I'm still up long after that, thinking about what happened to him. He's keeping things bottled up, but I can't pretend that he's not fazed by anything that's happening. It feels as though we're both holding our breath and waiting for the inevitable, whatever the inevitable might be.

The next morning, I stir before Joel, climbing out bed slowly and sifting through his bag to find something I can wear. Thankfully, Mallory has taken the liberty of leaving some clothes folded by the door when I open it.

Heard about the fire, figured I would leave a few of my old things for you to have.

The jeans hang a little loose on my hips and her sweater is a little baggy, but they fit fine enough. I lay them down on the counter beside me as reach for the knob on the shower. As I'm tugging on the hem of my shirt to pull it over my head, I hear the door open.

"Got room for one more?" Joel asks, his voice still thick from sleep.

I blush, letting my top fall to the floor. "I guess."

He turns the lock on the door and faces me again, one of his eyebrows arched at me. "You guess?"

"Fine," I step forward, gazing up at him. "I absolutely have room for one more."

Taking a shower with more than one person is a lot more complicated than it sounds. The showerhead is only so big and there's only so much hot water. I spend the entire duration overthinking it, but Joel doesn't. He kisses my neck, following the curve of me all the way to my shoulder. I feel his tongue gently tracing the skin and my knees begin to quiver.

"I never got a chance to join you in our hotel room," he says gruffly. "I wanted to, though."

"You did?"

"So bad."

"How bad?"

He guides me backward until the space between us is practically gone. I can feel every inch of him, and all of his wanting is crystal clear. "This bad."

My next words come out as a squeak. "What are you going to do about it?"

Abruptly, my back is pushed into the wall, and he shatters me in one move. He stays there for a long time, his face in my collarbone, my knuckles wrapped around his short hair. We move together, saying everything we need to in each shift of our hips. I swear, I've never been closer to him than I am now, speaking in a language all our own, so private and intimate there aren't words for it.

By the time we're dressed and out of the shower, Mallory is coming home from work, setting grocery bags down on the table. Both of the kids are at school and won't be back for a few hours, so she brews a pot of coffee and starts making herself some lunch.

"How was work, sis?" Joel asks, taking a bite of the lasagna from last night that he reheated in the microwave.

"Tiring," she answers. "The kids are always bursting with energy, even when I'm not."

"I don't know how you do it," he replies. "I'm definitely not good with little kids. I don't have the patience."

I glance at him with genuine surprise. "You're not?"

He shakes his head. "Even when Daniel and Avalon were younger I had trouble with them. They're just so loud and hyperactive."

"But you're great with them now," Mallory chimes in as she pours some cream into her coffee. "That's what counts. They think the world of you."

She fetches me a mug of my own that I take gratefully, inhaling the familiar smell of freshly brewed cappuccino. My coffee is always cheap and borderline tar-like, so the more expensive cups are always lovely, especially when they come from a fancy espresso machine.

"How was your morning?" she prompts. "Do those clothes fit okay?"

"It's been good, and yeah they fit," I say, still feeling a bit self-conscious in them. The only real difference is that she's a few inches taller than me. "Thank you again for your hospitality. It really means a lot."

Mallory waves her hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it, Vi. What else am I supposed to do for my future sister-in-law?"

"Hear that?" Joel chimes in. "I've got Mal's blessing to marry you and you've only just met. Isn't that fantastic, sweetheart?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't put the cart before the horse, mister."

He lowers his mouth down to my ear and whispers, "Judging by what happened in the shower, I would say I'll be around quite a while."

I take a sip of my coffee to mask my blushing.

"I'm gonna lie down for a bit before the kiddos get home from school," Mal says after finishing her lunch. "You two are welcome to watch TV."

We curl up on the couch and channel surf, settling on the news. My head rests on his shoulder as they cover the weather for the week, a few stories in politics, and even some celebrity drama. It's a mundane day for the world. It's even more refreshing to see that there's nothing to worry about for now.

"Think we'll be able to head back to New York soon?" I ask.

He sighs. "I'm honestly not sure. I don't want to overstay, but I'm worried about heading back there and something bad happening to you."

"Nothing bad is going to happen to me," I assure him, placing a hand on his chest as I turn around to face him.

"Doesn't mean I'm not gonna worry. They set your apartment on fire, sweetheart, that's not just messing around. That's a threat to your safety. You could have been hurt... or worse."

I chew on my lip, trying not to remember the smoke choking me or the heat of the flames threatening to overwhelm me. I don't want to think about it. I just want all of it to go away and leave me alone.

"Can I borrow your phone? I want to call Chief. Maybe he can give us an update?"

He considers this for a second, before fishing his cell out of his pocket and handing it to me.

I take it gratefully in my hands, a tiny smile spreading across my face when I see that he's made me his lock screen wallpaper. It's not a great picture of me, but it's still a sweet gesture nonetheless. He took it the morning after we first got together, when I was standing in the kitchen wearing his shirt, hiding my face with my hands.

"What?" he says nonchalantly. "You looked too cute. I love that photo."

I peck him on the lips. "I'll be right back."

The chief answers on the fourth ring. "Reed?"

"No, it's me," I say. "My phone was destroyed a few nights ago. Speaking of, you got anything from the hackers?"

"No," he replies. "Radio silence. Where are you hiding out, Carrigan?"

"Joel's sister's place. She has a home in Boston," I say. "I want to know when it's safe to come back."

"I honestly can't tell you," he says. "At this point, where you are is a safe bet. We've tried tracking the number that called you, but all we got was a burner phone. I'm willing to bet it's only two or three individuals at the most. And whoever they are, they know you, Violet."

I shudder. "That's unnerving."

"This is going to sound horrible." He hesitates. "But I think it needs to be said. I'm worried that Reed is working with them."

Joel. My Joel. The Joel who kisses me in the shower and calls me sweetheart and does everything for me. That Joel doesn't seem capable of hurting me, threatening my life. The accusation is appalling. I don't want to believe it.

"Excuse me?" I glance over my shoulder, grateful Joel isn't within earshot.

"The time this all started matches with his arrival," Chief says. "There's no definitive proof, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility."

I shake my head, over and over as if that would make the doubt in my mind disappear. "He wouldn't do that to me."

"How well do you know him, Carrigan?"

The question makes the room feel colder. The answer isn't what I'd like it to be. I want to insist that I know him well enough to be certain of his innocence, to be certain he's nothing more than a pawn in the grand scheme of things.

My silence speaks for me.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a hotel room," Chief finally proposes. "Just until we figure out who's on your side."

"How do I know I can trust you?" I ask, bordering on defensive.

"You don't," he says. "But trust me, if I wanted you dead like these men do, I would've done it by now."

His words are chilling, but they're enough to make me rule him out as a suspect. He's too involved in my life, too kind to me. He's already using my powers. It seems useless for him to really need them any more than he already does.

"Be careful, Carrigan," Chief warns. "That's all I'm saying."

With that, he hangs up. My hands trembling, I slide Joel's phone in my pocket and try to make sense of things. Everything is crazy right now. Nothing is certain.

This, what we have now, is the calm before the storm.