Something’s wrong.
I swing the door open, expecting to see one of my brothers, or maybe Dad, but it’s Elle. And she’s furious. Her face is red and swollen with tears.
Without a single word, she swings her fist at me, but I catch it just in time, gripping her wrist like I’ve caught a hundred baseballs before.
“You monster!” she screams, tears streaming down her face.
“Elle,” I say, trying to keep my composure, my tone steady. “What’s wrong?”
“I hate you!” she screams, letting her fury loose. “I hate you!”
She pounds her fists against my chest, but I wrap my arms around her—not to restrain her, but to hold her. To comfort her.
But she’s not having it.
“Let go of me!” she screams. “I said, let go of me!”
I let her go and watch as her face twists into a storm of fury and heartbreak.
“Elle,” I begin, gently, “if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, I can’t help you.”
“I don’t need your help!” she shouts. “You stole my sister! You and Meghan Fletcher conspired to kidnap her and raise her in your family.”
“That’s not true,” I say, the pieces clicking into place—she just found out about Meghan. “Elle, I met Meghan when I went to the home to check on you.”
“Liar!” she yells. “You’re a liar. A thief. I can’t believe I trusted you. I hate you!”
“Elle,” I try once more, keeping my voice steady, “please—let’s sit down and talk about this.”
I reach for her, but she swats my hand away. “Don’t touch me!”
She’s so overcome that she has to lean back against the doorframe, struggling to catch her breath.
Then I catch a glimpse of Dani—the little girl I remember. So small. So scared. So fierce. Willing to do anything to protect her sister.
I fold my arms across my chest to keep from reaching for her again. My heart breaks, but I stay still, willing to absorb every ounce of pain she's carried all these years. Let her release it. Let her unleash the venom that’s been festering inside her—against me.
Go ahead, Dani. Cry. Scream. Say everything you’ve been holding in, just for me.Even if it cuts deep, I’m not moving from this spot until she’s done.
"You expect me to believe that you were so concerned about my well-being that, after I supposedly ran away, you didn’t lift a single finger to find me?"
She’s not wrong.
I should’ve asked more questions. Should’ve done my own digging. But I thought Meghan was exhausting every avenue to find her, working with the Hanover police department.
I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I was a new cop—questioning another jurisdiction’s protocols on runaways would’ve earned me a stern talking-to from my captain.
All of these thoughts sound like a bunch of excuses—even to me.
"I messed up," I say quietly. "I trusted Meghan."
"You didn’t mess up, Cal," she says with a sniff, but the sarcasm in her voice is razor-sharp. "You just didn’t care."
I swallow hard but don’t say a word. No matter what defense I try to offer, she’s already made up her mind. As far as she’s concerned, it’s all my fault.
"Why didn't you just let us go that day?" she asks, her voice small now, each word punctuated by a hiccup from crying.
I don’t tell her her grandfather didn’t want them. I don’t say I was just doing my job. I don’t point out that I wasn’t the only one there—that it was my partner’s call. I was a rookie. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn’t have made that decision.
