Page 88 of Lethal Threat

I hang by the front door until she appears with one of the wives. And from the looks of it, there’s a stork coming to visit them very soon.

“This is Savannah, in case all the names got away from you.”

“Thanks, it’s a lot to take in all the names at once. Nice to meet you again, Savannah.”

Sophia ushers us out the door. “Come on, ladies. We’ve got pampering to do.”

The basement salon is tidy and full to the gills withequipment and supplies. Sophia flips on various light switches while Savannah puts on some music on her phone.

Soon, the place feels alive, like it’s stretched, yawned, awoken after a long nap.

I look through all the pretty shades of polish in pink, coral, red, and lavender. Some of the tension from the day starts to ease out of my shoulders.

“Thanks, girls. I needed this.”

Savannah sighs and leans back in the dryer chair as she rubs her pregnant belly. “Me too, hun. It’s been a hectic week at our house.”

“Are those your children, the teens?”

“Adopted. Yes.”

Suddenly, my mind goes off into a rabbit hole. Adopted. If my parents died when I was twelve, I must have been adopted… or in foster care.

“You okay?” Sophia brushes a hand over my shoulder.

“Just got a little lost in thought, that’s all.”

Savannah picks up a bottle of dark pink polish, the color of azalea blooms. “I want this one. So, Sierra, how did you meet Cole?”

I catch the glance Sophia gives Savannah, but am not really certain of the meaning.

“The Air Force. We were both in at the time.”

Savannah swipes a stroke of polish on her nail. “Sounds exciting. Those Strongs love their thrilling jobs.”

“Do they?”

Sophia smiles softly. “Do they ever. Liam was a Navy Trauma Surgeon and all the guys are firefighters.”

“Caleb, my husband, is the Fire Chief,” Savannah adds. “You must be a bit of an adrenaline junky too if you’re in the Air Force.”

“I love to fly,” I say with conviction as I hold the charm on my bracelet for them to see.

It’s one of the few things I know. I love airplanes and the free feeling of flight. But my chest feels suddenly hot and tight. Tears clog my throat.

Savannah tunes right in. “Oh no, did I say something wrong?”

I shake my head and dab my eye with my sleeve.

Sophia takes my other hand gently in hers. “It’s okay, dear. You’re amongst friends.”

For some reason, that uncorks a flood of tears. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had a bit of a rough time lately.”

Savannah shifts closer. “Do you want to talk about it? We’ve all had our garbage to deal with. You wouldn’t believe my story if I told you.”

I smile around the thing clogging my throat. “I’m sure you’d say the same about my story.”

“Wanna compare notes?” Sophia asks with a gentle smile. “Liam had to rescue me from a burning building.”