OLIVER

I waited until Melissa got in her car and drove down the road before I slipped back into Pierce’s home, closing the door behind me.

"Are you okay?" I asked Mari after finding her in the same spot I left her.

She shook her head and her hands trembled as she plastered them together. "Yeah."

Her lips quivered and without thinking about it, I closed the distance between us and placed my arms around her in a tight hug. She was warm ...