Aura’s face stayed composed, but some of the tension in her shoulders dropped.
Easton noticed.
So did I.
Good.
Let them feel safer without having to admit they were scared.
My phone buzzed again as Cole walked Rider through exterior sightlines and Ryan spoke quietly with one of the women about the back entrance. An email notification appeared from an attorney whose name I recognized immediately becauseeven I had seen him attached to cases rich families paid heavily to make disappear or survive.
Only this time, he wasn’t making anything disappear.
He was going to make sure Bliss didn’t.
The email was short and direct. He would speak with me first thing in the morning, then arrange a meeting with Bliss as soon as she was ready. No pressure. No police interview without counsel present unless she chose otherwise. He would coordinate with Knox only within ethical boundaries. He wanted all evidence preserved, all communications saved, and nobody contacting Luke under any circumstances.
For the first time all day, something inside me eased by a fraction.
Not enough.
Never enough while Luke was still out there.
But enough to breathe.
I climbed the stairs with my phone in hand and found Bliss sitting in my bed with three pillows behind her, Charm’s fuzzy blanket across her lap, Aura beside her scrolling through what looked like an aggressively organized list of medications and alarm times. Bliss looked up the second I walked in.
“Well?” she asked.
I leaned against the doorway. “My father sent private security.”
Her eyes widened. “You did buy a private army.”
“Small one.”
“Cade.”
“And retained an attorney. He’ll call in the morning. Nothing happens unless you want it to happen, but you’ll know your options before anyone asks you for more.”
Her expression changed.
Just like that.
The humor softened. The panic flickered. The girl who had been joking her way through pain went quiet because someone had put a wall between her and the world without asking her to bleed for it first.
“Your dad did that?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
I walked into the room and sat carefully beside her on the mattress. “Because I asked him to.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Was that hard?”
I gave her the truth because she deserved it. “Yeah.”
Her fingers found mine on top of the blanket.
