Chapter 35 Aspen
Aspen
The dust hasn’t even settled before the silence hits.
It’s different now.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Empty.
Dylan stands beside me.
Watching the road.
“They’ll come back,” he says.
“I know,” I reply.
“Mom, do you think they’ll win?”
I look at him.
Really look at him.
At the boy who’s already lost too much.
“They will,” I say.
Because I need him to believe that.
I pull him into a quick hug.
And this time—
I don’t let go right away.
Rylie steps onto the porch beside us.
She doesn’t say anything at first.
Just stands there.
Present.
Steady.
“I remember the first time someone left on a mission like that,” she says softly.
I glance at her.
“How did you handle it?”
She smiles a little.
“I didn’t.”
That makes me laugh.
Just a little.
And I needed that more than I realized.
Inside, Trigger is already moving.
Checking doors.
Windows.
Angles.
He nods once to himself.
Then to me.
“You’re secure,” he says.
His voice is calm.
Certain.
And somehow…
That helps.
Later, Dylan sits on the floor playing with Buddy.
Rylie joins him.
“Is he always this protective?” she asks, scratching behind Buddy’s ears.
“Yes,” Dylan says proudly.
“He’s basically a Ranger.”
Rylie grins.
“I can see that.”
Buddy puffs up like he understands.
I stand in the kitchen.
Looking out at the land.
The barn.
The place where everything changed.
Joseph’s secret.
Havoc’s promise.
The danger circling us.
Rylie steps beside me.
“You trust him,” she says quietly.
Not a question.
I hesitate.
Then—
“Yes.”
She nods slowly.
“Good.”
“That means you’re already stronger than you think.”