They don’t move.
Ryan’s face is pale. He just sits there in the seat, legs curled under him, arms wrapped around his chest like a makeshift shield. Elise is frozen stiff beside him, her posture rigid, her jaw clenched. She looks ready to fight or run. Probably both.
Brooke moves toward them with slow steps, her voice softening. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You can come out.”
Elise eyes her warily, like she's waiting for a lie.
“Where did you take us?” she asks, her tone sharp. “Are we being kidnapped?”
Brooke doesn’t flinch. “No. We’re here to protect you.”
“And who are you?” Elise snaps. “I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
Brooke nods once. “Fair. But I know who you are. And I know what your mom wanted.”
That gets a reaction. Elise’s eyes flicker, like something cracks beneath the surface. But she still doesn’t move.
Naomi steps forward. “This is a safe house. It’s hidden, monitored, locked down. No one can get to you here.”
Elise looks between all of us like she is trying to find the trick. She slowly gets out of the SUV. Ryan finally shifts. He unbuckles, climbs out of the SUV, and stands beside Elise, saying nothing, just staring.
Beau walks past. “If we’re done traumatizing them in the damn driveway, we should probably take this inside.”
“I’ve got them,” Brooke says. She moves slowly, gently placing her hand on Elise’s shoulder. “Please.”
Elise stares at the ground, then lets herself be guided.
Inside, the house lights click on one by one. They take in the house. One long hallway leads to bedrooms, an armory, med supplies, and a main room with a couch and a stocked fridge.
It’s not their home. But it’s better than the morgue.
I hang back. I can’t look at them. Not yet. Because I don’t know what to say. I’m the reason they were in that car. I’m the reason they almost died in it.
Brooke meets my eyes across the room.
I nod once. She’s got this.
I’ll protect them with everything I have. But she’s the one who knows how to make them feel safe.
I stay silent.
My hands still smell like gunpowder.
Ryan sits closest to the end, his shoulders hunched, his eyes flicking between faces. Elise stays tight next to him, her posture defensive, ready to fight or flee if we so much as twitch wrong.
I should’ve said something. Introduced myself. Told them I was their brother.
But what the fuck am I supposed to say? Hi, I’m the dead kid your mom cried over for twenty years, and now half the country wants me dead. Welcome to the safehouse.
Brooke sits on the edge of the coffee table.
“You’re safe here, I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but you are.”
Elise’s arms stay locked across her chest. “You literally just kidnapped us.”
“Not exactly.”
“You shot people.”
