Chapter 33
BLAKE
The next week floats by in a fog of restless sleep and blurred hours spent making phone calls and sorting paperwork. In our search of Brennan’s house, we found a life insurance policy with my name listed as the sole beneficiary. I struggled for a few days with whether or not I wanted anything to do with that money, but after taking a leave of absence from school and realizing I have nowhere to live and no money to support myself, I caved.
The first thing I’ll do with the funds is make a huge donation to a global foundation that fights to end human trafficking, only leaving myself with enough to get by until I figure out a plan.
While I was having a panic attack at the police station last week, Damon was setting up Brennan’s transfer to his colleagues’ funeral home. Yesterday, we went to pick up his ashes with a mold of his thumbprint in case I wanted to get a necklace made. His thoughtfulness brought me to tears again. Lately, tears seem constant—not just from the deep well of grief I’m drowning in, but also from the unspoken kindness of Damon, Falin, and the guys.
I thought Brennan was my only family, but I was wrong. I’m surrounded by more love than I could ever hope for. With time, I’ll get through this and come out stronger and smarter.
The place we currently call home is a quaint three-bedroom house at least five miles from civilization. Its siding is weathered and porch creaky, but I love the solitude. The interior looks as if it was decorated by an eclectic grandmother, with patchwork quilts and porcelain knickknacks. There’s even a faint scent of mothballs in the air. But it’s safe, and we’re together. That’s what matters most.
Sitting outside surrounded by tall grass and wildflowers, I watch a doe and her fawn nibble from a raspberry bush. It’s been a long time since I sat in nature this way, not worrying about which test I needed to study for, or when my next class would start. I haven’t even recited human anatomy in my head for weeks now. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, and I know I will, but this is what I need. Time without planners and schedules. Space to process my feelings. Maybe even a little bit of danger to remind myself I’m alive.
The screen door creaks, scaring the deer away. I turn to find Damon lurking in the doorframe. “Can’t be a creepy stalker with a creaky door like that,” I tease.
He lets out a low chuckle. “Nothing a can of WD-40 won’t fix.”
Standing and stretching my arms above my head, I make my way over to him. “Jasper and Falin still arguing in there?”
“Of course. I swear if they’re not already fucking, it’s going to happen any day now.” He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.
“I don’t think he can handle her,” I joke.
His chest rumbles with laughter. “You’re probably right. He needs a kick in the ass though, so I approve.”
Leon’s voice calls from inside. “I found something. Get in here!”
Damon and I exchange surprised looks. We’ve all been pouring over every scrap of paper we found in Brennan’s office, plus Leon and Falin have been working to hack into his electronics. Sadly, the only thing he had at the house was an older laptop. I assume most of his personal effects were at an office somewhere.
We hurry inside and find Leon actually grinning. I hadn’t seen anything but a scowl on his face since the warehouse. Falin sits beside him and asks, “Did you do what I said?”
He barely moves his head, but she registers the slight nod. “Yeah, and I added this here.” He points to his screen, where multiple programs are running at once.
“Well, what is it?” Damon asks, crouching to get a better look at the screen.
“How do you all feel about New York City?” Leon asks.
I glance around the room at each of their faces. Jasper’s eyes widen. Falin smirks like she won a medal. Damon tenses his jaw. I’m the first one to speak. “Let’s do it. If it brings us closer to taking these monsters down and finding Jasper’s sister, then I’m all for it.”
Damon turns to me, his brows furrowed. “Are you sure? That’s a big change and with everything that’s happened…”
“You heard the woman,” Falin says, her tone enthusiastic. “We’re moving to the city.”
My jaw drops and I study my best friend’s face. “You’re coming? For real?”
“Of course. I’m in this now. Plus,” she shoulder bumps Leon, “this bucket of fun over here needs my help. He wouldn’t know a buffer overflow from a stack overflow.”
Leon grumbles and flips her off. “I’m guessing that was an insult?” I ask, shaking my head.
“How’d you guess?” Falin teases.
Jasper seems to pipe in out of nowhere. “The city, huh? It’s been a long time.” I raise my brow at his slow, slurred response.
“Yeah, but not long enough. I fucking hate cities, but I guess that’s where we’re headed.” Damon crosses his arms and leans back, almost knocking over a crocheted wall hanging.
“Aww, don’t be sad, Freddy. You can chase me through Central Park.” I kiss his dimple and squeeze his firm butt.
“On to more important things,” Falin says. “What are we doing for Halloween tomorrow?”
“Oh, my God. How did I forget?” It’s my favorite day of the year.
Damon slips out of the room, but before I can ask where he’s going, Leon adds, “We should be packing and getting things squared away for the move. Every day we stay here is another day of them strengthening their numbers.”
“You really think they’re gone from this area?” I ask, finding it hard to believe an entire warehouse crew just up and relocated.
“I do. We’ve been watching. So has Ray and all his guys. They’re gone. Once the cops got involved, it was too risky to stay here. They must have connections in the city. Maybe they’re regrouping to buy new warehouses. That I don’t know. But we can’t wait to find out. There’s loads to do.”
“Jasper, why don’t you go lay down? You look dead on your feet,” Falin says in a tone laced with snark.
“I’m fine,” he says. “Just need to eat.”
Damon comes back into the room, holding a DVD and a grocery store shopping bag. “What’s all this?” I ask.
“Our Halloween plans.” He flashes the box and I laugh. It’s a copy of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street . “Complete with an entire bag of allergen-friendly candy.”
“Aww,” Falin cries out. “Damon wins the green flag boyfriend award of the year. But did you get Scream too? What about Halloween ? I need some Ghostface and Michael on our special day.”
I gather Damon into the biggest hug I can muster. “Thank you, that sounds absolutely perfect.”
“Maybe I can get you to put on those vampire fangs again,” he whispers, brushing his lips over mine.
“I think that can be arranged,” I say.
“One more thing. Turn around.” He spins me around and moves my hair to the side. “Grabbed this while I was looking for the DVD.”
The weight of a pendant settles around my collarbone as he secures the clasp. I reach up to feel the locket he gave me. “I did miss wearing it.”
“I missed seeing it on you.”
Falin groans. “I’m bored. Isn’t there someone we can go question? Or a kidnapped woman to rescue?”
Leon and Damon lock eyes and smirk. “There is something we can do,” Damon says. “It’s kind of a tradition for us. A boredom buster, some might call it.”
She perks up. “I’m down. What are we talking about?”
“Fight club night,” Leon croons. Falin’s reaction isn’t unlike mine when the guys introduced me to their nonsense. “You ladies can take round one.”
“Absolutely not,” I say. “I’m almost a doctor. I’m not going to beat the crap out of my best friend.”
Falin shrugs and stands, stretching her arms from side to side. “Come on, Leon. Let’s move the furniture.”
“Wait, what’s happening?” Jasper asks, finally piping in when he notices Falin stand.
“Fight club night, dummy,” she says. “You better be ready. I was trained by a family of cops and I’m going to whoop all three of your asses.”
“Oh, it’s so on,” Jasper drawls.
I wrap my fingers around my locket and watch the shenanigans unfold before me, grateful to know that in this chaotic and dangerous world, I have an anchor as long as we’re together.