Page 148 of Secrets on Ice

I stare at her.

“Last night we did. He got sloppy,” she says. “Because of what happened to you, and because someone got to you in time, we finally have him. He is not going to be able to do this to anyone else.”

I don’t know what to do with that. That other women are safe because it was me. Right now, it’s just noise.

“Thank you,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say.

She leaves her card on the tray table and tells me to call if anything comes back to me, and then they’re gone.

The rest of the day is a blur of checks and quiet conversations. The doctors say I can leave once the last of the fluids are administered. My brother says Cassidy has packed up my things and there is a clean outfit in the bag on the side table. As soon as I am released, we can fly back to New York. I nod as Emmett explains the plans.

Harper’s plane is already waiting for me when I arrive on the tarmac. Emmett had said goodbye to me at the hospital, and Cassidy picked me up on the way. She hasn’t let go of my hand since the hospital.

The stairs feel steeper than they should. Cassidy walks up first, still holding on to me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go. The second we step into the cabin, the conversation dies.

Harper is the first one to move. She’s got Bastien against her shoulder, and when she sees me, she just gives a small, steady nod. “Hey,” she says quietly. “Come sit, we’ve got whatever you need.”

Issy reaches out and gives my arm a quick, firm squeeze. “Glad you’re here.”

Violetta and Evelina look up from opposite seats. Violetta tips her chin toward the empty spot by the window. “That one’s free.”

Evelina smiles. “You’re looking better.”

Cassidy steers me toward the seat. No one makes a big deal, they just make space and let me take it. The flight attendant comes around with drinks, I take a sparkling water.

The engines start and the plane begins to taxi. I keep my sunglasses on and stare out the window the entire flight. Cassidy sits beside me, close but not crowding, her hand resting loosely near mine in case I need it. No one fills the silence with forced conversation. Every now and then someone offers water or asks if I want a blanket. I shake my head each time, and they leave it alone.

When we land in New York, the cold hits harder than it should. Harper has arranged a car for us. She pulls me into a quick, firm hug on the tarmac before we separate.

“Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything. We are all here for you. You are not alone,” she reassures me.

“I’ve been in your place before,” Evelina says when she hugs me goodbye. “Call me if you need to.”

“Sorry I ended the trip so soon,” I say quietly.

“No, you didn’t. You have nothing to apologize for,” Issy states firmly. “Vegas will be there if we ever feel like we need to go back. Do not think you ruined anything, got that?”

I nod, and the girls say their goodbyes again.

Cassidy stays right beside me as we get into the car. The city slides past the windows in streaks of light, and I don’t really see any of it. Neon signs blur into each other. People on the sidewalks move like they’re underwater. Everything feels distant, like I’m watching someone else’s life through thick glass.

The elevator ride up to the apartment is silent. Cassidy doesn’t try to fill it. She just stands close enough that I can feel she’s there. When the doors open, I walk straight down the hall and into my room. The door clicks shut behind me softer than I expect. The ordinary sounds of the city outside feel too loud and too far away at the same time, a siren somewhere, a car horn, the low hum of traffic that never really stops. I sit on the edge of the bed without taking my shoes off. My bag is still in my hand, and I stare at the floor for a long time, waiting for something I don’t know what, but nothing happens.

Cassidy knocks once, softly. “Em?”

I don’t answer.

She waits a few seconds, then the door opens anyway. She doesn’t ask permission. She just comes in, closes it quietly behind her, and sits on the edge of the bed next to me. For a long moment neither of us speaks. Then the silence cracks.

Suddenly, a sob rips out of me. It scares us both. Cassidy doesn’t say a word, she just pulls me into her arms and holds on while I break. I cry big, ugly, gasping tears. She rocks me slightly, one hand in my hair, the other tight around my back, and lets me fall apart against her.

“I’ve got you,” she whispers. “I’ve got you.”

I don’t know how long we stay like that. Long enough that my throat is raw, my eyes burn, and the front of her sweater is soaked. When the worst of it finally eases, I stay slumped against her, exhausted and empty.

She doesn’t let go. “How about I stay here tonight with you?”

I nod.