I haven't slept in three days. My eyes burn every time I blink, like someone's rubbing sandpaper against my corneas. The coffee stopped working yesterday, so now I'm just running on pure anxiety and parental terror.

  "Will, for Christ's sake, would you stop pacing? You're gonna wear a hole in the floor," Chloe says from my couch, where she's been pnted for the st two hours.

  I ignore her and check my phone again. Diane's location dot blinks reassuringly on campus. Shane's is steady at the library. I refresh both, just to be sure they haven't moved in the st thirty seconds.

  "This is ridiculous," Chloe continues, her voice cutting through my fog of worry. "You look like absolute shit, you've called out sick from work all week, and you won't tell me what the hell is going on."

  I gnce up at my sister. She showed up unannounced this morning, ciming she was "just checking in" after I canceled our weekly training session. Three hours ter, she's still here, watching me spiral.

  "I'm fine," I mutter, refreshing the tracker apps again.

  "You're acting like a fucking lump," she snaps, rising from the couch. "I've seen corpses with more personality."

  I'm about to tell her to mind her own business when the doorbell rings. My heart leaps into my throat. No one's supposed to be here. The kids have keys, and I'm not expecting anyone else.

  Chloe moves toward the door, but I practically sprint past her, my hand already reaching for the baseball bat I've kept by the entryway since that night at the restaurant.

  "Jesus, Will," Chloe says, eyeing the bat. "What the hell?"

  I ignore her, peering through the peephole. My grip on the bat loosens immediately.

  It's Lara.

  I swing the door open, my heart pounding against my ribs. Lara stands on my porch, looking wildly out of pce in her perfectly tailored suit, red hair cascading down her back like a bloody waterfall.

  What really catches me off guard is how calm Lara looks, almost serene compared to her usual manic energy. It's like seeing a hurricane suddenly transform into a gentle breeze.

  "Who is it?" Chloe asks, coming up behind me.

  When she spots Lara, her entire body nguage shifts. I can feel the tension radiating off her like heat from an oven.

  Lara's face splits into a wide grin. "Yo, coach is here! Hell yeah!"

  "What's up, Lara?" I manage to ask, my voice rough from ck of sleep.

  Her expression morphs instantly, that brief fsh of excitement giving way to something more serious. "I need to talk to you alone," she says, her tone leaving no room for argument.

  "Alright," I nod, already stepping onto the porch.

  Chloe moves forward, her jaw set in that stubborn way that always means trouble. "Whatever you need to say to him you can…"

  I don't let her finish, pulling the door closed behind me as I step outside. The click of the tch cuts her off mid-sentence. Lara's news seems more urgent than my sister's feelings.

  "What's up?" I ask once we're alone on the porch, the bat still dangling loosely from my fingers.

  Lara studies me for a moment before speaking. "Bckwood has been dealt with."

  The relief hits me so hard my knees almost buckle. The days of terror, of imagining the worst possible scenarios for my children, evaporating in an instant. My entire body sags, the baseball bat lowering to rest against the porch railing.

  "Really?" I whisper, hardly daring to believe it.

  "Yes," Lara nods, "but there's a problem."

  "What's the problem?" I ask, bracing myself.

  "I have no idea who did it or how it happened," Lara admits, looking genuinely perplexed. "Did you tell anyone else about your problem?"

  "Literally no one," I shake my head. "I was too afraid I'd get someone else caught up in this mess."

  "Not even Chloe?" Lara asks, jerking her head toward the door where my sister is undoubtedly fuming.

  "No," I sigh. "She's getting mad at me because she doesn't know why I'm freaking out."

  Lara nods thoughtfully, processing this information. "Well then, Mr. Gray, I guess it seems like you have a guardian angel." She shrugs, looking almost impressed. "I don't know what they did to her, but she said she's all done with you."

  "Do you believe her?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. The st three days have left me so drained that hope feels dangerous, like a trap I'm afraid to step into.

  Lara nods, her expression unusually serious. "Yeah. She seemed absolutely terrified, which isn't something I've ever seen from Stephanie Bckwood. Whatever happened, your family's safe now."

  I exhale slowly, feeling the tension that's been holding my body together finally start to unravel. My shoulders slump as the adrenaline that's been keeping me upright begins to fade.

  "Finally," I breathe, the word coming out like a prayer.

  Lara's face breaks into a smile, not her usual manic grin, but something more genuine.

  "Should I be worried about this mystery protector?" I ask, suddenly concerned about trading one dangerous person for another. "Whoever they are, they've got enough juice to scare Stephanie Bckwood."

  "I wouldn't be," Lara says with a casual shrug. "Someone who went through this much trouble to help you probably doesn't want anything in return. Otherwise, they'd have shown up by now, demanding payment."

  Before I can respond, Lara's eyes light up with that familiar wild energy. She pushes past me and throws open my front door. "What's up, Coach?" she calls out, her wide, predatory smile returning as she spots Chloe still standing in the entryway.

  I barely have time to follow her inside before Lara unches herself at my sister, tackling her with surprising force. They tumble into the living room, knocking over the coffee table as they grapple on the floor. I close the door behind me, watching the bizarre scene unfold.

  Chloe is objectively stronger than Lara, I've seen my sister bench press weights that would make most men weep. But Lara moves like water, slipping out of holds that should be inescapable, cackling with delight as she darts around Chloe's defenses.

  What strikes me most is the look on Chloe's face. My hard as nails sister actually looks nervous. There's a caution in her movements I've never seen before, like someone handling an unexploded bomb.

  "Did you finally meet your match, Chloe?" I ask, unable to keep the amusement from my voice.

  Chloe shoots me a gre from where she's pinned under Lara's surprisingly effective hold. "She's like a demon, Will. Not human."

  "Nu-uh, Coach," Lara counters with that unnerving smile of hers. "You're just zy. All that muscle and you still can't keep up with little old me."

  "I am not zy," Chloe growls, finally managing to push Lara off her.

  They both get to their feet, the impromptu wrestling match apparently over. I watch as Lara meticulously brushes off her suit, her fingers lingering over the expensive fabric like she's checking for damage.

  "You have my number, Coach," Lara says with a wink at my sister. "Use it sometime."

  To my absolute shock, Chloe's face flushes pink. My sister, who once broke a woman's wrist for touching her bicep without permission, is blushing like a schoolgirl.

  "I told you, Lara, you're not my type," she mutters, but there's no real conviction behind her words.

  "Yeah, yeah," Lara dismisses with a wave of her hand. She turns to me, her expression shifting to something almost resembling normal human concern. "Anyway, with that all set, get some sleep and you can finally get back to work tomorrow."

  "Yeah," I nod, the exhaustion hitting me now that the adrenaline is wearing off. "Thank you."

  Lara's face hardens slightly. "Don't thank me, Will."

  Before I can respond, she's already heading for the door, that predatory grace carrying her across my living room like she's floating. The door clicks shut behind her, and suddenly it's just me and Chloe standing in my wrecked living room.

  I turn to my sister. "Don't date her."

  Chloe's blush deepens, spreading down her neck. "Like I would ever."

  "She's too much for you."