He lowers his head. “I didn’t know if we could.”
“We did.” My voice softens. “And she’s safe because of you.”
His breath hitches. He turns and buries his face against my neck, arms looping tight around my waist. I hold him just as hard, feeling the tremble in his spine.
“I thought I lost her,” he whispers.
“You didn’t,” I tell him. “And you’re not losing her again.”
When he finally releases me, his eyes are red but steady.
“Let’s go back,” he murmurs.
We step into the living room together.
Silas looks too big for my couch. His hair is mussed from the drive, a few blond curls falling over his brow. Minxy fits into his side like she belongs there, his arm curved around her protectively, the veins in his hand standing out from how tightly he’s holding her.
Gideon stands nearby, scanning the windows, the hallway, the door—everything.
For the first time since this began, the five of us occupy the same space. Breathing the same air. Holding the same fear. And the same relief.
I sit beside Minxy’s feet. She reaches unconsciously toward me, fingertips brushing my knee. The trust in that tiny touch nearly undoes me.
It lasts maybe fifteen seconds.
Then Gideon’s phone buzzes.
He glances at the screen, frowns, and steps away to read the message fully. His expression shifts.
Silas straightens.
“What happened?” he asks quietly.
Gideon looks up.
“My contact at the school. St. Helen’s called Riverview,” he says. “They wanted confirmation Minxy completed her appointment.”
Silas’ jaw locks. “And?”
“Riverview said she never made it to Radiology. Never checked back in. Nothing in the logs.” Gideon pockets his phone. “So they escalated it.”
Minxy sits up fast, eyes wide. “Escalated?” she whispers.
Gideon nods. “The clinic logged her as unaccounted for. Per protocol, St. Helen’s was notified.”
Talon’s breath punches out of him.
“And now Abi’s been alerted,” Gideon continues. “She didn’t wait. She called the school immediately and asked where her daughter was.”
Silas mutters a curse under his breath. “They think she disappeared inside the clinic.”
“Exactly,” Gideon says. “They don’t suspect us. But they know Minxy is missing. And they’re moving fast.”
Minxy tucks into herself, arms wrapped around her ribs.
“Is she coming?” she asks.
“No,” Silas answers firmly. “You’re not going back. Not tonight. Not ever.”
