Page 112 of Begin Again

Selene sits in the passenger seat, her knee bouncing ever so slightly—a subtle but telling sign of her nerves. I don’t blame her. My grip on the wheel is tight enough that my knuckles ache, but I can’t seem to loosen it. In the backseat, Mo leans forward, her elbows on her knees, eyes sharp as she scans the road ahead. She hasn’t uttered a word in at least fifteen minutes, which is saying a lot.

We’re heading to the cafe first, a quick pit stop to grab some supplies Aubrey left behind when she closed up for the week. The last fucking week she’ll ever step foot in Bear & Brew. Maybe even as a free person.

I swallow against the burn in my throat. My cafe. I’ve been saying that since the day I took it over, but it’s never felt more personal than it does right now. Because it wasn’t just a business to me—it was my safe place, my home, a part of my damn soul. And all this time, Aubrey was there. Laughing, serving coffee, and playing the role of doting aunt as if she hadn’t left a trail of bodies behind her. Like she hadn’t stolen people’s lives, destroyed families, killed my mother—

My jaw tightens, the anger a slow, simmering thing that’s been festering since the moment I found out what she really is. It builds in my chest, thick and suffocating, but I can’t let it take over. Not yet.

I force myself to take a steady breath. Keep it together. One more hour. Then she won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice rougher than I mean for it to be.

Selene nods, but it’s a little too quick. “Yeah. Just…running through everything in my head.”

“Me too,” Mo mutters from the back. She’s been quieter than usual, her usual sharp tongue dulled by the weight of what’s coming.

“We’ve got this,” I say, trying to inject more confidence into my voice than I feel. “We’ve gone over the plan a hundred times. Orion’s team will be in place. We confront her, let her talk just enough to get what we need, and then they swoop in. Clean. Controlled. No surprises.”

Mo lets out a soft laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Do you honestly think there’s a world where Aubrey doesn’t have some kind of surprise waiting for us?”

I don’t answer right away because, well, she’s right. Aubrey’s not a person who goes down without a fight. She’s too damn smart to not have a contingency plan. The plan might be solid, but that doesn’t mean I’m not bracing for things to go sideways.

“Which is why we’re sticking to the script,” Selene cuts in, her voice firm. “We control the narrative. Keep her talking, keep her focused on the two of you. She likes control, right? Let her think she’s got it, and when the time comes, we pull the rug out from under her.”

“And if she doesn’t bite?” I ask, twisting in my seat to look back at Mo. This entire plan rides on us, we need to make sure we know the ins and outs of the plan.

Mo nods, a knowing look in her eyes, her expression grim. “Then Orion’s team steps in early. But let’s not jump to worst-case scenarios just yet.”

I want to believe her. But worst-case scenarios seem to follow us like shadows.

I pull into the cafe parking lot, the gravel crunching beneath the tires as I park by the alley leading to the side entrance. The place looks eerie this early in the morning, the windows dark and the usual buzz of customers conspicuously absent. For years, I’d walked into this building feeling like I belonged like I was carrying on a tradition that mattered. But now, standing in front of it, all I feel is sick. Aubrey always kept the place lively—another piece of the façade she wore so well.

Selene glances at me as I kill the engine. “What’s the plan for this stop?”

“Quick in and out,” I say. “We grab the stuff Aubrey left and what Orion wanted us to pick up, and then we head straight to the cemetery.”

Mo’s already opening her door before I finish talking. “Let’s make it quick. I don’t like sitting out here when all I can think about is what’s next.”

She’s not wrong. My gut’s been twisted in knots since we left the house like we’re all walking straight into a trap we can’t see.

Selene catches my hesitation as we step out of the truck. “You good?”

I force a smile. “Yeah. Let’s just get this over with.”

She doesn’t call me out on the lie, and I appreciate that.

We step inside, and the scent of coffee and sugar lingers in the air, but it feels different now. Wrong. Tainted. Anger coils tight in my chest, burning hot and deep. This was supposed to be my sanctuary.

She played me. She looked me in the eye, called herself my family, and smiled. And all this time, she was the reason my parents never made it home.

I clench my jaw, forcing the rage down, stuffing it into the deepest part of me, because if I let it out now, I won’t be able to stop. Not until I’ve torn everything apart.

Not yet.

But soon.

The cemetery is quiet when we pull up, with a stillness that feels heavy, almost oppressive. I cut the engine and glance toward the far edge of the lot, where a cluster of oaks cast long shadows over the graves. My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I take in the scene ahead, my pulse hammering in my ears.

And there she is—Aubrey.

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