Page 114 of Vows of Ruin

I nod once, slow and certain. “We are.”

For the first time since yesterday, the room feels lighter as if we hadn’t just added weight. We added purpose.

Doc returns before any of us can reach a full consensus, guiding Daisy back into the room with a hand on her shoulder. She looks small in the doorway, not fragile, just… bracing for impact. Wrecker straightens instantly. Wrenley stands too, her face softening in a way she doesn’t show many people.

“Hey,” Wrecker says, stepping forward. “Come here, kiddo.”

Daisy walks to them, eyes flicking between all of us like she’s worried the decision has already been made without her. Wrenley takes Daisy’s hands in her own.

“So,” she says gently, “We’ve been talking.”

Daisy’s fingers knot together. “Am I… in trouble?”

“No,” Wrecker says quickly. “But there will be rules if you stay.”

Her head snaps up. “Stay?”

Wrecker pulls a breath, glancing at Wrenley, then back to Daisy. “If you want to. If this feels like home to you. You can stay here. With us.”

Daisy’s mouth falls open. She looks at Wrenley like she needs confirmation. Wrenley smiles. Warm. Sure. “But there will be rules. Non-negotiable ones.”

Daisy nods so fast I almost laugh.

Doc steps beside me, crossing her arms. “Physically, she’s fine,” she says quietly. “Bruises are old, nothing’s infected. But she’s carrying a lot.” She pauses. “She needs therapy. Regularly. And since I’m practically living here now, I don’t mind taking on that role.”

I nod my thanks.

Wrecker starts talking to Daisy about the basics, curfews, staying inside the main house, never going off alone, and safety protocols. She listens with surprising seriousness, chin lifted.

“And,” Wrecker adds, “You need to understand something else. Things are dangerous around here, Daisy. They’ve always been dangerous. That means—”

“I know,” Daisy says quietly.

All conversation stops. Even Max, who had moved to lean against the table, straightens.

Wrenley shifts forward, her voice gentler than I’ve heard it all day. “What do you mean you know?”

Daisy hesitates, then looks at her feet. “I heard things. Back at the House of Silk.”

The room goes still. The name alone is enough to choke out the air. I see Wrenley’s jaw lock. Max goes rigid beside her. Wrecker puts a steadying hand on Daisy’s shoulder.

“What things?” Wrenley asks carefully.

Daisy swallows hard. “The men who ran it,” she whispers. “They talked like. Like they were untouchable. Like no one could stop them.” Her voice trembles. “They talked about people getting taken. Kids. Women. It was just business to them.”

Torque curses under his breath.

Daisy squeezes her eyes shut. “And I heard them say your name, Wrenley.”

The room freezes. Wrenley’s breath hitches, a soft, barely-there sound I only catch because I’m standing closest.

Daisy keeps going, voice thin. “They said you and your people were trouble. That you were messing things up for them. And that they had orders.” She wrings her hands. “Orders from a man. Someone they called The Serpent.”

The temperature in the room drops. My heart slams once, hard. Wrenley goes stone still. Max’s fists curl. Wrecker bows his head like he already suspected as much.

Daisy looks up, tears threatening. “I thought if I stayed here, I could warn you.”

Wrenley cups her cheeks with both hands, steady and sure. “Thank you,” she says. “You did exactly the right thing.”