SKYLAR
The car ride out to the farm house feels longer than it actually is.
I sit in the back seat with my knees pulled up slightly, my thumbnail worrying at the seam of my jeans, watching the city thin out into open fields through the tinted window.
My new bodyguard Rick is behind the wheels. His colleague, Damson sits beside him, silent as always. Damson's eyes flick to the mirrors every few seconds like he's cataloguing threats in a world that hasn't stopped trying to hurt me.
I still haven't gotten used to having them around.
Asher was firm about it. Non-negotiable, he'd said, in a voice that brooked no argument. After everything I have been through, I fully understand why I don't get a say in how I'm protected. I can only be gracious about it. Most days I manage to be gracious. Some days, I just manage being tolerant.
