Page 44 of Protect

Hope kneels at the edge of the grave, tears streaming silently down her face. She reaches out with a trembling hand, gently touching the flowers. “Goodbye, Mom,” she chokes out. “I’m so sorry. I love you.”

Knox, Jaxon, and I stand back, giving her space to grieve. After a few minutes, Hope rises unsteadily to her feet and I move to her side and carefully put an arm around her. She leans into me, clinging to my shirt as she lets the tears fall freely.

No more pretend.

“It’s going to be okay,” I murmur, rubbing her back. “We’re here for you. We’ll get through this together.”

She wipes her tears from her skin with her sleeve. “Thank you,” she says softly, glancing between Knox and Jaxon. “For everything.”

I nod, then stare at the grave as I can never truly accept her thanks, not after everything.

Hope gathers more flowers to lay over the grave, covering every inch with blossoms. The white petals stand out starkly against the dark soil, but the sight seems to calm Hope.

Knox shifts and tilts his head back to the cabin. “Ready?” he asks.

“Yes.” She licks her cracked lips and her gaze flicks between us, her expression softening. I see trust there now, small but real. It makes every bruise on my knuckles worth it.

Every second of doubt. Every hesitation. Every lie we told ourselves.

“Come on,” I say, guiding her back towards the cabin.

Knox lags behind, lingering by the grave. I know what he’s thinking, the guilt he hasn’t quite let go of.

“You coming?” I call back to him.

He nods, his gaze lingering on the flowers. One more deep breath and he’s with us, his shoulders straightening as he falls into step beside me.

KNOX

My eyes are fixed on her as she walks between Jaxon and Dimitri. A weak sway in her steps but her strength is seeping back. She’s stronger than I’ve ever been. I know what I have to do now. I know how to make it right. I have to be the one to end this, to cut the last tie.

I watch her as she curls up on the couch. She doesn’t flinch away when I sit next to her. She doesn’t pull back as I graze my fingers over her side.

“Here,” Jaxon hands me a water bottle and nods towards Hope. “She needs to drink.”

I open the cap and press it against Hope’s lips, careful not to hurt her. She takes a sip, then slumps against me.

“We can’t stay long,” Dimitri says, pacing. His eyes flick to me and I know he’s waiting for my answer, my decision. “Whoever called Coach must realize we’re here.”

“Pack up,” I agree. “Then we’re gone.”

Hope shifts slightly, her head resting in my lap. Her trust feels like a second chance, one I don’t deserve but will take. One I’m not going to waste.

Dimitri’s unease prickles my skin. His hands flex at his sides and I roll my shoulders. “I’ll do it.”

He stops and stares at me but it’s Jaxon that speaks. “Can you, though?”

I scoff. “Why couldn’t I?”

“You were his golden boy, his freaking poodle.”

I pause for the anger, the lash out, but it doesn’t come. Probably too exhausted to truly respond to it, other than, “Did you just call me a poodle?”

He shrugs. “You know what I mean.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose with a sigh. “Right…”

I peek down at Hope, memorizing every spot on her skin, every mark Coach gave her.

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