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The silence that follows is louder than anything else that’s come through that door this morning.

I turn fast, make it three steps toward the living room before my legs buckle. The tile is cold when I hit it.

The sound that leaves my mouth without permission is raw and cracked open, not a sound I’ve ever made before. My hands go to my face too late to stop it, and suddenly I am not in control of anything anymore.

There’s a shuddering tremble that moves through my body.

I don’t know how long I sit there, pressed to the cabinet under the sink, before someone crouches beside me.

“I have to go,” I manage to say in a whisper. “I’ll figure something out, I just?—”

I can’t finish.

I won’t be the reason they lose Mae. I can’t. I cannot be the reason that little girl is ripped from the only home she has left.

“I can’t stay here. Not if they’re going after her.” The words spill out of me fast.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Finn says from somewhere above me.

Jonah’s hand touches my arm. “We’re going to handle it. Same as we always do.”

“No,” I whisper. “You don’t understand. It’s not about me anymore. If they say I’m unstable and I’m around her, that puts all of you at risk. If anything happens?—”

Boone’s voice cuts through the kitchen.

“You’re coming with me.”

I blink up at him.

“You’ll stay at the station,” he says. “It’s secure. It’s neutral. And it buys us time.”

I want to tell him that’s not far enough. That the only way to keep everyone safe is for me to disappear entirely. But I see the look on his face, the one that doesn’t leave room for negotiation.

So I nod.

And I pack.

Again.

This time it’s just a small bag. I neatly pack three shirts, two pairs of jeans with one of Mae’s drawings tucked between them. I zip it closed with shaking hands and let Boone take it from me.

Finn waits for me in the living room. He doesn’t smile, but his eyes are soft when they meet mine. He pulls me into his arms before I can speak.

“This isn’t permanent,” he says into my hair. “We’re not letting them take this any further. You have my word.”

I press my cheek to his chest, and just breathe him in for a second. “I know.”

He tips my face up with both hands and kisses me gently. It makes my throat tighten.

“Call whenever,” he murmurs. “If you even think about spiraling, I want you to call me.”

I nod and step back before I fall apart in his arms.

Jonah’s already there waiting. He watches with that steady gaze of his until I move to him. He puts his arm around me, tucking me into his side.

“We’ll keep her safe,” he says. “And we’ll fix this.”

I look at him and he must see doubt in my eyes.