Page 131 of Lethal Weakness

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I can’t sleep. Not because I’m lying on the hard floor of my childhood bedroom, but because I can’t get the vacant look in Linden’s eyes out of my head from earlier.

I got everyone home, and Avery is fast asleep beside her mom in the sailboat bed, but I don’t feel like things are settled.

Their enemies are finally dead, but Linden is still being haunted by them.

I sit up from the floor, bracing my forearms on my knees, and glance over at them. Avery’s blonde hair is cascading off the side of the bed, and Linden is tucked behind her, resting her head on the inside of her arm.

Her eyes are closed, but after I rub my hands over my face and look at her again, she’s watching me.

We look at each other silently for several minutes, and I’m afraid that’s all it will be. I don’t know what she needs. I don’t even know what’s really going through her mind.

“I love you,” I mouth, looking at her deeply.

Her lips turn down in a frown, but she starts crawling slowly off the bed. I track her as she tiptoes towards me, and I open myself up as she plants herself in my lap.

Her arms entangle themselves around my neck, and I sigh in relief as she melts against me. I rub my hands down her back and her hair, around her hips in slow circles, soothing whatever I can with my touch.

Words are harder.

“Something that Turner said has been bugging me,” she whispers. “I mean, he said a lot of awful things, but he said that Avery’s blood was tainted.”

“They never did anything to her, Linden. I read all of the files. They documented everything. They never did anything but draw her blood and test it. She’s perfectly healthy.”

She shakes her head. “He said it because she’s a Scott.”

Even in death, Turner is leaving his mark on her.

“She isn’t like them. That name means nothing anymore. You guys never have to be associated with them again.”

“But what does that leave her? No family. No history. I can’t tell her about all the horrible people she comes from. I don’t want to think about all the lies I’ll have to tell her until she’s old enough to understand how fucked up the first years of her life were.”

“You will protect her like you always have, but this time there aren’t any new threats looming over your head. You will explain the truth one day, and she will understand because she will know you always did what was best for her.”

“When Avery asked to go home earlier, I didn’t even know where she meant. We have nothing to go back to. I have nothing to give her. What if she hates me for all of this?”

“She’ll never hate you. You two will always be close, and you’ll get through anything together.”

“I would have thought that was true about my mom, too.”

“What did they say happened when your childhood home burned down?”

She leans back to look at me. “I don’t know. Faulty wiring or something. It was an old house.”

“And you were freshly postpartum and had no reason to suspect anything malicious.”

“What are you saying?”

“Shit happens, but I think your parents are more victims of the Scotts. They wanted to make sure you had nowhere to run off to. They made sure your parents weren’t a threat to them. They didn’t want them having access to their granddaughter.”

“Oh, my God. You think they caused the fire?”

“Your parents’ home insurance was suspiciously downsized the month before the fire. It didn’t cover appliance fires. Your parents’ microwave spontaneously combusted.”

“All this time I’ve been angry at them for not making more of an effort. I was so mad they hadn’t come to meet Avery, but they were just struggling to survive like I was.” She hides her face in her hands. “How do I even fix all of this?”

“Well, you still have plenty of time to give your parents another shot if you want. And this time without fear from anyone else. You can do or go wherever you want, Linden.”