“God, have you always been this angry? I had your windows boarded up and secured your house, Jax. Everything is fine.”

Rage filled every cell in my body. “I don’t give a fuck about the house! I want my daughter safe!”

“I don’t have to sit here and listen to you yell. We’re not married, remember? Finley’s safe, Jax. You didn’t grow up there. I did. Everyone freaks out, buys all the bottled water, and then the storm passes, we clean up, and move on. Your job has made you paranoid, baby. Now, I have to go. My car just got here.”

“Go to hell, Claire.”

I hung up.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Morgan

Bury me at West Point, would you? My mom is going to say I should be in Alabama, but I belong at West Point. I’m asking you because I know that out of everyone I trust, you’re the strongest, the most capable of picking that fight, and I need you to.

I slipped into my dress and tugged the zipper up my side. It was a navy-blue sheath with a boatneck collar and three-quarter sleeves. Classic. Demure. And exactly what Will would have wanted me to wear to his Medal of Honor ceremony.

I clasped my pearls around my neck and applied minimal lip gloss.

The ride from our hotel—just south of D.C.—to the White House would take over an hour, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t reapply in the car if my lips got dry. I’d foregone mascara for the good of everyone.

My FaceTime rang, and Finley’s picture popped up. Now there was a reason to smile.

“Good morning, Fin,” I said as I rested the phone against the bathroom mirror.

“Hey, Morgan!” She waved, her hair a riot of curls against her pajamas. Guess I was ready pretty early.

“What’s up, buttercup?”

“Not much. You said call when I want, right?” Her eyebrows rose in question.

I glanced at the clock—plenty of time. “I sure did. How does Juno like the road?” I asked as the tabby settled herself in Finley’s lap.

“She hates it here.” She shrugged.

“Travel is hard on kitties.” I took the phone into the room and sat on my bed.

“He peed on Grandma’s shoes this morning, but she doesn’t know yet. She’s already mad about her leg,” she whispered. “That’s why I’m upstairs.”

I blinked. “I thought your grandma didn’t want to evacuate?”

“She didn’t! She says we’re safe.”

“What do you mean we’re safe?” Nausea hit me hard. From what I’d seen on the news reports, Vivian’s place was anything but safe. They’d pulled out all emergency workers, shut down the hospital, and were preparing for landfall in the next twelve hours.