“No.”Tears burned behind my eyes.“She thinks they’re boring office papers.I made her promise not to look at them because I didn’t want her involved.I thought if she didn’t know, she was safe.”
No one spoke because everyone knew what I was realizing.
Not knowing didn’t make her safe.It made her defenseless.
I looked toward Twister.“We have to go.”
“We will.”
“Now.”
Twister nodded once.“Address.”
I rattled off Novalea’s address, and Magnum typed it into his phone.
My chest felt too tight.“She’s a teacher.She’s probably home by now.Unless she stayed late.Sometimes she stays late.She grades papers or sets up her classroom or—” My voice cracked.“I should have called her.”
Wheels cupped the side of my face.“You were trying to protect her.”
“I put a target in her house.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have,” I wheezed.
“No.”His voice went firm.“You don’t get to blame yourself for what they do.”I stared at him and he leaned closer.“You hear me?”
I nodded, but it was shaky.“I need her to be okay.”
“She will be.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No,” he admitted.“But we’re going to get to her.”
Twister was already moving.“Swift.Hodge.Magnum.Wheels.With me.”
Britta stepped forward.“Swift—”
“No,” Swift said before she finished.
Tempi stood too.“Twister—”
“No.”
This time, neither woman argued.
Maybe because they saw my face.Maybe because they understood this wasn’t the moment.
Tempi crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me hard.
I froze for half a second, then hugged her back.
“We’re bringing her here,” Tempi whispered.“You hear me?We’ll make room.We’ll figure it out.”
A sob tried to crawl up my throat, and I swallowed it down.
Britta hugged me next, quick and tight.“Novalea is going to be okay.”
