The fire had burned down to a nest of dull red coals, pulsing like a slow heartbeat. Empty beer bottles stood in a loose circle around the chairs. His wife had disappeared inside hours ago, laughing too loud, weaving toward the guest room with a slurred promise to “sleep it off.” Now it was just him and Lauren. Lauren, twenty-eight and five years younger than her sister, was built like she’d been drawn by someone who real...