Page 49 of Nave
“Yeah,” she agreed, exhaling hard. “I’m just worried about… all the stress.”
“I think you got out of there before the stress could actually affect growth or anything.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “That was the plan. Thanks for taking me.”
“Of course. Maybe after your appointment, I can show you around a bit. It’s a pretty neat place.”
“That’d be nice. Kit and Ariah talk about going there all the time when they were kids. Something about martial arts.”
“Yeah, the aunts and uncles demanded the kids all learn how to defend themselves. Especially the girls.”
“Maybe I can learn someday.”
“You can. And you can just go to a place in town now if you want. Aunt Lo and Aunt Janie opened a self-defense gym ages ago. For all ages.”
“Maybe this one will go one day,” she said, patting her still-flat stomach.
“I did.”
“Did you?”
“Yep. It was a non-negotiable growing up. Mostly because we kids grew up in and around the club, and our parents wanted to know we could defend ourselves if we ever needed to.”
“Did you ever need to?”
“Not as a kid, no. Our parents kept us pretty protected.”
“I hope I can say the same.”
“You can. You will. You’ve done everything you could to make sure you and your baby are safe.”
“But can we ever really be safe?” she mused, uncharacteristically down. “I mean, I can never be out in public without a disguise. My kid… could he or she even go to school?”
“Well, luckily, New Jersey has pretty lenient homeschooling laws. If that is the path you want to take. There are options, babe. This will help with that,” I told her, handing over her new driver’s license.
“Laura Smith.”
“Your new name. Obscure enough that it shouldn’t put any kind of alarms up anywhere if you do need to show it for any reason. It’s not a full identity. Yet. We will cross that bridge if or when we need to. I’m still hoping you get to have your real identity back eventually.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Yes.”
One way or another, I was going to get that life for her. Even if it meant driving my ass all the way down to that glass house and setting the fucking place on fire with Ben inside.
Hell, I’d evenenjoythat shit.
“You sound so sure.”
“I am. You’re going to have your life back, free to live it how you want to live it.”
“I think I want to live it here,” she said, watching as we drove out of the main area of Navesink Bank and toward the hill where Hailstorm was situated.
There was no rational reason for the relief I felt at her words. Other than, I guess, that I wanted her to stay.
What can I say?
I’d been worried about her for years.
