Chapter 42
Tessa
Ididn’t expect the world to look… normal.
After everything.
After last night.
After Daniel.
After finding out it’s not even over.
But it does.
The sun is out.
The sky is clear.
And just beyond the edge of the property—
Wildflowers.
Bright.
Soft.
Alive.
Like nothing bad has ever touched this place.
I step outside before I even realize I’m doing it.
The air is cool, brushing against my skin, grounding me in a way the walls inside couldn’t.
For a second, I just stand there.
Breathing.
Letting it settle.
Then my eyes catch on a patch of color just off the path.
Yellow.
White.
A few soft purples mixed in.
My chest tightens.
I used to do this all the time.
Before everything.
Before prison.
Before fear started deciding what I could and couldn’t do. I have always loved flowers. That’s why I opened my florist shop. Which I need to get back to.
I move toward the wildflowers slowly.
Like if I rush it, I’ll break the moment.
Kneeling down, I reach out, brushing my fingers lightly over the petals.
Delicate.
Alive.
Free.
A small, quiet smile pulls at my lips.
“I was wondering where you went.”
Ace.
I glance over my shoulder.
He’s leaning against the porch railing, arms crossed, watching me like he’s been there longer than he’s letting on.
“You always track people this closely?” I ask.
“Only the ones who wander off after almost getting kidnapped.”
I huff softly.
“Fair.”
He pushes off the railing and walks toward me, slower this time. Not tactical. Not urgent.
Just… Ace.
“Flowers?” he asks.
I nod.
“I love to pick them for the shop,” I say. “Wild arrangements. People love them.”
His gaze softens slightly as he looks down at what I’m holding.
“You in a hurry to get back?”
The question catches me off guard.
“I am,” I admit.
He crouches down beside me.
Close.
Not crowding.
Never crowding.
“You have a beautiful shop,” he says.
“Thank you?”
A small shrug. “It feels like you.”
That does something to me.
Something quiet.
Something steady.
I glance at him.
“You don’t even like flowers, do you?”
His mouth twitches.
“They’re fine.”
“Wow. Glowing review.”
“They make you look like you belong here,” he says simply.
My breath catches.
Because that—
That wasn’t casual.
That wasn’t teasing.
That was something real.
I look back down at the flowers, my fingers gently gathering a few stems.
Careful.
Always careful.
“You can’t just rip them out,” I murmur.
Ace watches me.
“I figured you’d just grab them.”
I shake my head. “No. You have to do it right or they won’t last.”
He leans slightly closer.
“Show me.”
I glance at him, surprised.
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
I study him for a second.
Then hand him a small cluster.
“Here. Hold them steady.”
He takes them—awkward, like he’s holding something fragile he doesn’t trust himself with.
It makes me smile.
“Not so tight,” I say, adjusting his grip. My fingers brush his.
Warm.
Steady.
He stills slightly at the contact.
So do I.
Then I focus.
“Angle your hand like this,” I guide, moving his wrist just a little. “You want to keep the stems clean.”
“Didn’t think flower picking had rules,” he mutters.
“Everything has rules.”
He glances at me.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
A beat passes.
Then, softer—
“Some are just harder to learn than others.”
His gaze lingers on mine.
Longer this time.
Like he knows I’m not just talking about flowers.
Ace
She looks different out here.
Lighter.
Still carrying everything—but not buried under it.
Like this…
This matters to her.
The flowers.
The normalcy.
The quiet.
I watch the way her hands move.
Careful.
Precise.
Like she’s rebuilding something small and important at the same time.
“You’re good at this,” I say.
She shrugs a little. “It’s one thing I never lost.”
Good.
Because she shouldn’t have had to lose anything else.
Blaze’s voice cuts through my earpiece.
“Ace.”
I straighten slightly.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve got something.”
Of course he does.
I glance at Tessa.
She notices the shift instantly.
“Problem?” she asks.
I don’t lie.
“Maybe.”
She stands, brushing her hands off, still holding the flowers.
“Then let’s go.”
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just… ready.
I study her for a second.
Then nod.
“Yeah.”
We head back toward the house together.
Close.
In sync.
Like we’ve already figured out how to move around each other.
Tessa
I don’t leave the flowers behind.
I carry them with me.
Not because they matter more than what’s coming next—
But because they remind me of something.
Something important.
That this—
All of this—
Isn’t everything.
That there’s still something soft left in me.
Something worth protecting.
Blaze is already pacing when we walk in.
Laptop open.
Screens lit up.
“What did you find?” Ace asks.
Blaze turns the screen toward us.
“There’s a pattern,” he says. “Financial transfers. Anonymous routing. But they all trace back to one place.”
“Where?” I ask.
Blaze hesitates.
Then—
“Eagle River.”
My stomach drops.
“That’s here,” I say.
“Yeah,” Blaze confirms. “Which means whoever helped Daniel?”
He looks between us.
“They’re local.”
Silence falls.
Heavy.
Dangerous all over again.
I tighten my grip on the flowers in my hand.
Because now—
This isn’t something coming from the outside.
It’s already here.