Page 38 of Fallout

She lifted the handset and sat back in the chair, holding the phone to her ear. “The Famous Ones let him up, and he found me in the bathroom doing my regular post nap puking.”

“How is your stomach?”

“I’m all right.” But she would need some soup or something soon. Did Jasper want to get dinner? He probably wanted “real” food, not one of the few things her stomach could keep down. But she loved ordering from that place around the corner that did sandwiches, salads, and soups.

As long as Vanguard remained secure, she would be all right.

At least, that was what it felt like to her. Probably since she lived here, their team had saved her, and they’d given her a place to be safe—for as long as she wanted.

Destiny bit her lip. “I need to tell Blake and my sisters.”

Clare didn’t answer right away. “They caught her.”

Her?

Before Destiny could ask who the hacker was, Clare said, “Invite them all over for dinner. Get lots of dessert, and after you tell them, when everyone is crying, bring out the cake.”

Destiny started to chuckle.

“It’s going to be hard. But they love you, and they will support you. Do you think the girls won’t go crazy over a baby niece or nephew? You’ll have so much help you won’t know what to do with it.”

She smiled—something that didn’t happen for weeks after she got back. These days, her joy was coming more often. Especially when she was around Jasper. “He didn’t run screaming.”

“Because he’s a good man.”

“I’m not going to trap him into feeling like he needs to help me emotionally or help me take care of this baby. That’s not why I told him.” Destiny hadn’t had much choice. He’d have told everyone she was sick, but it was better this way. He knew why she’d screamed at him. Why she worked at Vanguard. Why they could be friends.

But nothing more.

A guy like Jasper deserved an easy relationship that didn’t add more baggage. Not someone who’d been abused and would always have with her the result of her nightmare. She could hold herself together without falling apart. If he stuck around her, they would both have to confront what happened. Bad enough with her family, but they loved her, and she could deal with their pity. Jasper…

If only he could see her as strong and capable. The kind of woman he deserved.

Instead, her feet were going to swell. She was going to be dealing with a newborn, not wearing a dress like she had the other night or attending fabulous events. She would be a mom.

“Why don’t you let him decide?” Clare asked.

“He’s a good guy,” Destiny argued. “He’ll stick around because he feels sorry for me, and he knows I need help. And I’ll know that’s why he’s still here.” Even so, it might be too much for her to nurse heartbreak at what she couldn’t have at the same time she nursed a baby.

“God put him in your life for a reason.”

What if that reason was to show her what she couldn’t have? What she shouldn’t wish for? Maybe that wasn’t fair, but God hadn’t answered her prayers on this. Yet.

The door to the office opened, and Simon stuck his head in. “Conference room.” He hesitated. “You good?”

Destiny hung up with Clare and stood. “I’m good. I just need to talk to Blake.” She got on the family text thread and sent a message.

Family meeting. Sunday dinner, in the Vanguard penthouse.

She stowed her phone. She could check for replies and reactions later, after they talked with the hacker.

In the conference room, Peter and Jasper stood on either side of the woman that he and his partner had brought into Vanguard.

“April, isn’t it?”

The woman shot her a sardonic look. Early twenties, bruised up with a split lip. Her eyes were fire. “That part was true.”

Detective Jesse showed up.

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