That at least was not a lie.
It just wasn’t anywhere close to the whole truth.
“Then we’ll get food in you,” he said. He gave her that open, easy smile again, but his eyes were still watching everything. The door. The windows. Juni.
Her.
One crisis at a time.
She madea plate for Juni first, cutting the pancakes into small squares the way Juni liked, with a pat of butter melting into the top and just enough syrup to make her happy without turning breakfast into dessert. Juni took the plate with a solemn thank you, then immediately inspected the syrup distribution like a tiny health inspector.
“Is it good?” Maren asked.
Juni took one bite and nodded. “Better than McDonald’s.”
“I’m honored.”
Mac accepted his own plate. “Thank you kindly.”
Maren slid two more pancakes onto a plate for herself. Then, because Juni was watching, she made another small stack and covered it with a clean kitchen towel.
“For Colin,” Juni said.
“For Colin,” Maren agreed.
Mac looked at the covered plate, then at Maren.
She pointed the spatula at him. “Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You had a face.”
“This is just my face.”
“It absolutely is not just your face.”
Mac’s mouth twitched, but he wisely went back to his pancakes.
Good man.
For several minutes, the safehouse settled into the closest thing to normal Maren had felt since coming home to a ransacked house. She listened to the scrape of forks against plates, Juni humming to herself between bites, Mac asking if orange unicorn hooves were considered a trendy fashion choice or a personal statement.
Maren had almost relaxed when she heard the SUV pull up.
Mac’s attention sharpened as his gaze went to the door. He stood, crossed the room, looked out the window, and nodded to Maren before she heard the sound of the front door unlocking.
Colin stepped inside. For one terrible half-second, Maren forgot how to breathe. His mouth was set in a straight line, his eyes dark.
They found something bad.
The thought went through her so cleanly and sharply that she almost dropped her fork.
Something about Mira? Sean?
Something aboutme?
Colin stopped just inside the door. His gaze moved over the room in one quick sweep, taking in Juni grinning at the table with syrup on her chin, Mac’s plate of half-eaten pancakes, and Maren sitting in the chair beside Mac.
