Page 99 of Haven

Melisa was right.

If Rory wanted to see her files, we would share them with her regardless of how Widow or anyone else felt about it.

Eighty-Two

Rory

Fang wasn’t a fan of flowers, so I brought her a bouquet of wrenches with a teddy bear and a container of licorice. I told Vesper I would visit them while the three of them talked with Melisa about what happened in Crestview. There was too much going on, and I wasn’t his only target, which pissed me off. He wanted me, so he should just hurt me and not everyone else.

I knocked on the door, and Fang’s wife, Evie, was sitting in the chair with their son, comforting his mother. They had two daughters, as well, but they were both trying to get flights from New York.

“Hey, Rory,” Evie said, her voice a harsh whisper.

“Hi, I’m—” What did I say? Fang was here because of me. “I wanted to…”

Evie gave me a soft smile. “Come on, sweetie.”

I stepped closer and Evie pulled me into her arms. “I’m so sorry.” I squeezed her tighter, and Evie comforted me. Her wife was in a hospital bed, and I was the one being comforted instead of me comforting her.

“It’s not your fault. Faye loves the Vipers. She loves you. She protected her family.” It was odd hearing Fang’s government name.

I hiccupped, pulling back slightly. “She…It wouldn’t have happened if…”

“It’s not your fault,” Blake barked. “You didn’t put a bomb on their path. You didn’t make her risk her life. The bastard who did this is to blame, Rory.” My lip trembled. “Mom would be pissed if she knew you were blaming yourself.”

I laughed bitterly. “God, he is making my life miserable. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this a pity party. How is she?”

Evie squeezed my hand. “She’s fightin’. She has second-degree burns on her leg and stomach, but she won’t need grafts or anything. Dislocated shoulder, several broken ribs, and a head injury. It could’ve been worse, but the head injury is what concerned Cher the most.”

“I know she hates flowers, so I made wrenches for when she wakes up. Do you need anything?”

She gave me a frail smile. “I just want her to wake up so I can yell at her and kiss her. She’s stubborn, you know.”

“It seems all the Vipers are stubborn.” I laughed. “When she wakes up, let us know. I need to go see my therapist, but if you need anything, let me know.”

Therapy kicked my ass today, but when didn’t it? Before this happened, I was talking about my everyday life with Izzy. My feelings, my sister, the women I couldn’t have, etc. But now? Goddamn, my wounds felt like they were being ripped open and I was bleeding trauma all over the place.

For the last ten years, I kept Aurora June buried deep in the darkest parts of my mind. I didn’t want to be the abused little girl whose mother hated her or the child a system betrayed. It might be dramatic, but I was able to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. It was fucking hard, but I didn’t want her to come back and make me that fragile, scared little girl again.

Izzy knocked me ten stories down with one sentence. “This might be the closure Aurora needs to move on and let Rory live.”

That little girl never did get closure, but she was choosing one hell of a time to show up. She made me weak, and right now, I didn’t want to be weak. Maybe one day I could mourn the girl I used to be, but until then, she needed to stay where she was until I got this situation dealt with.

I glanced at my phone as I straddled my bike outside of Izzy’s office. Vesper wanted me to see her when I got home, but I had other plans. Hades was on her way home, and I was in the middle of my therapy session when she left the station.

HADES

I’ll see you in a few days, my valkyrie.

ME

Thank you for being amazing. I already miss you.

HADES

It’s easy when my partner is a beautiful, headstrong woman who takes no shit. I like pampering you, too.

Swoon.