Time to tell Kat the truth.
I settled Frankie into the back seat of the truck next to Nox, then climbed in behind the wheel with Jack beside me. Together, we headed back toward the house, toward Kat, toward whatever came next.
I didn’t know if she’d forgive me. I didn’t know if she’d let me be part of Frankie’s life.
But I was done being afraid.
I was done letting my past control my future.
It was time to fight for my family.
Chapter Thirty-One
Katrina
The porch steps were cold beneath me, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. My coffee had gone cold an hour ago, maybe longer. I didn’t know. Time had stopped meaning anything the moment Maggie told me Frankie was gone.
She was alone in the dark.
The thought kept circling, relentless and vicious. My twelve-year-old daughter was out there in the woods, in the cold. Was she scared? Had she cried? Had she called for me and I wasn’t there?
What kind of mother lets her daughter disappear into the night?
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces together. But all I could see was Frankie stumbling through the dark, tripping over roots, her ankle twisting beneath her. I could hear her crying out in pain with no one there to help her. No one to hold her. No one to tell her it would be okay.
She was alone because of me.
Because I’d been too wrapped up in my own fear and confusion about Derek to see what she needed. Because I’d been so focused on protecting her from him that I hadn’t protected her from herself.
The screen door opened behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. If I moved, if I spoke, I’d shatter completely.
Footsteps crossed the porch, slow and careful. Then Haizley sat down beside me on the steps, close enough that I could feel her presence but not so close that it felt intrusive.
She didn’t say anything. Just sat there, her hands folded in her lap, waiting.
“She was out there alone,” I whispered finally. “In the dark. Scared. And I wasn’t there.”
“She wasn’t alone,” Haizley said gently. “Nox was with her.”
“He’s ten.” My voice cracked. “He’s a child too. They were both out there, and I...” I couldn’t finish. The words lodged in my throat like broken glass.
Haizley’s hand found mine, warm and steady. “They’re safe now. Derek found them. They’re coming home.”
Derek.
The name sent a fresh wave of confusion and fear through me. He’d found her. Of course he had. He’d gone out there and searched until he brought her back.
But he’d also beaten Zero bloody in the middle of the clubhouse. He’d put his wife in the hospital. He’d killed a woman. Beaten Richard with his bare hands.
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “About Derek. About any of this.”
Haizley was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “What are you afraid of?”
“Everything.” The word burst out of me. “I’m afraid of making the wrong choice again. I’m afraid of letting someone into our lives who’ll hurt us. I’m afraid of—” I stopped, swallowing hard. “Zero isn’t here because Derek beat him up.”
“Do you know why?”
“Because Zero told me what Derek did. About Sam.” I opened my eyes and looked at her. “He was angry that his secret got out.”
