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“What?” Luna says, folding her arms

I hold ut Then Sandy throws her arht “I’m so sorry about what happened to Jake,” she whispers “I’m so sorry that I was a distraction to Tyler when you needed him”

I’h to distract the bodyguard closest to h, but after a few seconds, she crumples before my eyes, and I can’t believe it

Her arms slide from between her and Sandy, and she wraps theo, she was bla Tears trickle down her cheeks, and she buries her face into Sandy’s hair, ashamed maybe, of her emotional response At least, that’s the way it seems

It’s an odd scene with Luna pristinely dressed and Sandy still bleary froh their unity is the only thing keeping either of theo back and be there to tell Jake not to ride thatto have his brother back”

Luna nods and whispers yes

“He needs you…he needs you in his life…he needs to know that you’re with him”

“But he won’t be there for Mom…she matters to me,” Luna says

“We’ll work soh she has no idea what she’s pro Tyler’s

“I just…I need to leave, but I can’t if I don’t know everything here is going to be okay”

“It will be Just go inside and see Tyler before you go, and I’ll deal with the rest”

They pull apart and face each other, eye to eye An understanding passes between therasp These toht

Luna nods and begins to make her way back inside, her shoulders slumped, still flanked by her black-suited protector

I try to follow her, but Sandy graspsme back

“Tyler blames himself?” she asks me “It was his bike?”

I nod, and another tear runs down her cheek

“And he blames me?” she asks

“No!” I restin my palm “He doesn’t blame you”

“But he left, and he never ca him He blames me because he wasn’t there to save his brother…to stop hi onto that bike?”