Page 67 of Loco

She straightened, brow lifting slightly. “Why?”

“In about five minutes, Kai’s going to get here to stay with the kids. You and I are gonna walk over to your place, pack you a bag, and you’re staying here for a while.”

She blinked. “Wait, what?”

“It’s sooner than we wanted, I know,” I said, lowering my voice. “I wanted to ease into this because of the kids, but we don’t have that luxury now.”

“What happened?”

I hesitated for just a second, then said it straight. “Someone tried to break in. I found a broken window pane, and the soil was disturbed under it. It wasn’t just a random crack in the glass, it was deliberate.”

She didn’t flinch and didn’t look scared, but she definitely gotpissed.

“What kind of asshole does that?” she snapped. “Do they not realize how expensive that’s going to be? Ijustgot the damn plumbing sorted and the bath removed from my living room. My insurance is already side-eyeing me.” She gestured with her arm in the direction of her house. “They’re probably wondering if I’m fit to live alone at this point and if I’m compos mentis. First, the bath drops through the ceiling, now this? Guess I’ll be asking them to help pay for the damn window too.”

“I’ve already started the ball rolling on fixing it,” I assured her calmly. “DB’s sending some guys over to secure the place, and a friend’s coming to fix it first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about it.”

She looked at me for a beat, some of the anger simmering down as her shoulders dropped.

“What about the kids? Are they going to be okay with me being here?”

“We just have to be careful. We keep everything we do around them slow and mindful. Make it feel normal and safe and clear they come first.”

She gave me a look like I’d asked her something ridiculous. “Obviously.”

That simple and firm response told me everything I needed to hear.

A knock came at the door—Kai, punctual as ever.

Sayla gave me a small nod and reached for her coat. “All right, let’s go pack a bag. But fair warning, I don’t travel light.”

I smiled. “Don’t I know it. Don’t worry, you’ve still got your closet space there from before.”

And with that, we stepped out into the dark, leaving the warmth of home behind for a few minutes, with every intention of keeping it protected when we returned.

Chapter 21

Sayla

Being at Roque’s felt better than I wanted to admit.

It was surprisingly easy to fall back into the rhythm we’d built during the snowstorm like no time had passed. Only this time, we had two sleepy-eyed kids to fold into the mix—two tiny humans who needed help brushing their teeth and choosing socks that didn’t match but absolutelyhadto be worn.

That morning, I’d dealt with Kaida—woken her up with a whisper and a kiss on the cheek, then helped her into her clothes while she clung to her stuffed dog like it was the only thing tethering her to the waking world. Roque had handled Kairo in the next room, and I could hear the muffled giggles and the sound of his toothbrush scraping against his tiny teeth through the wall. It was domestic and warm and was mine for the time being.

While the kids stood at the back door laughing at the dogs chasing each other around the yard, I whipped up some French toast and cut it into star and heart shapes, dusting it withcinnamon and enough syrup to make their eyes go wide. Roque came up behind me in the middle of it and snuck a kiss to my neck when the kids weren’t looking, then gave me a quick pat on the ass that made me shoot him a playful glare. He just grinned and grabbed the plates.

Everything about it was easy and natural, except for the fear I was trying to ignore.

The truth was, I’d barely slept last night. Not because of the mattress or the dogs barking at God knows what at two in the morning. But because every time I closed my eyes, I thought about my window that’d been shattered while I was in my bed, vulnerable.

I’d even heard it happen and had assumed it was just a cat knocking over something in the street. That terrified me. What if theyhadcome in? Why didn’t they? Why break the glass and not follow through?

Roque said his security system was solid, and I believed him, but it was hard to shake the feeling of knowing that someone had been right outside, staring inside my home, my safe space.

Now, sitting in my salon chair, comb in hand, fingers moving on autopilot as I painted highlights into a customer’s hair, the exhaustion was catching up to me. Two nights of lousy sleep and not even my strongest coffee could keep my brain from fogging.

The bell chimed at the front of the salon, and I looked up to see Tabitha—DB’s wife—breeze in, her smile wide and familiar.

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