Ivy
Hampton, Virginia
My ears are still ringing.
Dalton’s arms are wrapped around me so tightly I can feel the rapid pounding of his heart through his shirt, like it’s trying to break free from his chest. His hand is cradling the back of my head, pressing my face into him, like if he just holds me hard enough none of this can touch me.
“I’ve got you,” he keeps murmuring, over and over again, voice low and rough in my ear. “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”
I don’t realize I’m shaking until he tightens his grip.
Glass crunches under boots somewhere behind us. Voices murmur. Radios crackle. The front door opens wider, then shuts again. Everything feels like it’s happening underwater, like I’m watching my own life from somewhere outside of my body.
Dalton doesn’t let go when the police arrive. He doesn’t even loosen his hold.
One of the officers asks me a question but Dalton answers for me, voice clipped and controlled, giving details in a way that tells me he’s forcing himself to stay calm.
Two men. Dressed in black. Masks. Forced entry through the front window and front door.
I can feel the vibration of his chest when he speaks, each word steady but tight, like he’s holding something back.
Kyler arrives not long after, the sound of his truck door slamming echoing down the street. His boots are heavy on the walkway, urgent, purposeful. I feel Dalton’s arm tighten instinctively around me when Kyler steps inside.
“Ivy.” Kyler’s voice is firm but softer than I’ve ever heard it. I lift my head slightly, enough to see him scanning me head to toe, eyes sharp, assessing, searching for injury.
“I’m okay,” I manage, though my voice sounds small and unfamiliar even to me.
His jaw flexes. Relief flickers across his face, quickly buried under something harder. “What happened?”
Dalton answers before I can. “I came back for my lunch,” he says, voice tight. “Door was open. Window smashed. They had her restrained.”
Restrained.
The word makes my stomach turn.
Kyler’s eyes darken as he takes in the shattered glass scattered across the hardwood, the overturned chair, the broken lamp near the wall.
“Did they touch you?” he asks me quietly.
“No,” I whisper quickly. “They just…grabbed me. They were trying to get me out of the house, I think. They didn’t talk much. I’m not sure if they spoke English or not.”
Kyler exhales slowly through his nose, tension radiating off him in waves.
Dalton doesn’t move.
One of the officers approaches, notebook in hand.
“We’ve located the vehicle matching the plate number you provided” he says, addressing Dalton. “Units conducted a traffic stop about three miles from here. Two individuals detained. We’re bringing them in for questioning.”
My fingers curl tighter in Dalton’s flight suit.
“They didn’t say much,” the officer continues. “Both appear to be foreign nationals. Limited English proficiency.”
I feel Dalton go very still. Kyler, too. Something shifts in the air between them. Something silent and heavy.
“Foreign how?” Kyler asks evenly.
“We don’t have full identification yet,” the officer says. “Initial communication suggests Eastern European, possibly Russian or Ukrainian, but we’ll confirm once we process them.”
Dalton’s jaw tightens against my temple.
Kyler nods once, slow, controlled, but I see the tension in his shoulders.
Neither of them say anything else.
Neither of them looks surprised.
Another officer asks me a few questions, but everything feels blurry. Dalton answers when I can’t. His thumb traces slow circles against my arm. I don’t think he’s realized he hasn’t let go of me once.
A familiar voice suddenly cuts through the noise. “Ivy!”
Lila rushes through the front door, Alinna right behind her, both of them looking terrified. “Ivy,” she breathes. “Are you okay? We came as soon as Kyler called.”
“I’m okay,” I say again, though my voice trembles.
Dalton hesitates before finally loosening his hold, his hands lingering at my waist for just a second longer than needed before he lets Lila pull me fully into her embrace.
Alinna squeezes in next, hugging me just as tightly. “You scared the hell out of us,” she murmurs.
Behind them, I see Kyler watching Dalton. And Dalton watching me.
The distance between all of us feels complicated, heavy, and charged.
An officer steps inside, speaking quietly into his radio.
Dalton’s phone vibrates in his pocket at the exact same moment Kyler’s does.
Both men glance down almost simultaneously.
I know that look.
Work.
Dalton answers first, stepping a few feet away but still within reach of me, like an invisible tether connects us.
“Yes, sir,” he says, voice immediately shifting into something more formal. Controlled.
Kyler turns slightly toward the window, answering his own call in a low voice.
A pause.
Dalton runs a hand through his hair. “Understood. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Kyler ends his call seconds later, jaw tight.
“They’re calling me in,” Dalton says quietly.
Kyler nods once. “Me, too.”
The words settle heavily in my chest.
Something big. Something serious.
Dalton looks back at me, hesitation clear in his eyes for the first time since he burst through the door.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he says softly.
“I know,” I whisper.
Kyler steps forward slightly. “The police said they will leave officers here,” he says. “She won’t be alone.”
“We’re staying here, too,” Lila confirms, Alinna nodding beside her.
Dalton nods, but he still looks reluctant to move.His hand finds mine again, squeezing gently.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he says.
And I believe him.
Because after today, I know exactly what he does when something threatens me.
And I know he won’t stop until he finds out why.