I would still be at work for at least an hour, but I told him my door was unlocked. Kael’s by-the-books voice was in my head telling me to keep my door locked at all times, whether I was gone or at home. He seemed way too concerned, but I had downloaded the neighborhood security app when I moved in and it was pretty damn terrifying to get an alert every hour for a break-in or assault. Stolen dog, drunk driver, drunk soldiers fighting at a bar—it was so overwhelming that I turned my notifications off after three days. I knew the world was a lot darker than I wanted to believe it was, but I still wanted to have hope that we didn’t need to shut our doors and lock ourselves away from our neighbors and community. I hated the idea that I couldn’t leave my front door open with just the screen between me and everything outside. I wanted to hear the sound of cars, people talking and connecting as they walked down the little strip of shops across the street, the roll of thunderstorms, and the calm patter of the rain. Even honks and sirens were a part of the soundtrack of my life.

Austin was sitting on my couch, shoes off, hat on. I had thought about what I would say to him as I walked home from work. He looked bright and awake, much different from the way he looked last night, when Kael laid him in his bed. Austin pepped up when I walked in, grinning at me, already playing for my forgiveness. He was conniving back when we were seven, and even now not much had changed. Well, our family had changed a lot, our lives were turned upside down when our mother left us and a woman we didn’t know moved into our house before our mom even had a chance to come back. But Austin was still a brat.

“How was work?” he asked.

I stepped over his legs. He was sprawled across nearly the whole couch, and I maneuvered to the small available space at the other end and sat down.

“It sucked. It was fine, but it sucked. What the hell happened last night?”

“It was a misunderstanding. I’ll be fine as soon as I eat. What can you cook for me?”

I reached out to feel his forehead and rolled my eyes. “What can I cook for you? You should be asking what can you, Austin, make for me. And that’s not an answer to my question. I need details and I need you to stop getting yourself and other people in trouble. Kael could have really gotten hurt, Austin. This isn’t a game.”

He pouted for a second before nodding. “I know, I know. Let me order food. I have fifty bucks. We can get pizza.”