“Mom?” I glanced up and saw Serenity sitting beside me.
“Hey, what’s up, honey?”
“We’re losing Dad.” Trust Serenity not to muck about with her words.
“Dad’s beyond my reach,” I replied honestly, “but I’ll keep fighting.”
“It’s partly my fault. I should have obeyed and stayed the hell away. Dad told me I’d no right being there,” Serenity whispered. Guilt crossed her face.
“You wanted to help and did. What’s done is done, honey. You can’t change the past,” I said softly. My heart clenched as I remembered how recklessly Serenity had thrown herself into danger.
“Mom, I thought I had the answer to everything. I was twenty-five years old and an idiot.”
“You’re only two months off twenty-seven,” I teased, and Serenity shrugged.
“Mom, you know what I mean. I was stupid, and Grey lost his life because of me.”
I sobered and glanced away. Grey’s death was still a wound. The former FBI agent had died a hero’s death, but the damage had been done. Willow had, for all intents and purposes, become a widow and fled Rapid City. She was back home now and in a steady relationship with my son, Fanatic. But there was a definite distance between Willow and Serenity.
As harsh as it was, I understood where Willow stood. Grey had died saving Serenity. If Serenity had stayed on the plane with everyone else, Grey wouldn’t have had to protect her. The man had taken a bullet meant for her. Serenity had made a huge target, and her actions cost us all dearly. Family events always had a tinge of awkwardness now.
“You can’t even deny the facts,” Serenity whispered.
“Serenity, you don’t need me to state that you placed everyone at risk. But I strongly believe you thought you were helping. Naturally, Fury would have put a target on Drake’s children.” My tone softened. “Serenity, I don’t blame you for wanting to help,” I said.
“But do you for Grey’s death?”
“No. I believe everyone has a time limit. When we hit it, we can’t cheat death. It comes for us all, eventually.”
Serenity pulled a face. “That’s frickin’ grim.”
“It’s how I think, and I won’t apologise. We all have a limited amount of time, honey. It’s what we do with it that matters. You made a genuine mistake, you’re sorry for it, and that’s what counts. If you learned from it, then Grey’s death wasn’t in vain.”
“My actions have harmed Dad.”
“Your dad was always going to blame himself, but this goes deeper. Drake isn’t a quitter, and I can’t help but feel there’s something else happening. I’ve never known him to spiral so badly.”
“Has Uncle Chance?”
“No. Even during Rage’s darkest hours, Drake had hope.”
“There were a lot of deaths, Mom.”
I pursed my lips. Serenity wasn’t wrong, but my gut screamed there was more that I didn’t know. Drake might be depressed, but the speed at which he was escalating was frightening and unnatural.
“Trust me, everything will be fine,” I murmured, even though I didn’t believe the words myself. The look Serenity sent me stated she didn’t either.
Ace
“Aurora says Drake is in grave danger,” Klutz announced, leaning over my desk.
I looked up and held his gaze. “Wanna start that from the beginning?”
“Aurora had a vision. Drake stands at a crossroads, life or death,” Klutz replied as he sat down. While I wanted to laugh, I couldn’t. My own spiritual beliefs, mixed with what I’d seen from Aurora-Victoria, already meant I knew the warning was genuine.
“Drake won’t talk to anyone—fuck, he won’t even come to the club. Short of locking Drake up, I don’t know what to do,” I admitted.
“Aurora said Phoe can save him; she has to do some research. It was foggy to Aurora, but she says Phoe is vital.”
