She was quieter than usual, and her general vibe felt off, too. Remy being prickly was par for the course, so when she went silent, he noticed. And silent was only part of it. She was moving slower. Almost as if putting one foot in front of the other required a Herculean effort.

They were at a meeting to plan the variety show, and with the kickoff of what everyone hoped would be an annual event just one month away, the brainstorming and sharing of ideas were in full swing.

“My husband can make whatever you decide.”

Finn nodded at Tori and gave her a thumbs-up. “Moveable walls to make up for no curtain are a brilliant idea.”

Brody was sketching out their group vision for how to handle scene changes. Finn leaned forward and took a long look.

Tori swiveled in her chair and addressed Remy directly. “Explain again how we protect the gym floor. Setting up a couple of hundred chairs could destroy the wood.”

Finn listened carefully and waited for her response. Painfully aware of the wobbly undercurrent she put off, he gave serious thought to this new side to her character. Insecurity was not a word he’d normally associate with Remington Bisset – but the vibe was rolling off her in waves.

“Here. Look,” she replied to the question. She tapped on her iPad a few times and then pushed it for Tori to see. “These carpet systems convert a basketball floor to a multipurpose event space. It’s all very sophisticated but simple at the same time.”

On an easel whiteboard, their production director, Ingrid, was bullet listing technical and stage crew duties. She was having an animated discussion with Lacey Cameron, who was sporting one of those baby sling things.

He looked for a peek at Lily Rose’s sweet little face. Until he came to Arizona, Finn hadn’t considered that he was much of a fan of kids. Oh sure, he was an uncle to Dev’s kids and a bunch of his EMT buddies were family men – but beyond that, he was a blank slate. Times change, though. Now, he was fall down in love with Aidan and Stevie and could barely wrap his mind around being the godfather to Stephanie and Calder’s son, Wolf. He glanced across the room at Sophie Marquez. She was idly rocking a stroller back and forth while picking through a box crammed with god knows what. Her son would be a couple of months old now – same for Meghan’s twins and Wolf.

The baby explosion at the Villa was a real thing. Tori had a newborn, and Angie was showing some bump.

When Jace appeared, Remy ignored him, and Finn wondered about the unusual behavior. It wasn’t until the guy made a beeline to Sophie that he thought maybe he got it. Sophie and Jace’s surprise friendship had thrown everyone for a loop. Remy even told him she hadn’t seen that one coming.

Was she jealous? Or disinterested? It was hard to tell because in the realm of giving stuff away? Remington was the undisputed champ of no reaction. Nothing seemed to ruffle her feathers.

Nothing, that is, except him. He did way more than just ruffle. Through sheer force of will and perseverance over time, he saw glimpses of her inner life despite being ruthless about her personal no-fly zone. Anyone stupid enough to get close was shot down with alarming speed and accuracy. But where he was concerned, progress was made in inches not feet. Sometimes, he felt as though for every three steps forward, they took one step back.

“By the way, I posted a sign-up sheet for the softball team. Make sure to put your name on it.”

That voice? Domineau Rivera. The new and very surprising programming director for the Justice Agency. She and Jace were now running the whole show.

Finn shook his head and sighed. So many changes.

He put on his observer cap and took it all in. They were an unusual bunch. As he watched the groupings of people, his mind kept drifting back to Remy. He knew something wasn’t right but had no idea how to go about bringing up the subject without ending up with his balls removed.

His phone pinged. Bella. A smile spread across his face. There were two females in his life at the moment. One was working overtime to pretend they didn’t inhabit the same planet, and the other was a six-year-old vixen with rebel tendencies.

He glanced at Remy. Unless he got hit by a car right in front of her, chances were she wasn’t about to start chatting him up. Not that getting run over justified a conversation. Ugh. Picking up his phone, he opted instead for the attention of his other girlfriend.

Hurry up, Finn, her message read. Lady FiFi wants her dad.

Answering Bella, he dropped a smiling emoji and typed, Tell Aunt Meghan to settle down. I’ll be there soon.

He sniggered. Bella was six. Not sixteen. She could do a lot of things, but texting words and sentences required adult help. It was his pain in the ass sister yanking the chain.

Alex was keeping his wife and twins on lockdown, and who could blame him? He might not have liked the guy at first, but he knew his brother-in-law better now. Alex Marquez was a stand-up guy. Meggie could have done a lot worse. The guy owned his dark past and didn’t try to be something he wasn’t.

Abandoning his pregnant wife two months before their twins were due to run off to the other side of the globe and play avenging warrior hadn’t gone done well. When the babies decided to make an early appearance, he’d made it back in time with only three days to spare.

Twins were a lot to handle so up stepped Sophia and her amazing organizational abilities. She slid right into Meghan’s spot at the family center.

Heather’s laugh rang out. She and Ingrid were gesturing and acting something out that had them in stitches. The two made quite a team with Ingrid and her vast performance experience meshing well with Heather’s unique ability to marshal people. Something he knew personally since she got him to agree to perform a magic act for the show.

Just like with that douchecanoe Brody, she asked in front of Bella – a totally unfair advantage. Next thing he knew, he was Finn the Fantastic with his assistant, Bewitching Bella.

No. For real. That was happening!

Jace approached and asked if he could have a minute. Keeping the surprise and curiosity off his face, he followed Remy’s cousin from the room and stepped into the hallway. As the gymnasium doors swung shut, he caught a momentary glimpse of her face. She looked … unsettled.

“What’s up?” he asked.

A good deal of hemming and hawing greeted his question, which was odd considering Jace had asked to speak with him. An alarm bell sounded quietly in his mind.

“You realize she’ll kill me for sticking my nose in, right?”

Yeah, that was a given, but until he knew just exactly what Jace was sticking his nose into, he kept his reaction to a lazy shrug.

“I just thought you should know,” he continued with a nervous glance at the gym doors.

Hmph. Interesting. “Know what?”

Silence.

“Jace, come on. What the fuck? I’m involved, man.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not stupid. I know something’s up. Tell me, don’t tell me. Just pick one and stick to it, okay?”

The other guy nodded and folded his arms in front of his chest. “She has to be the one, Finn. It’s her story.”

“I know. And I’m not pushing her. So what’s this about?”

Jace took a minute to answer. “This would be a bad time.”

He studied the man’s face and considered this new information.

“How bad?”

A thrum of anxiety started in his gut when Jace looked away and cleared his throat before answering.

“Very bad.”

He had some experience dealing with victim trauma and PTSD. One of the first calls he’d managed as a young EMT had been the marathon bombing. He understood in ways it was difficult to voice.

“Qualify that for me, would you?” It seemed to Finn like a perfectly reasonable question. Jace’s response opened a new look into the inner life of Remington Bissett.

“August is the worst.”

Oh.

He swallowed.

Fuck.

, he thought. This explains a lot and gave him further cause for worry. He nodded briefly. “Okay. I understand. But you do realize she saw us come out here, right?”

“Yeah. Sorry. Made it worse for you, but I can’t say nothing. She’s heading to a bad place. I can feel it. Sorry Finn, but I can’t say more except this. She’s going to crack. Trust me. It’s been coming on for a while, and when it happens, it’ll be in an instant.” He snapped his fingers to make the point. “It’s all there. Right beneath the surface. Waiting to come out. And when it does, she’ll be shattered.”

He did not like the near panic in Jace’s voice. And he definitely didn’t like the endless scenarios he imagined during his time with her. Remy thought of herself as damaged and broken. Finn didn’t need a cheat sheet to understand what that meant. He knew whatever lurked inside her was going to be ugly. And painful.

* * *

Remy wrung her hands after seeing Jace and Finn head into the hallway. Dammit. She didn’t need this right now. As it was, it took every ounce of strength she had to stay upright and act semi-normal. Especially when her impulse was to find a dark corner to crawl into and stay there. Maybe forever.

“Are you okay?” Tori gently asked. She reached out and clasped Remy’s wrist.

What the hell was wrong with her? Instead of snatching her hand back and repelling both the contact and support, she fought off the impulse to spill her guts. It was the Justice Ladies. They had some sort of magical aura that made Remy want to confide in them and seek their awesome guidance.

A bolt of surprise lanced through her when she answered in a wholly unfamiliar way. “Hormones. You know how it is.”

Did those words just come out of her mouth? Holy shit, yes. Girl talk was not something she did or had experience with.

Tori tut-tutted. “Poor Finn.” She chuckled.

Pfft. She had no idea!

This was one of those times when Remy knew without a second’s pause that she had reached her limit. If she didn’t act quickly, well, she wasn’t sure what might happen.

Luckily Tori got called away by Ingrid, so it was easy to just shrug and say, “It’s cool. Go ahead. I have to wrap it up anyway. Early call time.”

Not entirely true but so what.

Scurrying to find her backpack, she grabbed the tattered bag and slung it over her shoulder. With a nod to Ingrid, she pointed at the door and made the universal ‘I’m out’ sign.

And then she bolted. Right into the middle of Jace and Finn’s tête-à-tête. Pulling up short, she glanced at their shocked expressions.

Oh god, just what she didn’t need.

“Are you leaving?” Jace asked.

What a stupid question. “No. I’m going for a walk. Of course, I’m leaving,” she churlishly spat.

Beantown chuckled. It was what he did best. Smirk and snicker. She wanted to smack his arrogant face. Purely by habit, she hurled one of her usual insults.

“Isn’t there a bar groupie waiting for you? Someone with an IQ that matches her shoe size?”

And his reaction? Another chuckle-smirk. Fucker.

“Nah,” Finn drawled. “My girlfriend frowns on sharing.”

She tried pinning him to the spot with a fiery look, but she was emotionally flapping in the wind like drying sheets on a laundry line. If she didn’t get out of there, and fast, she was afraid of cracking, and that was something she’d never do. Crack. In front of anyone.

“Whatever,” she bit out in a none-too-friendly way. “I gotta go.”

She noticed the looks Finn and Jace exchanged and didn’t know which one of them to go off on first.

Thinking to cut them off with a pre-emptive strike, she snarled, “Shut up,” and stomped away from them. It only took a few seconds for Finn to react.

“Hey, wait up.”

No. She had no intention of slowing her roll. At all. The walls were closing in, and everywhere she looked Remy saw corners – real and imagined. What she needed was fresh air – and fast.

He caught up with her at the door to the staff parking area. She tried blowing past his attempt to stop her escape only to end up glaring at him while her hands formed tight, painful fists.

“Easy does it,” he murmured.

He was kidding, right? She tried shoving him out of the way with her shoulder. He didn’t budge. Used to the generalized anxiousness that dominated her inner life, Remy wasn’t prepared for the tidal wave of hysteria bubbling just below the surface. When she felt it, panic seized hold.

Oh my god, she realized when nothing could stop the emotional deluge. I’m going down. The horror of publicly losing her shit terrified her.

She couldn’t best him physically and he’d grown immune to her bitchiness. That left her with only one option if she wanted to get out in one piece.

With a grimace that indicated how difficult it was, she tried saying his name only it came out like a whimper. “Finn.”

Touching her arm with a barely there caress, he met her gaze.

“I have to get out of here. Now.” She was shaking and biting her lip. Tears she couldn’t release burned her eyes. “Please.”

He swept the door open with one arm and silently guided her from the building. They’d driven to the Double M together in his truck because she’d brought an assload of art supplies and equipment that the stage crew would need.

She stumbled slightly when her foot wobbled on some stones. His hand wrapped around her bicep to help her stay upright.

That was the moment she started to freak out. Her skin burned where he touched her. The panic became very, very real.

Stopping dead in her tracks, she wiggled her arm from his grasp. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed.

They were next to his truck, and Finn’s expression revealed his shock and concern. He put his hands up in surrender and eyed her warily.

Remy slumped against the side of the truck and battled her emotions. “I’m sorry. It’s not you.”

That was the best she could do. But he didn’t press. At all. It was if he knew somehow, and the realization threw her off.

“Give me your pack,” he demanded with his hand out.

Relief that he respected her boundaries swept through her body, and she handed off the heavy bag, careful not to make contact.

He opened the truck door and stepped back to give her maneuvering room. Grasping the safety handle, she pulled herself into the passenger seat and leaned away from the door.

“Jesus, Remy. I’m not going to touch you, okay?”

Fuck. She was starting to crack. “Take me home, Finn. Hurry.” That was all she had.

He nodded, waited for her to belt in, and then shut the door with a thud. She spent the next few minutes trying to breathe her way through whatever was happening. Aware of nothing else except her heartbeat, her vision eventually cleared, and she saw they were approaching the security gate at the Villa.

Pulling the big truck right up to the stairs that led to her apartment, he jumped out the second the vehicle was in park and ran to her door. As he pulled it open, she heard him say, “It’s okay, honey. I’ve got your back.”

How she landed on her feet was a mystery when what she wanted to do was collapse on the ground and crawl up the stairs.

Darkness crept into her head. Nobody had her back when it counted. When she needed it most. Hearing those words spoken by the only man who’d finagled his way around the barricades she used to keep people out made her nervous. She was vulnerable to Finn O’Brien.

He might have sensed her turmoil because he grabbed her backpack and started climbing the stairs. “I’ll get the door.”

The effort it took to get up those stairs wiped her out by the time she reached the top. Blinking, she clutched the handrail on the last step and shot a baleful glance at the long porch walkway leading to her place.

Finn watched her closely. She tried not to make eye contact. Getting to the door of her apartment and assuming the fetal position was all she could handle.

Every movement felt like a step along the green mile. A strange coldness crept up the sides of her neck and made her shiver. The knot in her stomach triggered troubling gurgling sounds.

Sliding carefully past him when she reached the apartment door, all pretense of control crumbled to dust when her sanctuary came into view.

This wasn’t the first time she’d fallen apart. She remembered with cringe-worthy detail a previous breakdown that had ended with a forty-eight-hour hold. That time, she knew what was happening and simply couldn’t manage the blowback. This time had an out-of-left-field quality to it.

Things had been going well. Really well. So why now? Why the nightmares and the fear? It didn’t make sense, but then again, being fucked up in the head wasn’t supposed to make sense.

With that crushing thought, it all came crashing down on her in an avalanche of horror that short-circuited everything else. In slow motion dread, a sensation rather like having a power line cut in two invaded her body.

Her foot moved forward as she walked, only her entire body suddenly went numb. Like a marionette with cut strings, she went straight down in a tangle of useless arms and legs.

Finn caught her before she hit the floor. That was when all hell broke loose.

* * *

What the fuck? Finn noticed her wobbly-kneed shimmy a second before her legs gave out. Reflex made him catch her fall. What was he supposed to do? Stand there and let her collapse? What if she smacked her head on the coffee table? Those and a dozen similar thoughts ricocheted around his brain.

All those thoughts however took an immediate and rather frenzied hike when Remy exploded as he touched her. To say she freaked out was an understatement.

When one second she appeared to have no more strength than a baby, something happened when he put his hands on her. All of a sudden, she went from fragile to MMA fighter.

With a cry of unleashed ferocity, she turned on him and struck out. If he weren’t a veteran of countless fight club encounters, she would have taken him down. He blocked some of her punches and kicks, but she still landed quite a few. The whole time, she wore a wild expression and yelled threats.

Backing away didn’t feel like an option. Jace said this would happen. He was deciding what to do next when she came at him with a fresh attack, and he stupidly took advantage of his height and weight by wrapping her in his arms so she’d calm the fuck down.

Bad move. Very bad move.

She stopped fighting back and gave up. The anguished howl she let out scared him half to death. So did the way her body went rigid. Something inside him ripped open. He’d never seen such pain and torment.

“Don’t hurt me,” she wailed.

He was so shocked by what she said that Finn froze. About to assure her he’d never, ever hurt her, the words stuck in his throat when she started talking.

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this,” she cried.

Her body was trembling uncontrollably. He was afraid to let go.

“I just wanna die.”

The rip inside him? It engulfed his soul. He lowered them carefully to the sofa. She was a total mess, and it was evident that she was having an acute stress reaction – like going into emotional shock.

“You aren’t allowed to die, Remington. You’re stronger than whatever you fear. I believe in you, honey. We can handle this. I meant what I said. I have your back.”

The reaction his words sparked was deeply troubling.

He didn’t say or do anything when she jumped up and started frantically pacing in front of him. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, and he sensed the storm raging inside her with every movement.

“Ha! No man has a woman’s back. Get real. That’s not how this works. Those are pretty words that mean nothing.”

He didn’t like what he heard in her voice. She sounded feral. Angry. Dangerous.

“Oh, they let us into the service. Even made a bunch of bullshit promises about being equal. But the truth?” She scoffed with a loud snort and stomped her foot. “Nothing but GI Joe pretending Barbie was anything more than convenient deployment ass.”

Stomping to a bookshelf, she yanked a box open and took something out that she threw at his face. Oh shit, he thought when he saw what it was. A picture. A picture showing Remy in full badass military gear standing next to a fierce looking helicopter. Beside her stood three men dressed in a similar style.

“Those guys? Yeah,” she barked. “Thought they had my back. I flew into heavy fire for each one of them. Thought that’s what we did. I was wrong.”

She paced some more, and just as quickly as she’d started, she came to a sudden halt. When she looked at him, Finn wasn’t sure who she saw.

“You wanna know, don’t you? Everybody always wants to know.”

His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. On the one hand, he had no idea what she was talking about, but on the other hand, he did. His stomach sank.

“They called me Hot Legs.” She shrugged, but her face told a different story. “The pilots with dicks? Yeah. They all got kickass call signs. Scorpion, Killer, Double Tap. The girl squad?” She glared at him with unseeing eyes. “Clever stuff like Syndrome. You know”—she scoffed—“as in premenstrual. Didn’t matter that we had better reflexes and flew circles around them.”

He studied the picture. She looked basically the same, but something in her eyes grabbed him. It was clear that Remy had loved being a chopper pilot. It didn’t require a genius to figure out something pretty fucked up had to have gone down for her to end up so far from something she’d been good at.

“Every day was a bad day. People lived. People died. It wasn’t a party. I did more than my fair share because, at the end of the day, I was always proving myself.”

She gave him a malevolent look. “Bet you don’t have to fucking prove yourself over and over and over.”

Well, she was certainly right there.

“Our C.O. was an all right guy. He was as fair as he could be. But that didn’t stop the females from ending up doing the shitty jobs. Like counting parachutes and stacking boxes in the hangar. I can’t stand disorganization, so you know me. Put on my bitch panties and took control. Played right into their hands.”

“Who’s they?”

“Oh, fuck off, Beantown. Am I not being specific enough for you? Do you need a roster?”

Knowing when his ass was being handed to him, he arched a brow, put the picture on the coffee table, and dipped his chin in an acknowledging nod. “My bad. Please continue.”

“Second tour. Earned some motherfucking respect or so I thought. I was wrapping up some reports and putting away a bunch of shit we got from a military support group back home when another pilot and a dark ops merc appeared. Drunk.”

He clenched his fists and fought to stay calm.

She stopped pacing and stood absolutely still about five feet from where he sat. He could see the pulse throbbing in her neck and smelled the fear rolling from her.

“There was no dance. No lead-up. They were looking for me. Hot Legs, they snickered over and over. The pilot took out his phone and played that fucking Rod Stewart song on a loop. I never stood a chance. One of ’em circled behind me and grabbed my arms. The other guy ripped off my shirt. I fought. Big time. Kicked the one guy pretty good. Started yelling. That’s when he put his hand over my mouth.”

He sat silently as she put a hand to her mouth as if playing out the scene in her head.

“Two against one,” she murmured as the bile rose in Finn’s throat.

“Somehow, I managed to get the pilot’s finger between my teeth. I remember chomping down as hard as I could. He yowled and then hauled off and hit me with a fist. I spit in his face. He hit me again and that was it.”

Remy started to tremble. He didn’t know what to do. She was locked in a memory of horror.

“When I came to, I was on the floor, half naked. The pilot had a boot on my forehead and the other guy was on top of me grunting like a pig.”

“Remy,” he croaked. She didn’t hear him. The memory had her, and there was nothing he could say or do.

Touching her forehead, she murmured, “You go someplace inside. Someplace where none of what’s happening can hurt you. When they finished, I lay there as they both took a whiz. On me. Because they were gentlemen, ya know?”

There was no doubt whatsoever in his mind that he was capable of committing murder. In fact, he was already formulating a plan. The thing was, if he thought that was it, he was in for a shock.

“So, let’s review,” she said in a small, shaken voice. “Two black eyes, gang raped, and covered in urine. I don’t know how I got dressed, and I don’t remember getting back to my barracks. The next thing that’s clear is going to the C.O.’s office. That’s when the system fucked me one more time. Sorry this happened. Better not to make a formal report. Lives ruined. Careers destroyed. I was speechless.”

She sank to her knees and stared straight ahead. “After that, the rude comments were my favorite. Did that was a popular taunt. Right away, my availability for flight was cut to nothing. The command turned a blind eye. Then I heard stories about other servicewomen and how rape, assault, and stalking were a common thing. I’d been so stupid,” she whispered. “Thought I was different.”

Her hands came up to cover her face, and a horrible sound tore out of her mouth. She slumped forward – still on her knees – with her forehead on the carpet. Before he had time to register what was happening, tremendous sobs wracked her body. Anguished wails filled the air.

“And then ...” She sobbed. “And then, oh my god.”

He rushed to her side but didn’t touch her. Her agony was tearing him up.

She rolled to her side on the carpet and drew her knees up. Snot and tears covered her face. “Oh, my god,” she cried over and over. “I was pregnant.”

Time sort of stopped, but her crying didn’t.

“I just couldn’t,” she screamed. “Oh, dear god. I just couldn’t.”

Finn lay on the carpet next to her and struggled. Less than two feet separated them. She was hysterical and gulping for air. He wanted to fucking kill somebody.

For a long time, she shook and sobbed while he guarded her. He put a hand on the carpet between them and willed her to reach for him.

Eventually, she began to calm. She had one hand under her chin and the other matched his flat on the carpet. Her pinky finger quivered and moved. At one point, the tip of her finger nearly touched him. He held his breath and prayed, but she couldn’t do it and a part of him was crushed.

But he understood now – all of it. Understood why she believed she was broken, damaged, and unlovable. It made sense now why she was so prickly, and why it took a monumental effort on her part to let people in. She had no reason to trust anybody ever again.

Yet when Justice came calling, she answered. And he was glad. Despite thinking them all a bunch of Call of Duty types, mercenary shitheads with more Boo-yah than sense, he’d found out just how wrong he was during his time in Arizona. These guys were the white hats, and as far as he could tell, there really wasn’t a bad apple in the bunch. They treated their woman like they should. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Justice Ladies were equally as fierce as their male counterparts and the whole lot of them were eager to embrace Remy as one of them.

Just like it had been with him, maybe coming to Arizona would prove to be a new beginning for her. At least, he hoped so. And he hoped she’d let him be part of it.

“I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to listen.” He tapped his fingers on the carpet to emphasize his words and catch her attention. She wasn’t able to look at him yet, and he was okay with that. She let him in – not far but a fuck ton farther than anyone else except maybe Jace. And for now, that was enough.

“Bad shit happens to good people every fucking day. But Remington? What happened to you is not okay. You didn’t do anything to warrant such vile treatment. Somebody has to pay, and since the military you swore an oath to didn’t hold up their end of the deal, that means it’s my turn.”

Her eyes slowly lifted. He didn’t try to hide the tears that marked his face. She needed to know how he felt if she was ever going to truly trust him.

“I’m making you a promise. Paybacks are a bitch, but don’t you worry because I’ve got this. Understand?”

She made a jerky nod.

“Do Cam or Alex know any of this?”

First, she shook her head. Then she bit her lip and shrugged. He wondered how far gossip traveled and doubled down on his intent to make sure some motherfuckers were deeply, deeply sorry.

“Remy,” he began. “You’re the bravest human being I’ve ever known. I’m not trying to be cute or funny when I tell you that I wouldn’t have survived what you went through. I hate the expression what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Until tonight, I always thought it meant to stop whining and shut up. Life isn’t fair. But now, I get it.”

She searched his expression. Replacing the sad agony on her face became his life goal.

“You are the phoenix. Destroyed by fire only to rise up stronger and become the flame. You’re gonna be okay, honey. And I’m not going anywhere so get used to it.”

“Finn,” she said in a shaky voice. “You don’t want a piece of this. I’m … damaged. There’s no happy ending for me. I can’t be what you want me to be.”

“I want you to be you. Remington Bissett. Badass taker of no shit. I’m asking for your trust. That’s all. As soon as you believe that, well … the rest will take care of itself.”

“We never should have told the girlfriend lie.”

He chuckled. “Oh, don’t even! That was a brilliant goddamn move, and you know it. Besides, I kind of like everyone thinking I’m your boy toy. Makes you even more badass than you realize.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

“I don’t know what to do with you sometimes. You’re being so nice when all I do is act like a bitch.”

“Hold on.” He snickered. “Was the bitch thing supposed to scare me off?”

A barely noticeable smile played at the corner of her lips. “I hate you.”

He grinned and tapped his fingers on the carpet one last time.

Her pinky moved again. It took a good minute, but eventually, she brushed the ends of his fingers. Thinking he’d won a major battle, he was shocked when she told him one final thing.

“Sometimes, I can’t stand to be touched. It feels like fire on my skin.”

“Remy,” he said softly. “That’s the phoenix. The flames might always be there, but just remember this. You rise stronger.”

“You really think so?”

Her voice sounded so hopeful. Maybe she was ready to give life a chance.

“Yes, I do. And so does Jace. I’m proud of you,” he told her with quiet gentleness.

“I’m afraid.”

He sighed. And there it was. One tiny kernel of truth hidden in a silo of gazillions.

Handing her useless platitudes was just plain stupid, so he answered truthfully. “I know.”

There wasn’t much left to say after that. She stayed curled up on the floor, so he did too. When she yawned, he pulled a throw blanket off the sofa and covered her up. After a bit, her eyes closed.

He waited and counted her respirations. Drained by the intense outburst, she fell into a deep sleep but still he waited. When Finn was sure she was completely out, he got up, scooped her from the floor, and carefully walked her into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed, made sure she had sufficient covering, and turned off the light.

“I got you,” he whispered a second before dropping a soft kiss on her forehead.

He locked up on his way out and then sat in his truck at the bottom of the stairs for a long time.

It took him a while before he got his thoughts straight. Once he had something of a plan, he started the truck and headed for home.

Team Justice, huh? Well, let’s see how far their justice reached.