SAINT NOBODY ── RIO [GOOD GIRLS]

six ━━ ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪɴᴄᴇɴᴛɪᴠᴇ, ᴅᴀʀʟɪɴ'.

"Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,"

Faye inclined her head to gauge Avery's reaction to the crooning of her favored cradle song. She exhaled a breath of relief when she noticed Avery's almost-there closed eyes following her mother's wiggling fingers back and forth.

"And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again."She smacked her lips together tiredly and buried her cheek into her mother's chest, snuggled beneath the blanket cocooning her.

Faye's slow stepping down the staircase was just about coming to an end, the distance between them and the last step became shorter and shorter. As she lingered on the third step she drew her crooning to a close just as Avery's eyes fluttered shut.

"The itsy-bitsy spider climbed..."

Another breath of relief passed her lips when Avery dozed off, and Faye watched her with a brimming smile. She loitered on the last step just to ensure that Avery was, in fact, in a repose, when a low laugh floated through from the kitchen behind her.

"Right on time."

Faye startled at the hearty declaration, peering over her shoulder to see the inked leader looking at her through the boxed shelves from the kitchen.

"Class is in session."He tacked on in an even tone, hand coming down atop the counter quite forcefully.

Any indication of the smile on her lips vanished from her features, and her expression clouded. He gestured to where Beth had taken a seat at the far end of the kitchen, Ruby and Annie closely stood and seated at each side of her. He jerked his head at them in a silent dictation that she join them.

She offered a nod of understanding and, once able to will herself to move, she descended the last step of the staircase.

"Is she okay?"

Beth's softy spoken question was a knee-jerk reaction, spawned when Avery turned to burrow into Faye's neck. Her face, thankfully devoid of tears or distress, was scrunched up mid-yawn during her slumber.

Faye swallowed thickly with a frigid nod of her head, willing a tight smile on her face. She held her daughter closer when she passed the intruders, rubbing Avery's back soothingly when she squirmed in her arms.

"Yeah, she's fine, thanks."Faye measuredly made her way across the kitchen and rooted herself alongside Annie."We're good, aren't we?"

Beth, receiving the question's underlying meaning, nodded with a flash of a worried smile. Annie was too worked up and nibbling on her chipped nail to respond.

"We..."

Their eyes instantly darted to Ruby as she straightened on the double seat, addressing the leader. Ruby's mouth opened and closed several times before she hesitantly ventured.

"We didn't know you owned the store."

He, after scrutinizing the stove, finally turned to look at them. He pushed away from the counter, tossing an amused smile at the other men.