Page 40 of Loco

She wasn’t wrong, but hearing it aloud made my chest burn. What if it’d been worse? What if they’d done more than slash a tire? What if the kids had been with her?

I gripped the edge of the table hard enough that my knuckles cracked.

“I’ve got it handled,” Judd said, his voice softer now. “I’ll call in the security team myself. My guy’s the best, former Army. He’ll make sure your place is a fortress before those kids walk through the door.”

I nodded once, it was all I could manage without grinding my teeth to dust.

We tried to refocus after that—shifting back to the flow of money, surveillance updates, tracing new shell businesses cropping up. The whole time, though, I couldn’t shake the image of Sayla standing next to her car, a knife sticking out of the tire, her eyes scanning the parking lot for someone who meant her harm.

She wasn’t a target, she wasmine. And they knew it.

Just as I was gathering my things to leave, the door creaked open, and a lab tech walked in—mid-twenties, slight, always caffeinated.

“I’ve got three prints off the knife,” he said. “All partials, but clean. Should have an AFIS hit soon.”

I let out a slow breath, releasing some of the pressure in my chest.

“Thanks,” I said, clapping his shoulder as I passed.

Then I walked out, got into my SUV, and headed straight home. I needed to see her, look her in the eyes, and know she was okay. Because until I did, nothing else mattered.

I barely waited for the engine to shut off before I was out of the SUV and heading toward the house. The door shut behind me, and I called out without removing my boots.

“Sayla?”

No answer.

My heart jumped, a rush of cold panic moving through me like a reflex. “Sayla?” I called louder this time, moving through the kitchen, past the living room, into the hallway.

Nothing.

My stomach twisted. I didn’twantto think the worst, but after the tire and how those guys stared her down, it didn’t take much to send me into full defense mode.

Then I heard something—music, faint and muffled. I followed the sound to the far end of the hall and paused outside Kairo’s room. The door was open, just a crack, and there she was.

She had her back to me, AirPods in, gently shaking out the comforter she’d bought today, the empty bags still scattered on the floor. The fireman puppy stared up from the fabric with cartoonish determination. Books were lined up neatly on thedresser, and a small beanbag sat by the window, with folded clothes stacked on the shelf like she'd been doing this for years.

I didn’t want to startle her, so I quietly backed away and slipped into the room next door—Kaida’s.

The second I stepped inside, I stopped cold. The room was bathed in soft, shifting colors—the projector casting ribbons of green and purple across the walls like a moving watercolor painting. A ballerina pig twirled on the comforter, her matching cushion nestled perfectly in place at the head of the bed. Two star-shaped pillows were tucked near the wall, and a second beanbag chair sat by the window, ready for tiny legs to climb into it and make it their own.

I sat down on the edge of the drawer unit, rested my elbows on my knees, and let my head hang forward. My eyes closed. So much was happening. Too much, too fast.

Kemble and Aislinn weregone. The ache from that hadn’t even settled yet and hadn’t found a place to land inside me. I hadn’t even started funeral arrangements—not because I didn’t know what they wanted, but because I couldn’t bring myself tostart. Kemble had written it all down like he’d known someone might need it one day, but the words on that paper felt like a wall I couldn’t climb.

And yet, here was Sayla—stepping in, doing the work, and setting up ahomelike this was already her life, too.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, breathing slowly, trying to untangle everything.

That’s when I realized I might be in love with her. And just like that, I was wondering if she loved me too.

What should’ve been a beautiful realization felt overshadowed by the dark cloud hovering over it. I wasn’t just some guy navigating new feelings. I was a cop in the middle of a dangerous investigation, beingtargeted. And now, I had two kids depending on me, grieving and needing security I wasn’t sure I could fully give them.

Sayla walked in, holding a beanbag in her arms. The second she saw me, she squeaked and nearly dropped it. “Jesus, Roque! You scared the crap out of me.”

I smiled weakly. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

She set the beanbag down and walked toward me, tilting her head. “You okay?”

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