The girl in the passenger seat leaned forward. Michael saw it coming. She vomited across the console and all over the floor of the passenger side.

There was no fanfare on his arrival. No wife waiting with a hug and kiss. No children ran to be picked up.

James’s thoughts refused to settle. The announcement had shifted the ground beneath him. The weeks ahead would be turbulent.

This couldn’t possibly be real.

Could it?

But if it were…

It would change everything.

The door clattered shut behind him, cutting him off from the morning light. The smell hit him first—a thick mix of stale cigarette smoke, marijuana, and sweat. The carpet felt sticky under his feet.

Rick put a hand on Bobby’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You ain’t broken, kid,” he said. “You’re just scared—like we’re all scared.”