I take a slow sip of water and let my mind drift. It’s been a whirlwind these past few months. Leaving my ex had felt like a leap off a cliff, but I’d needed to escape, to start over somewhere far away. I hope he’s having the time of his life ‘living the single life the navy provided’ him while we were still together. To think he wanted me to move out of the primary bedroom to the smaller room across the hall. All so he could have other women over, in the bed I bought, in the townhome under my name. After a parting shot of ‘I hope you get everything you wished for’ I broke the lease leaving him to find a new place of his own. After briefly staying with my brother at his tiny apartment in D.C., I got to move to this small town, one I’d never even heard of, and it was the perfect blank slate.

And then Valkyrie happened. A failed TSA dog with too much personality and an obsession with shiny objects. I’d adopted her from my brother’s insistence, thinking maybe having her around would help me feel less alone and protect me in a way that he couldn’t. She’s been my constant—my goofy, loyal shadow through everything.

Meeting Theo was…unexpected. I hadn’t planned on finding the type of friends I did here, hadn’t planned on finding people who felt like home. And uncovering that his sweet, doting aunt was actually a serial killer? Well, that was pulled straight out of a bad crime novel. If someone had told me six months ago that I’d end up here—sitting on this porch, sipping water from a mug, planning to help the FBI arrest a serial killer—I’d have laughed in their face.

I trace the rim of the mug with my finger, staring out at the yard. Where does it go from here? After tomorrow, after Aubrey? What happens then?

The creak of the back door interrupts my thoughts. I glance over my shoulder as Theo steps outside, a thick blanket draped over one arm. His dark hair is a mess like he’s been running his fingers through it, and there’s a quiet sort of tiredness in his eyes. But when he looks at me, his expression softens.

“Orion said you were back here,” he says, his voice warm and low.

I smile faintly. “Needed some air. There are too many people inside.”

“I get that,” He walks over, nodding toward the chair I’m curled up in. “Move over.”

I blink at him. “What?”

He lifts the blanket in his hands. “You’re hogging the best seat in the house. And you clearly don’t know how to stay warm out here.”