Page 49 of Coty

“Yes, ma’am.” I take Kira’s hand and pause in the doorway. Hendrix has moved to the middle of the yard. Coty and Jay still stand at the bottom of the steps. “Don’t go far. Lily will need someone to walk her back.”

My words mean more than that. I just can’t bring myself to say more.

“Not about to leave her.” Jay’s been quieter tonight than normal. He and Jack are close., He doesn’t need to be asked to stay. He wasn’t going anywhere. A knife twists in my heart when my eyes meet Coty’s. I hurt him. I hurt both of us. I find enough courage for more. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“If you want to.”

I nod. “I think I do.”

“I’ll be here, Sparky.”

He’s still calling me that horrid nickname. Maybe Lily’s right. There just might be hope for us.

“Kayla, we need to go inside and close the door,” Nina says.

She’s right. It’s past midnight. There’s at least one angel in the house, and she has a little boy. A part of me wants to stay out here and try to talk with Coty. A bigger part of me is too broken and too afraid.

“I’m tired.” Kira drops my hand and steps inside.

“Goodnight,” I whisper and hurry into the house.

Nina closes the door and turns to hug Lily again. Kira stands at the edge of the living room. Her wide eyes take in everything. Fear and uncertainty of what’s ahead show on her face. Lily stares in awe for a different reason.

The house is decorated beautifully. It’s cozy and comfortable. No signs that this was once a bachelor’s home exist anymore. The furniture, decorations, and the paint on the walls have all been changed. One corner of the living room was turned into a play area for the angels who have little ones. If children have their own little place, it helps the mothers feel more relaxed.

“You’re safe here, Kira. There are only women in this house.” Nina accepted the role of House Mother when Nanny came up with the idea of turning Jack’s house into a home for the angels as they pass through Willow Creek.

“More women are here?” Kira bites her thumbnail. “Like me?”

“At times there are.” As a trained professional, Nina detours the conversation. “Your room is ready if you want to go to bed. You and Kayla can even share a room if you’d like. You’ve come a long way. If you’re hungry, we had lasagna for dinner.”

Kira’s hand drops to her stomach at the mention of food. My stomach feels those pains too. We got a burger and loaded up on snack food at the travel center. That was hours ago.

“Food sounds good. We’ve mostly had junk food.” Kira looks too afraid to speak up, so I do. “I can help you fix it.”

“We were eating dinner when…it happened,” Kira says softly as she slides into a chair at the kitchen table.

“Road food is not the same.” Lily gets glasses from the cabinet and pours us all some sweet tea.

Lily shares a little of her story with Kira while Nina warms up the leftover lasagna and garlic bread, and I cut up vegetables for a salad. Within twenty minutes, we have a meal. The conversation while we eat changes to lighter subjects. No mention of men or abuse. It really helps Kira to relax.

“So.” Lily pushes her plate aside and leans forward with her forearms on the table. “Why didn’t you want me to know you were here?”

Nina dabs her napkin to the corners of her mouth. “At first, I wasn’t staying. I didn’t want to put either of us through saying goodbye again.”

Lily leans back. “Yeah. The first time was hard enough.” She regains her composure and gives a quick little jab of her finger at Nina. “You could have explained all this better.”

Nina laughs nervously. “I really couldn’t. We all swore to keep the organization a secret. Only Jacob or the other chapter presidents explain things.” She glances away and lowers her voice. “Not all the angels let us help them.”

“This isn’t legal, is it?” Kira’s eyes shift between the three of us.

“Not exactly,” I admit.

Nina takes over. She’s better trained for this. “The McLeods tried working with the police to rescue women from domestic violence. There’s a lot of red tape involved. We’re just bypassing the red tape.”

In other words, no, this isn’t exactly legal. Women and children’s lives are being saved. That’s all that matters to me.

“Try not to worry and just rest tonight. Jacob will explain things when it’s time.” Nina gives Kira a reassuring smile.

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