The lake is nowhere near as enticing when I’m sitting by it alone.
And my family is nowhere near as endearing when they have an opinion they can’t stop pressing upon a person.
For twenty-eight days straight, I’ve worked the land. Sanded the windows and door. Repainted every inch of the place, including the stables, which are currently empty. I’ve worked my fingers to the bone, hoping enough manual labour will serve to knock me out at night, or at least serve as a punishment for my utter stupidity.
Stupidity which almost cost me everything. The only saving grace is that Victoria is alive and healthy. No thanks to me.
Pierce will protect her. She’s in good hands.
Whose hands will she be in next, though?
The thought tortures me. Which lucky bastard will get to keep her? I was a fool to believe it could ever have been me.
‘Archie, there’s a phone call for you,’ Andie yells across the field from the farmhouse.
Hope and dread spark and duel in my sternum. Nobody knows I’m here.
Dusting the dirt from my hands, I push myself up from the grass and trudge across the field, in through the open back door.
My own phone is dead in my bedroom. It seemed pointless charging it when there’s no network here, anyway. The only person I actually want to hear from is better off not being able to reach me.
I take the receiver from Andie’s outstretched hand with a raised eyebrow. She shrugs.
‘Hello?’
‘There you are.’ It’s Declan, Ryan’s fixer and finder. The guy who ran Harrison’s background check. Shame I didn’t think to get him to do one on Doctor Dickhead too.
‘Declan, how can I help?’ He must have heard I no longer work for Ryan.
Declan clears his throat. ‘I’m following up on that case you asked me to keep an eye on. The girl.’
‘Lily-May?’ I’ve thought of her every day, but I’m in no position to do anything for her right now. A single man, with no references or experience with kids, other than babysitting the Cooper twins. No social worker in their right mind would consider me a suitable foster parent for Lily-May, no matter how hard I fought. A female doctor and her partner, however, would have been an entirely different story.
‘She’s in trouble. She ran away from the foster home twice before ending up back in A&E with some questionable bruises. I thought you’d want to know.’
Damn right I want to know.
But what can I do about it?
‘Do you know of anyrelativeswho might be willing to take her on?’ His meaning is clear.
CouldIdo it?
Step up and actually do something meaningful with my life?
Silence rings in my ears.
‘Does Victoria know about this?’ I’m sure she’d want to know. We might not be able to foster Lily-May like we’d originally hoped, but surely we could do something for the child we can both relate to on so many levels.
‘She’s not taking any calls,’ Declan says, revealing nothing about her whereabouts. Did she stay in Edinburgh? Go to Belfast to prepare for her next placement? Go to Europe like she mentioned?
It’s none of my business. I have no right to know.
But one thing I do know with absolute certainty is she’d want me to help Lily-May.
I couldn’t protect Victoria, but there’s no reason I can’t protect a little girl. Especially here, with the help of my sister.
Would Lily-May want that? Something in my soul stirs. I was born to serve and protect, even if I haven’t always been the best at it.
