Page 156 of Solanum

"I will, baby." I cupped her face in my palms and she met my gaze. "I will."

Eventually, we managed to dress and the closer the time came to me leaving, the quieter Nora grew. We made our way downstairs to the kitchen to find Sali fixing breakfast and Maggie seated at the table sipping coffee while reading something on her phone. Nora's fingers tightened in my hand as she watched me remove my service weapon from the safe by the front hall. With Olivia coming and going, we always secured our weapons.

I settled it in place and Nora looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"Nor, you want some pancakes?" asked Sali. "Maggie is forcing me to make them against my will."

"And by will she means payment in sexual favors." Maggie set her phone down and lowered her feet from their perch on the chair beside her. She smiled at Nora, her expression softening when she saw her. "Hi, bestie."

"Hi." Nora sniffled, her bottom lip poking out in a pout.

Maggie chuckled then scurried over to hug her. Nora accepted her embrace, releasing me for the first time that morning. She hid her face against Maggie's shoulder, and she cupped the back of her head while looking at me. Maggie's eyes, big and blue like someone painted them on her face, bore into me with emotion that knocked the foundation out from under me. My stomach sank and I looked away from her, only to find myself confronted by Sali.

"She'll be okay," she said, her hand on my elbow. "We'll be with her."

I nodded, blinking away the pressure in my eyes that threatened tears of my own. Stifling them was one of my gifts, and I swallowed them down along with everything else.

Nora leaned back, sobbing softly while Maggie spoke quietly to her. She nodded, and Nora smiled despite her tear-stained face.

"Breaks my fucking heart," I spat at Sali, and fought the urge to toss a fist into the nearby wall.

As if she could read my energy, she shoved me. "Let us handle it."

I shoved her back, and just the thrust of energy settled the brittle craziness inside me. "Fine."

Nora swiped at her nose as she turned back to me, her eyes shimmering and bloodshot. She held on to Maggie's sleeve, her sock-covered feet stacked one on top of the other as if she tried to disappear on the spot by taking up as little space as possible.

"Come here, Kitten." I turned to her and she bolted to me. I swept her off her feet and she latched on to me, sobbing and shaking against my shoulder. "I love you, Nor. Sali and Maggie will spend the day with you, okay?"

"Please come home," she whispered.

If my heart wasn't already cracked to pieces, it would've crumbled to bits even more. "I will, baby. I will."

I buried my face in her hair and drew in a few slow breaths, inhaling her sweet fragrance. We hung there for a moment until she lowered her legs after I patted her rear.

"I love you, Kitten." I urged her into a kiss, and she leaned into it.

"I love you, too." She sniffled and sank into Maggie when she draped her arm over her shoulders.

Sali clapped me on the back and led me toward the door. "C'mon, Beast. Off to fight for justice and adorn that ratty cape. Say 'see ya later' to your princess."

I smirked and glanced at Nora once more before she choked on a sob and hid her face against Maggie. I made to turn around, but Sali tugged me.

"Leave it," she muttered. "She's okay."

"I can't." I choked on the rest of my sentence as Sali pulled me on to the porch.

Nora's cries only deepened and Maggie's soft coos to her were the last thing I heard before Sali closed the door. I paced while listening to the faint cries, grabbing fistfuls of my hair.

"She'll be okay," Sali said, her tone as steady as her eyes.

"I can't do this. I can't just leave her when she's so upset." That did it and my eyes welled up despite my fight.

"Listen to me…" Sali urged me down the stairs with her toward my SUV. "You know how kids with anxiety freak the fuck out on the first day of school and you kind of just have to leave them?"

"Um…" I sniffled and wiped my face on my shoulder. "No."

"Well, I'm telling you then. She's fine. You need to go and let her deal with her shit."

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