She wasn’t angry. I wasn’t sure why I’d expected her to be. Even when I was young, even when I’d lashed out physically, even when I’d drawn blood—all she’d ever done was be there.

I’d hurt her. She wouldn’t hurt me.

“Cady, I shouldn’t have—”

“You hate inaction.” Cady reached out and ran her free hand over my hair, no muss, no fuss, no frills in her tone. “You look at Bella, and you see yourself. You want to help. Taking a step back is killing you. I get that, Kira. But the answer is still no.”

She held out the hot chocolate again, and I took it. I wasn’t in the mood for something sweet, but I needed the warmth. I needed to take what she was giving me.

“I shouldn’t have brought up…” I stared down into the dark liquid, unable to say the name Ash. “I’m supposed to be on your side. I’m supposed to protect you.”

“No,” Cady countered. “I’m supposed to protect you. You’re supposed to rebel and think I’m a totally lame adult who just doesn’t understand and might also be the densest person on the planet.”

I snorted into my hot chocolate.

Cady measured her next words. “Coming back here hasn’t been easy for me.” She paused. “You and Jude haven’t asked about why I left. About why I don’t speak to my father.”

I’d brought up Ash. I’d made her think she had to do this. “We don’t have to talk about—” I started to say, but Cady spoke over me.

“His name was John Ashby.” She managed a slight smile. “Though I suspect the three of you have probably sorted that out.”

Cady didn’t owe me this. If anyone had a right to ask her about Ash, it was Jude.

“We grew up together. Like you and Jude and Free. We were a team.”

Given what I already knew, I suspected that team wasn’t just another word for family.

“Military search and rescue?” I asked.

My knowledge took Cady momentarily off guard. “Small town,” she muttered. Then she corrected me, “Not military. More like military-adjacent.” She pressed her lips together for several seconds. They were chapped, pale. The search had taken a physical toll.

I was the reason she wasn’t resting.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to tell me, Cady. I don’t need to know what happened.”

“You wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t.” She rubbed the thumb on her left hand over the fingers on her right. “The team was called down to South America.” The story came in pieces and spurts. “The job was in cartel territory. Four of us went into the jungle. Only three of us came out.”