“Ourhouse,” I correct quickly. “And it’s not ruined.”
Graham trots behind, following us through the wreckage.
I stroke her hair as I stride up the stairs and into our bedroom. Thankfully, this room was untouched, since my angel had the good sense to lock Graham inside.
I pull the duvet back, then deposit Emily under, tucking the cover up to her chin. “You need to rest,” I tell her firmly.
She goes to protests, but then she yawns.
Graham jumps onto the bed, pushing his head against Emily’s skin, as if needing to check for himself that she’s okay. Her hand reaches out to pat his fur as he curls himself into a ball beside her, acting as a guardian.
I press a kiss to her forehead, lingering longer than necessary. “Sleep, Angel.”
She nods as her eyelids drift closed once more.
Ty’s waiting for me downstairs, along with Karl and his partner Mark.
Karl drags me into a half hug. “How is your girl?”
My throat clogs as tears threaten to burn behind my eyes. All I can do is sharply jerk my head down as I step back.
“Tell us what to do,” Ty says.
Pushing away the lingering dread, I bark out instructions. We need to get this place clean and secure.
Ty and I grab cleaning supplies and start scrubbing the blood, bleaching all the surfaces. While we do that, Karl and Mark get a new door installed at the front and clear up some of the debris from the hallway.
It’s not perfect. It doesn’t erase what happened. But it’s a start.
Upstairs in the spare room is the worst. Gianna’s body still lays there in a pool of blood—likely a mixture of hers and Emily’s.
Ty and I lift her together—I secure under her shoulders, while Ty grabs her legs—and carry her down to the interrogation room. We deposit her in a heap in the centre, clear the room, then start the furnace function, letting her body burn.
I stare at the door, wishing I could watch. How dare she break into our home and hurt my angel.
Eventually, we turn away.
The house is finally back in some sort of order. It’s enough for now.
“Let us know if we can help in any other ways,” Karl says on his way out, giving me a pointed look.
The three of them clap me on the back, and then they’re out the door.
Silence descends. And my mind races, no longer distracted.
The what-ifs play through my mind like a bad dream—a nightmare—except it could have so easily have been a reality. One wrong move and Gia could have been the one standing over Emily’s lifeless body. And then I’d be without the two beings that mean the most to me in the entire world.
I should’ve been here. She should never have been alone. That mistake won’t happen again.
My work is a hobby—I don’t need it. Emily would never quit hers, but I can support us easily.
I’ll quit. Sit in the waiting room every day. Close enough. It’s the compromise she’ll accept.
I head upstairs.
Emily sleeps peacefully, her shoulders rising and falling softly, her lips parted just slightly. Graham opens an eye as I close the door but closes it again when he assesses that I’m not a threat.
I shower, scrubbing the day from my skin, then slide into bed beside them.