My first order of business was tossing out every single pink thing I owned. Considering how much of my closet still belonged to fifteen-year-old me, that was a lot. A whole lot. I would have to make time to buy a new wardrobe now that I had the cash for it, but that wasn’t a priority at the moment. The nicest thing I had left was the dress Volkov had bought me, which I stuffed into a trash bag along with the other clothes to donate. That left me in dark-wash jeans too loose for my waist and a niceish plum-colored sweater that hung off my shoulders thanks to the weight I’d lost during captivity. At least the matching flats still fit.

Doing my best St. Nick impersonation, I flung the bag over my shoulder and headed downstairs to meet the Pritchards.

Amelie sat on the couch next to Boaz. She stood when I entered the living room. “Can we talk before you go?” She fidgeted with one of the silver bands on her fingers. “I know Mr. Hacohen is waiting, but it won’t take but a minute”

“Sure.” I tossed Boaz the remote. “Turn on the TV and don’t leave this couch.”

I led her into the kitchen, and we each claimed our usual barstools.

“There are some things I’ve been meaning to say.” She linked her fingers to keep them still. “When Volkov took you…” Her knuckles whitened. “I worried I might not get the chance.”

“Let me go first.” Hers wasn’t the only conscience in need of unburdening, and all those days spent locked in my own head had given me nothing but time to think. “I’ve been a crap friend, Amelie.”

“Grier, no.”

“Amelie, yes.” I flattened my palms on the granite countertop. “We made all these big plans when we were kids. We had our whole lives planned out from renting our first apartment together, attending the same college, working in the same city so we could do lunch dates every Friday. I was even willing to sacrifice my self-respect and marry your brother so that we could be real sisters.”

A snort escaped her. “The way I remember it, you were eager to fall on that particular sword.”

“Again—” I had to shake my head “—you are way too invested in my nonexistent love life.”

“I’m your best friend.” She reached over and took my hand. “It’s my job to look out for you. I’ve kind of sucked at that lately.”

“I’m not done yet.” I stopped her there. “Let me get this out in the open.”

Amelie mimed zipping her lips, the action giving me the nerve to continue.

“I got…sent away…and that path dead-ended for me. I lost my shot at having that perfect life, and when I got home and saw you had kept going, accomplishing all our goals without me, I didn’t know how to deal.” I scratched my nail over a speck of glittering mica. “I was hurting so much, being back here, trying to pick up my life when there wasn’t anything left to hold on to, and seeing how well you’re doing made me jealous.”

“I should have tried harder to understand. It was just easier pretending none of it ever happened. That things were back to the way they used to be. Even when I offered to help you talk it out, I hoped you’d keep turning me down because I didn’t really want to know what they did to you in there. My imagination is bad enough. I was sure the reality was worse, and I couldn’t deal. I’m not as strong as you.”

“You have to know that I’m proud of you. You do know that, right?” I covered her hand with mine until we ended up in a contest to see whose hand came out on top. “You stayed the course. You’re living your dreams. You’re on your way to achieving all your goals.”

“Not half as proud as I am of you.” A fat tear rolled down her cheek. “You survived.”

“Some days I’m not so sure,” I admitted with a sad little laugh. “Mostly I try not to think about, well, anything, really. I live in the moment. But then I come home from work, and it’s quiet. There are no crushed herbs perfuming the air, the house doesn’t rattle on its foundation when Maud blows something up in the basement, there are no strange guests wandering through the house all hours of the day and night.”

“You’re lonely.”

The lights overhead dimmed in agreement.

“Yeah.” I patted the nearest wall. “I guess I am. We both are.”

“Pinky promise time.” She whipped hers out and waited for me to pony up mine. “We both need to get out more. Starting this Friday night, you and me are going to find trouble to get into at least once a week. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Are y’all done jawing in here?” Boaz stomped around the corner, giving us fair warning. “Our ride is waiting.”

I twisted on my stool until I faced him. “Our ride?”

A grin twitched in his cheeks. “You didn’t think I was letting you go alone, did you?”

“Yes?” I had Mr. Hacohen as an escort after all. “Did the invite specify either way?”

“Don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “Don’t care.”

“I have to go. My first tour leaves in an hour.” Amelie groaned. “Meet you back here after work?”

“Pick up Mallow on the way, and you’ve got yourself a deal.” I launched myself at Amelie before she could wriggle off her stool, and clung to her like kudzu on a brick wall. “I love you, Ame.”

She clung right back. “Love you too, Grier.”

“Group hug.” The eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room joined in and squished us until our eyes bulged. “Now that my girls have kissed and made up, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Eww.” Amelie elbowed him in the ribs. “Brother cooties. I’ll have to shower after this.”

“Too late.” He pressed a smacking kiss to her forehead. “You’ve been colonized, little sis.” He got me on the ear when I turned my head to escape, then licked his lips. “That was waxier than I imagined.”

“Whatever.” I shoved him, and he stumbled into the wall. I jumped up and ran to him, hooking my arms under his. “I’m—”

“—a sucker,” he crowed, wrapping me in his arms and rolling across the floor with me until I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. “I can’t believe you fell for that. This leg is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I get all the sympathy points from hot chicks.”

After shoving Boaz off me, I stood and straightened my top. Amelie hiked it back up my shoulder and smoothed down my hair so I would look halfway presentable. Though Boaz stuck out his hand for help up, we both ignored him. Jerk.

After walking Amelie out, I stood on the porch and touched on the wards. Holding steady, thank the goddess, but weak, too weak to be any real protection. I had to knuckle down and get them repaired for both our sakes. The next time Volkov… I exhaled a shuddering breath. No. There wouldn’t be a next time. I would see to that. Whatever it took, I was going to figure out a way to keep us both safe.

Since Mr. Hacohen was nowhere to be seen, I assumed he had retreated to the air-conditioned comfort of the car to await me. I was taking the steps down when warm fingers encircled my wrist from behind. Panic seeped in before my brain could throw on the brakes, and I snapped my arm up, breaking the hold.

Startled to find me standing a yard away from him, Boaz wrinkled his brow. “What?”

“I can’t deal with surprises.” I inched back to his side and looped my arm through his instead. “Not yet.”

“Let me know your limits.” His eyes softened. “For once, I won’t push them. I swear.”

“Thanks.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. “You’re not half bad half the time.”

He led me down the drive. “And the other half?”

“You’re a holy terror, exactly as Amelie described.”

The driver greeted me with a nod as he opened the door to reveal Mr. Hacohen on his phone. I wobbled back a step as my vision tunneled on the yawning blackness of the interior. The car was the same model as the service Volkov used. A Lincoln Continental. Not even the deep crimson paint job, which screamed High Society, could keep my heart from rabbiting.

“I can’t do this.” I broke from Boaz and stumbled back. “I’ll get Jolene and meet you there.”

“You can’t go out alone right now.” Boaz kept his hands to himself but inched closer. “Let me drive you.”

I focused on my breathing until normal sight and sounds returned. “Okay.”

“Wilhelmina is in your garage. Hope you don’t mind. I needed somewhere to stash her when I left, and I figured she could use the time to bond with her little sister, Jolene.”

Ignoring the fact that he seemed to believe my garage was our garage, I had to stop him right there. “You named your new bike Wilhelmina?”

Smiling so wide he displayed every tooth in his head, he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Oh, Boaz. No.” I groaned when I got the joke. “You did not name your bike that so you could ask girls to hop on your Willie.”

His rolling chuckle only confirmed my suspicion.

“Perv.”

He winked down at me. “Never claimed to be otherwise.”