Chapter 27 Havoc
Havoc
The house settles hours later.
Dylan finally falls asleep on the couch.
Buddy curled against him.
Guard dog on duty.
Grandpa was sleeping on and off, not knowing what was going on.
Ace and Blaze rotate watch outside.
Wolf’s running patrol.
I step onto the porch.
Need air.
Need quiet.
Aspen is already there.
Sitting on the steps.
Wrapped in a blanket.
“You should be inside,” I say.
“So should you.”
Fair.
I sit beside her.
Not too close.
Not far either.
The night is still.
Texas quiet.
Stars stretched across the sky.
“I used to sit like this with Joseph,” she says softly. “When we visited grandpa.”
There it is.
The name.
The line I shouldn’t cross.
I stare out into the dark.
“He talked about the stars like they were something you could navigate by forever,” she continues.
“He said they were the only thing that never changed.”
I swallow.
“Yeah,” I say quietly.
“He was right.”
She turns her head slightly.
“You think about him too.”
Not a question.
A realization.
“Yeah. I think of all of my buddies who never made it out.”
The word comes out rough.
We sit in silence for a moment.
Then she says—
“I don’t remember the last time I felt safe.”
That hits.
Harder than anything else.
I shift slightly closer.
Not touching.
But close enough.
“You are,” I say.
She exhales slowly.
Like she’s been holding that breath for years.
“I believe you,” she whispers.
And that right there?
That’s the moment.
The one where something changes.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But real.
And dangerous.
Because now…
This isn’t just about protecting Tank’s family.
It’s about protecting her.