Page 51 of Property of Bones

Where his hand held mine like it was something worth holding.

LikeIwas worth keeping.

I don’t get that often.

I don’t get that ever.

The air smells like motor oil and wildflowers. A weird combo that probably only makes sense inside the walls of an outlaw biker compound. Different…but not bad.

And somehow,this…the porch steps, the chipped paint, the faint rumble of engines in the distance…feels more like home than my tiny apartment ever did.

How messed up is that?

“Hey,” Riley calls, pushing open the screen door from inside Jack’s house. When did she go in?

I look up, and Abby’s already smiling like she knows exactly where my thoughts drifted.

“Lunch is ready,” Riley says. “Hungry?”

“Only always,” I grin.

Abby follows behind her with a pitcher of sweet tea and three glasses. She’s got the sunshine-bestie aesthetic down to an art form. Hoodie sleeves covering her hands, that quiet strength in her walk.

I move a bit slower. The meds I took are still working, but I still get shocked with pain with every sudden movement.

We settle in. Eat. Sip tea. Talk about nonsense for a while…TV shows, hobbies, Abby’s attempt to teach herself French because, and I quote,“French insults sound fancier when you’re mad.”

But eventually, the small talk dies.

And I feel it.

That shift.

That weight.

“You okay?” Riley asks gently.

I nod. “Just thinking.”

Abby pulls her knees up under her chin. “Want to talk about it?”

Do I?

I stare at my glass, watching the ice melt.

“I think I’m scared of howsafeI feel here,” I whisper. “It’s messing with my head.”

They don’t laugh.

They don’t give methat look…the one people give you when you admit something fragile and they don’t know what to do with it.

Riley leans in slightly, her voice soft. “When I first came here, it was to find that feeling of safety.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm.” She nods. “My ex wasn’t a good man. I’d just had Asher. He was only a few days old but I knew I had to get us out before something terrible happened. He hated the Shadows. Hated them with a passion. So, I knew he’d never look for me here. I just wanted a few hours of rest... and a place to breathe.”

“I’m so sorry,” I murmur.

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