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Bodies littered the floor, every last one motionless. Joel and Adrían stood in the middle, scanning them, no doubt searching for signs of life. At some point, Sydney had taken refuge behind the kitchen island.
“Ma?”
Ayesha released Josiah and examined his face and clothing. “Jojo? Baby, are you okay? Were you hit? Do you feel any pain?”
Josiah shook his head. “No, no pain.”
Joel headed toward them but stopped.
He looked like someone dumped a pail of blood onto his head. Like Mike, he would avoid touching them until he was clean.
“Are you okay, Josiah?” he asked, a keen edge to his voice.
Josiah nodded. “Yeah, Dad. I’m okay.”
Joel’s gaze landed on her, and she reassured him she was unharmed with a nod of her own.
“Josiah, why aren’t you at school?” he continued. “What if something happened to you? Son, don’t you know how much I love you? How important it is to all of us that you’re safe?”
Tears filled Josiah’s eyes, and he burst into tears, mumbling apologies.
Ayesha hugged him close.
Joel’s expression changed from fearful anger to guilt, but there was no need to feel guilty. Josiah shouldn’t have been here. Although these weren’t the consequences she wanted him to reap for his actions, they were consequences nonetheless.
“Eesh?” Sydney called. “We’ll take my car and head to you and Joel’s.”
Ayesha helped Josiah to his feet and covered his face as they made their way outside. Before they exited, she looked back over her shoulder to find Joel watching her.
“I love you,” she mouthed.
He visibly relaxed.
* * *
Ayesha lay with Josiah in his room until he fell asleep.
When Joel came home, she heard as he walked up the stairs and entered their bedroom. It would take him a minute to piece himself back together, so she kissed Josiah’s cheek and went downstairs to try to find some semblance of balance. She wasn’t expecting to find Adrían standing in the middle of her living room.
“Olá, querida.” He waved. “How are you feeling?”
“Does Joel know you’re here?” she asked.
“He invited me.” He shrugged. “To torture and kill me, I presume.”
She tried to walk but ended up running over and crashing into him. His entire frame softened, and as he sighed, he set his cheek on top of her head and returned the embrace.
“Thank you, Adrían,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. “Thank you for helping us help Theo.”
“It’s Theo, Ayesha. Of course, I’ll help.”
“Are you staying?”
“I suppose it’s up to…Joel?”
Usually, it would be up to them both, but Joel didn’t trust her judgment when it came to Adrían. Sometimes, she wondered whether he actually believed she could ever cheat on him.
She released him. “There’s an entire guest suite set up in the basement. It’ll probably cause a skirmish, but I also have unopened packages of men’s clothes that should be able to fit you. I’m just now realizing that you and Joel have a similar build.”
