Page 22 of The Chance

The cop was waiting. Aubrey studied Guthrie’s face for a moment. He didn’t want to leave her. That floored her, no denying that. But he had to take care of his family now, and she… was good on her own.

“I’m okay, Guthrie, but thank you.”

“Just… text me or call me when you get home. I need to know you’re going to be okay tonight. And if you need me later—I’ll keep my phone with me. Text me. I can come to you in a heartbeat. I promise.”

Guthrie looked at Ayla, too. “If your sister needs me, text me. You have my number?”

He gave Ayla his number right there and made her promise to use it.

Then Giavonna was there, helping Ayla to her feet, helping Ayla get balanced. Aubrey usually did that. She just didn’t know if she could right now. Her arm was hurting, even if she wasn’t going to admit that.

She wasn’t used to having people to help. She just wasn’t.

“Are you going to be okay?” Ayla asked quietly, once Giavonna had helped her into her side of the small SUV Aubrey was still making payments on. It had been the easiest for Ayla to ride in comfortably, even though it was a bit more expensive than she had liked.

“I’m going to have nightmares for a long time. But nothing new.” Sometimes she sugarcoated her fears, her worries, from her sister. But Ayla had a tendency to see through that. And Aubrey just couldn’t do it tonight.

“It brings back memories… of eight years ago. And… before. No denying that. It probably always will. She’s my best friend.The only one I’ve ever really had, besides you—and Carlos. And to see—” Aubrey bit back a sob. Now… wasn’t the time. Not while driving her baby sister home. She would get Ayla home.

Then fall apart when she was alone.

Like she had so many times before.

Finally… finally, they were on their street. Genny’s brother was right behind them—and had been the whole way. Those Hiller brothers took the whole “protective” thing seriously. They had hovered over her and Ayla tonight, too.

It had unsettled her, no denying that.

“We are almost home,” Ayla said, completely unnecessarily. But Aubrey heard the relief.

“Are you hurting badly?” Her sister took anti-inflammatories at eight p.m. every night, to help her get through the night. She’d missed those, unless she had some in her bag. Aubrey should have caught that. “I’m sorry.”

“Not too badly, actually. More from story time. I read theWonkus McBubbleswith the climbing moves worked in. It’s probably my favorite of all of theWonkusbooks; the kids’, too.”

“But that’s the most physical book, right?” With jumping moves and climbing moves and—it was a cute story. But it took a lot out of Ayla to read twice in one day, and there were two story times at the library now.

“Yes. But it’s worth it. The mayor’s youngest two were in there. They are so cute.” But Ayla was hurting. It was evident in her words, in the way she moved.

Aubrey should have seen that sooner. “Let’s get home. You can take a hot bath tonight, and pain meds, see if they help.”

“I’m more worried about you. This is something I’ve dealt with before. You want to talk yet—Aub!”

Aubrey jerked the SUV to the side, going off a little into the shoulder. Fortunately, their road was wider than most in town.She hit the brakes as the dark truck roared by and disappeared into the night.

Genny’s brother’s truck had swerved behind them. He’d fared a little better—he was still on the road.

“Our house! Look!” Ayla almost yelled. “Someone broke our door!”

Aubrey just looked. And looked.

Their front windows were broken in, their door was in their front yard. And there was—“Is that paint? Who would do this? Why?”

Aubrey pulled her SUV back onto the road and into the far corner of their driveway. “Stay in the car.”

“I don’t think you should get out.”

“I need to see what they did. I need to. It’s… it’s our home.” The only place in the world she had ever truly felt safe before. Safety was an illusion—she had learned that long ago. But this was their home, the first house she had ever bought. It was her… home.

George was there. Right next to her door. “Aubrey, Ayla, stay in the car. I’ve already called the police. They’ll be here shortly.”

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