Page 161 of Nyx

"I'm Morrison," Shadow says as he takes a step inside. "I also go by Shadow."

"I'm just Max," the IT guy says with a wide grin, pulling a chuckle from several of the women.

"May we enter the room?" Kincaid asks.

An echo of yeses fills the room, and the men enter, the women keeping their eyes on them until they're in the front of the room, several chairs at the conference table between them and the women.

The chair pulls out from beside me, and I glance over, smiling at Victoria as she takes a seat.

"We're happy to have you here," Kincaid begins.

Kayla raises her hand.

Kincaid smiles at her. "You don't have to raise your hand. You're free to speak at any time."

"Why are we here?" she asks, making my hands grow sweaty.

"Census has been low at Juniper House for a while," Kincaid begins. "As you know, the guys are always patrolling around the house. We're getting ready to do some out-of-town work, so we're shifting the manpower."

"The rooms you'll be staying in are temporary until we either have more residents come in or make a decision on whether to build a facility on the property."

I tilt my head. That's news to me, but the words coming from his mouth don't sound like a lie, but rather something they may already be in talks about.

"The hallway Em was talking about earlier," Kincaid says, lifting his right arm and pointing in that direction. "Is your safe space. There are five rooms down there. Traci made other arrangements, as you know, so we've converted one of the bedrooms into a living room if you want to socialize and not be in one of the other areas of the clubhouse."

"No one from Cerberus, not even our female members, will go into that area," Shadow adds.

"Under no circumstances short of a fire or medical emergency," Kincaid clarifies. "And not that I think it will happen, but even an invite doesn't give them permission to be in that area."

Kayla laughs, cutting it off quickly when she draws eyes in her direction.

"Sorry," she mutters before looking down at the table.

"That being said," Kincaid continues. "As you know, there are Cerberus members who live in this building. You are not confined to your rooms or even the safe space. You're not prisoners. You have free run of all common areas. I do ask that you not invade others' privacy by going into their rooms."

"Please know that if you leave the area designated as a safe space, then there's always a chance you will see or have interactions with the Cerberus members who live here and the others who come and go from the clubhouse," Shadow explains.

"What do we do about work?" Caroline asks.

"The same as if you were still at Juniper House," Kincaid answers. "We'll provide transportation as we've always done. You'll still get with Juliet or Victoria for scheduling. You're free to come and go as you please. I'd ask that you have someone escort you if that's your routine. If you are getting a ride from someone else, they'll need to meet you at the gate. Friends, relatives, etc. will not be allowed on the property."

"Ever?" Kayla asks.

"Ever," Kincaid says, looking in her direction.

"That doesn't seem fair," Kayla argues.

"The same rules applied at Juniper," Kincaid assures her.

"How are we supposed to have regular lives if we can't have friends over?"

"Juniper House and, in turn, staying here is considered transitional living. It isn't a permanent residence," Victoria interjects. "This is where you heal and put your life back together."

Kayla stares at her for a brief moment before looking back at Kincaid. The dismissal seems a little disrespectful, but Kincaid picks up right where he left off before her question.

"We will have activities at the clubhouse," Kincaid says. "You are more than welcome to join any of them you like, but there is no obligation to do so."

"We will announce when these events are going to take place so you won't be blindsided when people start showing up."