Chapter 4 - Broken Pieces Reunited
The safehouse above Nora’s tailor shop was warm, smelling of cedarwood and lavender.
June and Jade were sitting side-by-side on the sofa, wrapped in oversized wool blankets. They hadn't slept. Every time the floorboards creaked, their shoulders tensed. Nora sat in an armchair nearby, quietly knitting, her presence a silent anchor in their storm.
When the heavy oak door opened, both girls leaped to their feet.
Evelyn stumbled into the room, her coat damp and her face bruised, but the moment she saw her daughters, a sob tore from her throat. "June! Jade!"
"Mommy!"
The girls collided with their mother in a tangle of limbs and tears. They wept with a desperation that only those who have stared into the abyss of permanent separation could understand. Nathan stood in the doorway, his silhouette imposing, yet he remained perfectly still, watching the reunion with an expressionless face.
Nora walked over to Nathan, handing him a clean, dry towel. "You look like hell, Nathan."
"I've looked worse," he replied quietly, drying his hands.
May you like
"What happens now?" she asked, looking at the crying family. "Mercer isn't going to let this go. He’s a middleman, which means there are much larger, uglier fish looking for what he promised them."
Nathan’s hand drifted to his pocket, where he had stuffed a handful of documents from Mercer's desk before escaping. "Then we go fishing."
