Page 112 of Not Mine to Rescue

“I’m coming anyway. Maybe we’ll both rest better together.”

She shouldn’t. She couldn’t. “Honor?”

“Please?”

“I need the space.”

Her face fell, and my heart followed it right into the depths. She whispered a subdued, “I see” in response.

No, she didn’t. This wasn’t me rejecting her, it was me keeping her out of harm’s way. If she stayed here, she had an alarm system, a police station nearby, and lots of witnesses to notice if Winter skulked around her townhouse intent on fucking with her. I didn’t want to scare her, but I also needed to keep her away, if only for tonight. “It isn’t like that, it’s just until shit calms down, understand?”

“Are you sure?”

No. I needed her. She might think she wasn’t strong, but she’d been my anchor when the world went up in flames. Maybe it was her past that made her so competent, or maybe that was just who and how she was, but she was beautiful and tough, like the rarest of diamonds.

To keep her that brilliant and perfect, I needed to guard her with all the violence and brutality I’d learned since becoming a Destroyer. “Yes. I’m sure.” I bit my lip to keep from saying more.

Her eyes narrowed in on that movement, then flashed back to fix me with a stare that quietly spoke, I don’t believe you.

You’re going to have to trust me, beautiful.

DA fought the lead as I walked to the door. Molly whined.

Both of them were likely smarter than I was. Or maybe they’d picked up on the sad truth this was just the first of probably a hundred goodbyes. Each one would be harder than the last.

Until Honor wised up and realized that we just didn’t work.

I drove away thinking, Love isn’t enough. It never was. My parents loved us, but failed at the hard part. Showing up when life shoved love into the mud and stomped on it was what it took to prove you loved someone, not just being there when it was easy or convenient. Blindly, I thought I could be that person for Lemon and Sonnet.

My older sister probably thought the same thing, but was smart enough to get selfish and take care of herself before she learned the hard way I was too immature to fill the role of a parent. Just like Mom and Dad.

Lemon was just beginning to see the cracks.

Yet, I’d make the same mistakes all over again—a hundred times over.

The truck bounced on the driveway as I failed to avoid all the potholes. DA shot me a glare as if to berate me for being such an idiot. “I know. I’m distracted. Sorry, buddy.”

His tongue hung out, mocking me.

“You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

If the way he licked his chops and panted at me was any answer, it was likely yes.

I parked the truck and let him out.

He froze in the driveway, sniffing the air. An uncharacteristic growl rumbled in his throat. I scanned the twilight for threats. Walt’s SUV was long gone. Nickel’s van was nowhere in sight. Kid’s lifted truck, also gone, along with a large amount of debris from the barn. The bones of it stood jagged and black against the darkening sky. I searched the shadows for signs of Hoot.

Nothing.

Fly’s beater was parked next to Lemon’s car, and I steered DA in that direction. He met me at the door.

I stated the obvious. “You look high.”

“I tweaked something. Lemon gave me an aspirin.”

He was on something stronger than aspirin. “I want DA with you, guarding the house tonight.”

Fly, stoned as he was, still scanned me from head to toe. “Do you think that’s necessary? I’m here.”