They swarm me, picking at the tray of food. "Don't worry, there's more where this came from."
Before I have time to blink, one of them has their elbow linked with mine. "Come on. Girl-time in the kitchen now that the guys are gone. We can make cocoa."
I'm speeding down the hallway, my bare feet on the wooden floor a second later.
They're like two bees. Pulling out mugs, reassembling a snack tray, one of them getting out the ingredients for cocoa.
"This place is well stocked. It's not what I pictured a safe house to be like."
"Oh, some of them are rough," the blonde woman says as she pulls a giant spoon from the drawer. "I'm Allison by the way. But generally, Agile has freaking amazing safe houses. We've even got a cave."
"A cave? As in Batman?"
"Oh no," the redhead says, "the cave is a five star resort. I'm sure Ryker will take you there."
"Uh---"
They both grin at me at once. "We both felt like deer in headlights at first."
"He's just. We just. It's really not like that."
Allison settles on the stool beside me. "There's something you should probably know about former SEALs."
I'm staring at her when she pats my wrist. "They don't know how to stop."
"Good god, you can say that. And I'm Camile, by the way." She's adorable. Red hair, bright eyes, confidence exuding from her pores.
"Nice to meet you, Camile and Allison. I'm Jade."
"We know," they say at once.
"That's not creepy," Allison says, returning to her cocoa making operations.
The conversation bounces around for another ten minutes until they wrap up preparations and declare that the party is moving to the living room.
They don't ask me questions. They don't even seem to notice my bruises. Or they're too polite to bring it up.
For the first few moments, I can't even think of joining the conversation. My throat is burning with tears.
Please don't let them notice.
"Great cocoa, don't you think?" Camile asks me.
I nod, wrapping my hands tighter around the warm mug. These women have no idea how foreign this feels. Sitting somewhere comfortable. Warm drinks. Easy laughter. No dread creeping up my spine.
Except it is.
Because even as they entertain me with stories of how they met their guys and a few stories about the Agile Security team parties, the files I showed Ryker keep flashing behind my eyes.
Those names. Those ages.Confirmed. Placement.
Real people. Some of them probably not much older than me.
I take a sip of cocoa and the sweetness tastes wrong against the acid in my stomach.
What if my father knows exactly what's happening to them? What if it's not just negligence—not just a lazy sheriff closing cases? What if he's part of it?
The mug trembles in my hands and I set it down before anyone notices.
