Page 65 of Deacon

“Yeah,” I said against his shoulder. “Actually, that would be great.”

He squeezed once before releasing me. “Done.” Then affection and fury collided in his expression in that particular way only Evan could manage. “And for the record, I still hate those people.”

A laugh escaped me, shaky and worn thin but real. “Get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

We turned toward the nurses’ station, but my thoughts stayed with Jade. My girl had been walking through something I hadn’t seen clearly enough, carrying humiliation and loneliness while I accepted a friendship that had apparently ended years ago because she let me believe it still existed.

Another truth rose beneath that one, quiet and unwelcome.

Tomorrow, I was going to ask questions I should have asked sooner.

Depending on the answers, Jackson Hayes might not be the only ghost I dragged into the light.

17

Lila

I barely slept. Jade was already asleep when I got home from the hospital, her bedroom door cracked open, the hall light catching one bare foot tangled in her blanket the way it had since she was little. I stood there watching her breathe, trying to reconcile the girl sleeping safely in front of me with the one Chloe had described in the ER. Jade had been walking through school alone, carrying things I had missed because she had gotten frighteningly good at making them look light.

Guilt followed me into bed and stayed until I gave up on sleep before sunrise. I started coffee while the apartment remained dark, letting the familiar motions occupy my hands while my mind ran in circles. Eggs hissed in the pan beside bacon, toast waited on a plate, and the old pipes gave one halfhearted complaint when I turned on the faucet. Something warm and ordinary on the table felt important before I asked my daughter questions I should have asked a long time ago.

Jade shuffled into the kitchen wearing sleep-rumpled shorts and one of my old T-shirts, her dark hair going in six directions around her face. She stopped when she saw me over the stove and squinted suspiciously at the microwave clock. “Why are you up? And why are you making breakfast? Are we in danger?”

A laugh almost escaped me. “Good morning to you too.”

She came farther into the kitchen, studying me with increasing suspicion. “No, seriously. What’s going on?” Before I could answer, someone knocked on the door, and Jade glanced toward the sound before looking back at me. “Are we expecting anyone?”

“Yes, actually.” I lowered the heat under the pan and reached for a plate. “Uncle Evan’s coming over. Can you let him in?”

Her squint deepened. “Now I know something’s wrong if he’s out of bed this early in the morning.”

“Jade.”

She muttered something about early-morning conspiracies as she headed for the door. A second later, Evan’s voice floated down the hall before either of them appeared. “Well, good morning, gemstone. You look like a raccoon who just lost a bar fight.”

Jade answered immediately. “And you look like a man who spent way too long deciding which cardigan best says emotional support homosexual.”

They came into the kitchen together, Evan clutching his chest in theatrical offense while Jade carried the white bakery box he had brought. The second she recognized the logo, her steps slowed. She looked at the pastries, then at Evan, and finally at me as every trace of sleepiness left her face.

“Okay,” she said carefully. “Why did you bring bribe pastries?”

Evan blinked. “Bribe pastries?”

“Yes. These are from my favorite bakery. Nobody gets these unless someone died, got hurt, or you have some other bad news you’re trying to soften before you say it.”

The instinct to protect her from what came next tightened my chest, but protection had already cost us too much silence. I set down the spatula and faced her fully. “Sit down, baby.”

The humor disappeared from her face so quickly that I hated the entire morning for a second. Evan saw it too. He placed a gentle hand at her shoulder and guided her toward the table, choosing the chair beside hers instead of across from her, less interrogation and more family closing ranks. I turned off the stove, carried the plates over, and sat with them while breakfast cooled untouched between us.

“I know you weren’t at Chloe’s last night.”

Jade’s head came up fast. Her shoulders stiffened, and I watched an explanation begin assembling behind her eyes. I reached across the table before she had to use it. “I also know you haven’t been hanging out with her for a long time. Chloe was in a car accident last night and ended up in my ER.”

Jade went still, but shock never reached her face. That told me enough.

“They were drinking,” I continued, keeping my voice steady. “Chloe had alcohol in her system. The boys she was with had drugs in theirs too. They could have killed her or somebody else.”