9. Anders

Chapter nine

Anders

I was going to lose my fucking mind. First, the bitches forced us out, and we were stuck at home, pacing and breaking things, waiting for news. We finally convinced Sparrow that we were sane enough to come check in, and then…

I never thought I had a heart big enough to break like that.

It had been three fucking days since Grace had pointed a knife at Erik’s chest and Sparrow had thrown us out at gunpoint. She’d looked so hurt, so vulnerable, with none of the sparkle that normally graced her features. We should never have left her there; we should have forced Sparrow to let us stay. Or better yet, we should have brought Grace back home with us where she belonged.

Why didn’t Erik fight for her? I’d railed at him about it until our voices had given out, listening to his pathetic excuses, muttering about how we needed to give her space. She didn’t need space, she needed us. We could help her, take care of her, and make her feel safe again.

I’d tidied up the mess I’d made of my room, putting the books back onto the shelves, sorting my drawers, and getting my closet back in order. No easy feat with one arm strapped against my chest. I’d go downstairs once or twice a day to get updates from Erik, but every day they were the same. No, Grace didn’t want to speak with us. Yes, she was feeling better. I was going to pull my hair out waiting, I needed something to do, anything, to keep my mind from drifting back to that apartment above the bar.

Levy was avoiding me like the plague, refusing to so much as look at me anymore. I didn’t blame him; I wouldn’t want to be around me either, as unhinged as I was right now. But still, I missed him. His absence left a gaping hole in my life, and without him around, I was able to see how truly lonely I was. For some reason, this bothered me more than it used to.

I was busy cutting up an apple in the kitchen when Jesse burst through the front door, his hair still damp, and wearing his wetsuit for surfing. “When are we leaving?!” he signed frantically, unzipping his suit and pulling it down to his waist as he walked inside. Surfing was an extremely athletic pursuit—I always forgot how deceptively muscular he was. “Anders? When are we leaving?!” he signed again more emphatically.

“Going where?” I signed back, setting my knife down. Jesse threw up his hands and stormed past me, heading for Erik’s office. I followed, forgetting my food as my curiosity got the better of me. We nearly collided, the three of us, as Erik walked out of the office right as we reached it.

“Jesse, rinse off and get dressed. We leave in five,” Erik signed, and Jesse grinned and brushed past me to bolt up the stairs .

“Go where?” I demanded, and Erik gave me an exasperated sigh.

“Turn your fucking phone on. Jesus!” he sighed, and I dug my phone out of my pocket, turning it back on. Messages popped up in the group chat, and I scanned them quickly, following after him.

“She wants to see us?” I asked, parsing through the text once, then twice.

“She’s agreed to see us,” Erik clarified with a grimace as he pulled on his leather jacket.

Footsteps sounded behind us, and someone brushed past my arm just as Jesse bounded down the steps, his hair now wet and dripping like a dog in the rain. His clothes clung to his skin, still damp as if he hadn’t bothered to towel dry after showering.

We were all buzzing with anxiety as we made the drive to Sparrow’s place—Erik bouncing in his seat so much, I threatened to pull over and let him run the rest of the way there. This was our chance, we couldn’t fuck this up. We had to convince her to come home.

It was still early enough that the bar was closed, so we parked and made our way inside, up to the apartment. Erik knocked, taking the lead, and Wren opened the door for us, her mouth set in a stern warning. “Go and sit on the couch, all of you,” she told us sharply, and we filed inside, a group of school boys waiting to see the principal. I turned at the sound of footsteps, and there she was, a tiny blond Kitten in clothes that must’ve belonged to Sparrow, judging from all the black. None of us said a word as she walked over, coming to a stop opposite us, leaving the coffee table between us .

“Roe said you wanted to speak with me,” she murmured, her hands toying nervously with the fraying cuffs of the oversized black hoodie. I swallowed thickly, waiting for her to look at us. Begging her to look at us.

“We wanted to make sure you were doing okay,” Erik told her, speaking for the group. “We’ve been worried.” Her brows drew together, her nose wrinkling as she frowned and shook her head.

“Why?” she asked, her voice still a little hoarse. This caught Erik off guard, and his mouth opened and shut a few times, floundering.

“You know why,” Jesse signed, pain etched over his features. “We missed you.”

“Then why did you leave me there? You saw me, and you just… you left.” Her voice was thick with hurt, and I stood quickly, making her flinch and Roe grunt a warning.

“We didn’t leave you,” I told her. “They were shooting at us, so I pushed you into the closet. We tried to get to you, but then there was an explosion. I tried to go back in, but the fire was too big, and then the roof collapsed. You… you were gone.” I had inched my way around the table, and she backed away from me, her eyes on the floor in front of her.

“I saw you, you were all talking outside the warehouse! You said I wasn’t worth the effort!” Her voice cracked, and I sank to my knees, shaking my head.

“That. Never. Happened!” I told her sharply. “We tried, Kitten, we tried!” My voice was rising as she shook her head, tears spilling over her cheeks.

“Every night, I saw it every night. You all just left me there,” she mumbled, clutching her temples .

“Douglas tricked you, Angel. He spun a story so you wouldn’t try to escape. He lied to you, Grace. It was just a nightmare.” Erik’s voice seemed to suck all the air out of the room as Grace trembled, her shoulders shaking as she curled in on herself.

“I don’t- I don’t understand,” she gasped, and Jesse was up in a flash, moving to her side, hovering but not quite touching. Her lips parted in shock, and I was sure he was showing her a replay of the events at the warehouse—how he’d run inside until the smoke started to choke him; how I’d fought with Erik, trying to convince him to let me go inside and search for her. A small sob escaped her lips, and Erik and Levy were on their feet, stepping over the coffee table to get closer.

“It was a nightmare, baby. We never would have left you,” Levy murmured, and a torrent of sobs spilled out of her. Erik was the one who broke first, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her to his chest. He kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair softly and murmuring apologies over and over. I got back on my feet as she stepped out of his hug, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Jesse cleared his throat lightly, drawing her attention. Like a magnet, he drew her into his arms, and I saw the tension leave his body as he held her. Levy was next to me, his shoulder brushing mine as he watched, fading in and out of view, a look of wistfulness on his face. We weren’t the people you hugged, not like Jesse and Erik. They felt emotions and shared them, all without a care. The same couldn’t be said for us.

When Jesse finally let go of Grace, her shoulders drew inward, and she looked toward us hesitantly. I looked down at the floor, letting Levy step forward, and he took her hand lightly in his, making her smile, even though the tears still trailed down her face. I could feel her staring, pulling my gaze up until I met her stormy gray eyes with my own. I made no move to approach her, shoving my hands in my pockets.

“Come home,” I told her, softening it at the last second, so it was half a question, half a demand.

Grace took a deep, shuddered breath, and nodded slowly. “Okay.”