Page 104 of Ready or Not
The final count was seventeen with Andrew. It’s nothing to laugh at. If they had tried to raid anyone, outside of a personal security firm, they could have done some real damage, but they lacked the training necessary to successfully take control of the compound.
“Come on,” Garza calls over his shoulder, heading back for the house. “Bishop isn’t letting Vale and the baby go. That means packing is on us, assholes.”
“Are we truly staying with him?” I ask Mercy, nodding to Ranger.
“If Andretti does try again before we can fortify the grounds…” Mercy shrugs. “It’s the safest option. If we stay at a hotel, civilians could get hurt in the crossfire.”
“Do you think he’ll come for us again?”
Ranger chuckles. “Now that Landis is gone, I believe you’ll be safe. I’ll be sending quite the message to Lucien Andretti to ensure he knows where he can find Kate.”
“And you want us to stay with you?” I scoff.
The difficult part is, I have to agree that it’s really the only option.
It’s not worth putting civilians at risk to stay in a hotel. Also, I’ve seen Ranger’s house. It’s at least as fortified as the compound.
Finding a contractor we can trust and who doesn’t ask a million questions takes over a week. The next several are spent hunkered down at Ranger’s house.
Every doctor’s appointment for the baby involves a full escort of the four of us, plus backup.
Not only has Aurora made it back to her birth weight, but she’s also gained a bit. She’s eight pounds, two ounces.
With the five of us, plus the baby, we’re crammed into the small exam room like sardines. It’s her one-month checkup, and the little lady gets fussy as soon as Vale takes a seat.
Mercy and I take off at the same time, but I get to her first. Aurora is only in a diaper and a thin baby blanket for when the doctor examines her.
I scoop her up, and her whole body scrunches.
I chuckle. “When she does this, it’s easy to tell how she fit in there.” I nod to Vale’s stomach.
“I’m really going to miss the newborn scrunch when she outgrows it,” Bishop says.
I roll my eyes at the know-it-all and move the ladybug to the crook of my arm.
She’s wide awake.
My chest gets warm and fuzzy as she pushes her little lips together, like she can’t decide if she’s going to crank up the volume in the small room.
I start to sway as Mercy leans over my shoulder.
“She makes the goofiest faces,” Mercy says with a laugh. “I can’t wait to see more of her personality as she grows.”
“Is anyone else starving?” Garza asks, taking the seat next to Vale.
“Yeah, but that’s all the time recently.” She leans against his chest, smiling at me and Aurora.
“We’ll grab something on the way back to Ranger’s,” Bishop says.
The pediatrician comes in shortly after, and the appointment goes well. Aurora’s weight is a little below average, but she was born three weeks early. The consensus is not to worry because she’s thriving.
Ranger’s house isn’t small. It still manages to feel cramped with the five of us, plus Aurora. Then there’s Hargrove, Merryweather, Kate, and Ranger.
Vale has been a good sport, but she’s still healing, and our lives have been extremely chaotic since the attack.
Garza heads in first, with the baby cradled in his arms and the diaper bag slung over his shoulder.
Vale is finally feeling more like herself, but every once in a while, I’ll catch her grimacing as she moves.