Page 133 of Strays
Jay squeezes himself into the F-150. Shane and I take the Bronco with Jo.
She’s tense but composed as we tell her everything during the drive. She listens carefully, nods, then pulls out her phone and calls Dr. Lindstrom as we’re entering Milstone.
I know how bad this is for her career. It’s her third leave in less than six months. And the truth is, I don’t even know when or if she’ll be able to go back to work. If we get arrested after the trial, with Aranya still walking free... I don’t think I’ll ever let her go anywhere alone again.
The words come out before I think. “We need to talk to your family,” I say. “Make arrangements for the trial. If we go down, I want them to take you for a while, just until we get out. Your grandfathers, your uncles, they’ll protect you.”
“I’ll call them,” she replies softly.
I thought she’d push back. Argue. But she just agrees. Pride and respect swells in my chest. It’s already an incredible thing to be a fiercely independent nyra. But to know when to step back, to walk away from everything you’ve built, that takes even more strength.
The guilt hits hard.
It’s my fault.
I’m the leader of this pack. My brothers and I do everything together, but the shots fall to me. If I’d made peace with letting Aranya walk, none of this would be happening. We’d have a real shot at winning the trial. Jo would still be on track to finish her residency.
I’m drowning in it when I feel a soft wave of calming pheromones from the back seat. I almost can’t believe it: in one of the most stressful moments of our lives, it’s not me steadying Shane. It’s him grounding me.
I take a deep breath, letting him carry me.
I glance at him in the rearview mirror. He meets my eyes and nods once. I nod back, a quiet thank you.
We don’t talk much for the rest of the day. I think we’re all still too stunned by how fast everything flipped upside down. We keep Jo close. Don’t let her out of our sight.
Alice and Jayme arrive by six in the afternoon. We didn’t know they were coming.
Shane answers the door, and when Alice steps inside, she goes straight to Jo and hugs her. “Jayme told me about the judge,” she says, voice so soft it surprises me. “I’m so sorry, Jo. Whatever happens, we’re on your side. All the way.”
We leave the two of them on the couch, talking in low voices, and head out to the backyard with Jayme.
Shane’s direct. “How much jail time are we talking about?”
Jayme runs a hand over his jaw, eyes heavy. “Worst case?” He glances between us. “Six months. County jail.”
Shane doesn’t flinch. “And best case?”
“Probation. Fines. Maybe house arrest. But…” He hesitates. “With the way things are going, it’s leaning toward the worst. Renner said the DoD wants a conviction to make you three the perfect headline.”
Six months.
It’s not serving time itself that scares me. What tears at me is the idea of being away from Jo, and of losing our jobs. We’ll have to leave Milstone for sure. No way we can afford to stay, especially in the historic district, on a private security wage or cage-fighting paychecks.
Actually, we’d have to move anyway. First, because those jobs aren’t easy to find. We’ll have to go wherever the work is. Second, and more importantly,because after this I want us gone. I want Jo completely off the radar of fucking Aranya and whoever the hell is backing him.
We’ll need somewhere cheap to live. Somewhere with a strong enough cage-fighting league to make money and give Jo a decent life.
“We’ll need some kind of arrangement for Jo’s heat,” Jay says to Jayme, blunt. “She’ll have two in that time.”
Jayme sighs. “I’ll look into that. See how the system handles it for mated packs who serve time.”
Jay nods.
“We’ll take care of her,” Jayme adds. “We’ll be here to support her if you’re away.”
I’m grateful, but it doesn’t matter. “I appreciate it, Jayme,” I say. “But we’re sending her to her family in Idaho.”
I wish I could keep my voice neutral, but the words come out harsh.
