The call from the Boulder police finally comes.
No charges. DA’s office concurs.
Zach wags like he understands English and due process. I nod. My throat pinches.
I’m not surprised. My family’s connections and all.
Plus, I didn’t commit a crime. I killed in defense of another.
No charges. The law says I did the right thing. But the law doesn’t crawl into my chest at two a.m. and smooth the wrinkled place where the shot lives.
Zach lifts his head.
I breathe. In. Out.
Thirty-Five
Tabitha
Henry’s words echo after he falls asleep beside me.
You’re mine. Always were.
The cabin is quiet except for the low hum of the refrigerator. Henry sleeps hard, one arm flung over his forehead. Zach’s curled near his feet, twitching at some dream chase.
I rise and find my clothes by the table. I dress quickly and return to the master bedroom to pack up.
It’s afternoon already, and I have class tomorrow.
Every nerve in my body feels awake. Like the night—and just hours earlier—was both a healing and a wound.
Henry is still asleep, and his sleep has become fitful.
I sit next to him, nudging him lightly. “Hey.”
His eyes shoot open. “Damn.”
“What?”
“Just…everything. My mind was full of…everything. Everything about everything.”
I nod. “Same here. I’m thinking about everything. The attack. The seminar. My life. You.”
He exhales slowly. “I’m not good with the dreams.”
I almost laugh. “You’re good at other things.”
“Yeah? Name one.”
“You make me forget the world exists.”
He rubs his eyes and sighs. “That’s not always a good thing.”
“I know.” My throat tightens. “That’s what scares me.”
He tilts his head. “Say what you’re really thinking.”
I stand and move to the window, looking out into the sunny day. “I don’t want to be the one who gets left behind when everything catches up with you.”
