaker. Clover and Chief are with me.” Wrecks barks, and I roll my eyes.
“Good, I wanted to update everyone anyway. The property is secure. Our intel was correct. We don’t see any signs of activity here in weeks. I’ll have the entire perimeter mapped out before you arrive.”
“Good.”
“But I’ve also been looking into the letters Clover received. The ones supposedly from you.”
Clover sits up straighter. “What about them?”
“They were postmarked from the same small town in Vermont that Clover’s been writing to all these years.”
“Peachvale,” Clover whispers.
“Yeah. It has a population of about seven hundred. Sterling ran a cross-reference with the town census. There’s a woman listed as a resident named Miriam Thorne. And get this, Mom had Miriam Thorne listed as someone in Terra’s inner circle, and the census shows that Miriam purchased a home there two years before Mom disbanded ROS. The house burned to the ground about a year ago and has not been rebuilt.”
