Page 35 of Everything We Found

“What is it?” Nadia asked and he realized he’d been frowning, thinking of his handshake with Kane. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

Thomas stared at the floor. “Nothing.” He pushed the thought aside, blaming it on the state of his mind. He wasn’t feeling like himself, not after hearing about Phil’s murder and that his mother was missing.

He stood up, helping Nadia to her feet with a hand on her elbow. He needed to call James and give him the news. Hopefully now his brother would understand the danger they were in. He felt helpless being so far away from him. He also felt helpless here with Nadia, and he detested that feeling. So he always did what was in his power to protect the people who mattered, like that time he’d been home from Stanford over winter break. He’d driven to Joe’s Diner at midnight, unable to sleep, only to find Nadia there, homework spread across the table but her head down on her arms.

He’d slid into the booth across from her and she jerked awake, mascara smudged under her eyes.

“Diner’s closing soon,” he said softly.

“I know.” She started gathering her books, her face heavy with sleep, her movements sluggish. “I just… I don’t want to go home yet.”

“Your mom?”

“I love her but… she has a visitor.” Her face heated with the admission. “I can hear them through the walls.”

Something shifted inside Thomas’s chest. He couldn’t let her stay here alone until closing.

He pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Calling Aimee’s mom for you. Ask her if you can stay there.”

“No.” Nadia reached for his phone. “It’s late, and…” Her voice trailed. He could tell that she was too embarrassed to explain to Mrs. Tierney why she needed a place to sleep.

“I’d invite you back to my house, but you know my parents. They?—”

“Don’t like female guests spending the night.”

He pressed his lips flat and nodded. “Come, I have an idea.”

He stood up and offered his hand. She followed him outside to the bike rack, and after she unlocked the chain, he maneuvered the bike into his trunk.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, settling into the front seat beside him.

“Your place.”

Her eyes grew very round. “I told you I wasn’t ready to go home.”

“I heard you. Trust me.”

“Thomas—”

He ignored her the whole way to her house where he parked in front. Leaving the motor running, he cranked up the heat and grabbed his jacket from the back seat. “Put your seat down,” he said.

She didn’t move. “Why?”

“You’ll be more comfortable.” To show her, he released his own seatback as far as it would go down.

“What are you doing?”

“Sleeping. And so are you.” He tossed his winter jacket to her, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. He was exhausted from finals week and could easily crash anywhere.

Nadia continued to sit still. He opened one eye and peered at her. “Sleep here until your mom’s boyfriend leaves. Then you can go inside.”

“Okay,” she agreed after a moment. She released her seatback and the tightness in Thomas’s chest eased. Turning onto her side to face him, she pulled his jacket to her shoulder and closed her eyes.

Thomas closed his eyes and felt himself relax into the seat. “Thank you,” he heard her whisper just before he drifted off. He fell asleep that night with an understanding that keeping Nadia safe, as it would with anyone he deeply cared for, would always feel like the most important thing in his world.