NINA
The kids were breaking Nina’s heart.
She watched them as they sat around the table for dinner. Ivonne had prepared a thick, savory cazuela with chicken and butternut squash. Some of their guests were already halfway through devouring their meals, while others were still eyeing their bowls—and everything else—with suspicion.
At least they were properly clothed now. A quick canvass of the neighborhood had yielded enough secondhand garments to get them out of their identical, purely utilitarian jumpsuits. The clothes were a bit mismatched, but they were clean and warm.
When Ivonne joined her in the kitchen, Nina asked softly, “Are they all right?”
“Who would be?” Ivonne sighed. “They’ll be fine, Nina.”
Eventually—the word hung between them, unspoken but understood. “Thank you for taking point with them. I just…”
“You’ve been busy.” Ivonne patted her arm. “How is Gray? Awake yet?”
“No, not yet. But he will be soon.” Nina knew that much. Mace had been walking around since the surgery with a mildly stunned look on his face, as if he couldn’t believe they’d actually pulled it off, and that had to count for something.
“And Conall?”
“Don’t worry, Mace and Dr. Wells finished his regeneration therapy already. He’s on his feet, and he’ll probably be over here for a bowl or three of your cazuela soon.”
Ivonne smiled, clearly pleased, though the expression quickly melted into a troubled frown. “The girl—Rainbow? I couldn’t find her for dinner. Earlier, she seemed … sad.”
There was no telling what she was going through. She’d definitely come out of her shell since her arrival, but seeing the other children, the ones she’d been imprisoned with …
It would be enough to send anyone spinning. “I’ll look for her now. Thank you, Ivonne.”
She didn’t have to search for Knox. She found him exactly where she’d known he would be—hovering outside the tiny room that was serving as Gray’s recovery suite.
Nina leaned against Knox’s back, relishing his solid, steady warmth. “Any change?”
“Not yet.” He slid his hand over hers, twining their fingers together. “Rafe found a cot for Maya, and I convinced her to eat and try to get some sleep. Maybe she will, if she doesn’t have to leave him.”
Nina peered past him. The narrow cot had been placed close to one side of Gray’s bed, close enough that Maya could reach out and touch him if she needed to reassure herself he was still there. Whether that was purposeful or a side effect of the cramped quarters, Nina didn’t know. But she suspected the former.
“Poor Maya.” At least she was actually resting, if only for now. The last day—Jesus, had it only been a day?—had been rough for everyone, but for Maya most of all. If she’d brought Gray this far, through an absolutely impossible surgery, only for him not to make it now …
Nina closed her eyes, as if she could block out the thought. “Rainbow’s around here somewhere. Can you help me look for her?”
“Have you checked the warehouse?” He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to her temple. “I know she’s been curious about the books.”
“No, I came here first. I wanted to check on Gray, Maya … and you.”
His soft sigh tickled her ear. “I’ll be better when he’s awake.”
She looked over to where Maya’s hand lay, curled halfway into a fist, so close to Gray’s. “I know.”
They walked, hand in hand, around to the back entrance of the warehouse, where Knox’s instincts once again proved accurate. Rainbow sat on a high stool, her thin shoulders hunched over the 3D scanner.
She looked so fragile that it made Nina’s throat ache.
Knox squeezed her hand in silent understanding. “Hey, kiddo,” he said gently. Rainbow’s shoulders stiffened, but Knox continued, his voice soft and soothing. “You need any help?”
“I won’t break it.” Rainbow didn’t turn, all of her focus on adjusting a book until it was perfectly lined up. “Maya showed me how.”
“We’re not worried about that,” Nina hurried to assure her. “Are you hungry? The other kids are having dinner.”
Rainbow shook her head and pressed the button. The scanner started, and she watched it intently. “I promised,” she whispered. “I made a deal with Maya. To scan books in exchange for the clothes she bought me.”
“Okay, but … you don’t have to do it right this second.” Except maybe this was her way of dealing with the tension and stress that was permeating everything. “Unless you just want to.”
The girl finally looked at Nina. Only for a moment, her eyes huge and haunted, before her gaze jumped back to the scanner. “I won’t be here much longer.”
She said it so matter-of-factly, but her eyes held such startling pain that Nina reflexively shook her head. “Where are you going?”
It was Knox who answered. “Did you hear us talking, Rainbow?”
Rainbow hunched her shoulders again and said nothing.
Oh, hell. “Honey—” Nina turned the stool so that Rainbow was facing them and bent a little at the waist, putting her face level with the girl’s. “We wanted to talk to you about why Syd’s coming here and what’s going to happen.”
Her small feet swung above the floor. She was wearing the shoes Rafe had helped her pick out—sneakers with rainbow laces. Knox crouched down and tightened the loose laces on her left shoe. “How much did you hear?”
“Just that she’s coming to take us.” Rainbow bit her lip. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”
Nina smoothed an errant lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. “Syd is coming to help, because that’s what she does. She has a place for people like us, where we can be safe while we figure things out.”
“I hear it’s pretty nice.” Knox smiled up at Rainbow. “There’s a lake, and horses. Lots of space to run around. Ava has been there, so she could tell you more about it.”
Rainbow’s big, green eyes still looked sad. “And that’s where we’d live?”
Knox nodded. “For a little while. Some people stay there, but most people … Syd helps them find families. People who are special, like you, who can help you learn how to live in the world.”
“So the question,” Nina said softly, “is whether you want to go there with the other kids or stay here. With us.”
Rainbow’s head jerked up. She looked back and forth between them, eyes widening. “I can stay?”
“Oh, honey. Of course you can. We don’t have ponies, and it’s not as nice as Syd’s compound. You’ll be the only kid. But we all want you here, if that’s what you choose.”
“Oh.” It was a whisper of wonder. Her small brow furrowed. “What about the others?”
“Nina already talked to them,” Knox told her. “They decided to go with Syd and see if they can find families of their own. But you already found one, if you want it.”
Rainbow moved in a tiny blur, flinging herself off the stool and into Knox’s swiftly opened arms. Her arms twined around his neck, and he held her, one hand gently patting her back, and smiled at Nina over Rainbow’s shoulder.