“Where are you going?” TJ’s voice hits my back, but I don’t give a shit.
He should know better than to follow me right now. I don’t stop, but he catches up, blocking my path.
“A kid?! You two are really funny.” I meet his gaze, and all amusement has vanished. “What is he thinking? He’s lost his damn mind. I didn’t follow orders, but I did exactly what he would have done! He knows it, and you know it!” I yell, jabbing a finger at him.
TJ doesn’t move a muscle, letting me get it out.
“Cole Matthews, really?” I stare at him.
I don’t know anything beyond what I learned in that room, but TJ damn well knew he wasn’t a kid.That’swhat matters.
“Is this some kind of joke? Did you know it was twenty-four-hour protection?”
He releases the tiniest breath like his ass just got snagged.
I laugh, and it’s so full of sarcasm I practically see it slice through him. “Why is he doing this?”
TJ’s eyes flick between mine. “I’m not sure.” His usual gruff voice grows tender. “He told me this morning I was off, and you were on. That’s it.”
I inspect every inch of his face and find it’s the truth.
“My guess is because it’s. . .time.” His shoulders drop an inch. “You can do this, Ryder. You’re ready.”
My jaw clamps shut so tightly my teeth may shift. “You have no idea what I’m ready for.”
I push around him, needing time and space and a shit ton of therapy if I’ll survive this.
_______
I step inside the cream-colored stucco house with a fresh cup of coffee, chewing the last bite of my blueberry muffin. The gated home sits on a large plot of land on the outskirts of Miami. It’s secluded and quiet, with the security of Fort Knox.
It’s a refuge for lost souls wounded beyond repair. A safe haven that will never heal all that’s broken inside, but a place to start for those willing to fight. We call it The Oasis.
I pause at the words painted on the wall over the doorway.
She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom .—
N. Hawthrone
There was a time when I couldn’t fathom their meaning. I carry the weight and find the freedom despite it. If I can do that for another, all the pain will be worth it.
I inhale and blow it out slowly, having spent the last two hours at the gym, releasing the rage threatening to consume me. What was rage is now confusion. I don’t know why Tracker is assigning me to Cole Matthews, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll do it, and he knows it. There’s no backing down.
A woman descends the stairs, balancing a toddler on her hip and holding a little boy’s hand. Her smile is weak. “Hey, Ryder.”
“Hi, Sandy. How’s this little doll?” I squeeze the girl’s chubby foot.
“She’s settling in.”
“Good.” I smile, dropping to a squat in front of the boy. “How about you? Have you been finding all the trucks in the toy room?”
He only nods, curling into his mom’s leg.
Sandy showed up in the middle of the night a week ago with a black eye, a split lip, and a broken hand.
“We’re helping out in the kitchen, aren’t we?” She runs her splinted hand over his head. “You staying for lunch?”
I shake my head. “Not today.”
