Page 154 of Collide

I licked my lips. "I need help. You were right, I'm an idiot, and I have nowhere else to go. I need help, and I don't know who else to ask."

She just dipped her head and opened the door. "Welcome home." Then she smiled down at Faith. "And what are you doing up at this time of night? Come in." Her eyes jumped back to me. "Both of you." Then back to Faith, and her smile looked relieved. "Cy's in the living room. Go tell him to show you the room your dad used to live in, and you can sleep there tonight, ok?"

"Ok!" she agreed, rushing in without a second thought.

But I didn't follow. "Look, is there any way you can keep an eye on her?" I just opened my hand, showing her the camera.

"Come in, Luke," she said.

"I can't, Violet. I have something I have to do."

She clenched her jaw and lifted her chin. "I know, and that's why you're going to come in first. You see, Emerald,thisis what we do. You need help, we're going to give it, and that means we need to know what you do. If you want this, then you have to come home."

It was the color that did it. I wasn't real sure what that meant, but I could feel the word in my chest. It was heavy, but it was also made of steel. It felt a lot like that thing I'd spent my life chasing, and this was the place that had already saved me once before.

Now, I hoped it could save Faith. I prayed these people would know how to fix her mess, because I was pretty sure I was beyond saving. This was Southwind, though. It was where kids got a second chance, and right now, my daughter needed one. In truth, I did too. So, swallowing back my emotions, I lifted my foot and crossed the threshold.

"I know I don't deserve this…" I tried.

She just closed the door behind me. "You're Emerald. That means we'll figure it out."

And somehow, I knew she would. Looking up into her beautiful grey eyes, I saw the same power lurking in them as that first day. This was a woman who didn't take any shit, who could bend the world to her whims, and she was going to help. I might not deserve it, but I sure wasn't dumb enough to run away again.

Because I wasn't here to save her. This time, she was here to save me.