That's the price she hasn't calculated yet.
And the worst part for her is that she won't run from it.
I've already seen that much.
When I pushed her against the wall, when my hand closed around her throat, and I leaned in close enough to feel her breath, she didn't try to escape.
She looked at me as if she understood exactly what I was capable of, and she stayed right where she was. That's the part of Stratton I'm still trying to figure out.
Because a woman who accepts punishment that easily is either completely broken or she's waiting for it.
The way she's gotten under my skin should disgust me.
Instead, it sharpens something darker.
A restless, physical awareness that has nothing to do with anger and everything to do with the fact that when I pushed her against that wall and closed my hand around her throat, her body didn't react like someone who wanted to escape punishment.
If Lily-bug decides Stratton is interesting, and she will, Stratton won't be able to avoid her. Which means sooner or later she'll step over that line, and when she does, I won't just have the authority to correct it.
I'll have an excuse.
The truth sits there for a moment before I force my attention back to the table, where Lily has just declared the triceratops the undisputed ruler of the dinosaur kingdom.
I nod solemnly at the verdict.
But somewhere in the back of my mind, a quieter part of me is already anticipating the inevitable collision between my daughter's curiosity—and Stratton's inability to disappear.
A few minutes later, Ghost nods toward the hallway.
"Thorne."
"Go check out your room, Lily-bug." I squeeze Lily's shoulder and stand. "Second door on the left, right next to Grandma and Papa, and right across the hall from me."
She hops off the chair and runs down the corridor, already curious about whatever new territory is waiting there.
Ghost and I walk after her at a slower pace.
The sleeping quarters branch off the main hallway in clean concrete rectangles. Lily's room is the first one, already set up with a small bed, bright blankets, and a shelf stacked with stuffed animals and books that someone planned ahead to bring. My mother's touch.
Across the hall is mine.
A king bed sits against the far wall. Minimal furniture. A bathroom with a glass-walled shower that takes up half the space.
Functional. Comfortable. Temporary.
Ghost leans against the hallway wall and studies me for a moment.
"There's a lot of tension between you and Stratton."
I don't answer immediately.
"Tell me why I shouldn't have the others rotate watch on her." Ghost's steady gaze holds mine, completely unreadable.
"Stratton is mine." The response comes out before I've fully considered it.
Ghost's expression doesn't change.
"As long as she's in the same building as my daughter." I meet his gaze without blinking. "Stratton is mine to handle."
