Caden had joined them and now paced the room while he listened. His jaw clenched tighter with each word she uttered. Finally, Caden stepped out of the room, phone pressed to his ear.

Sarah looked up. “Where’s he going?”

“Probably pulling some strings to get you out of here before tomorrow.”

Three hours later she was cleared, and Gavin held the door while she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. “Are you sure you shouldn’t see a doctor?”

“I’m sure. I’m sick of doctors.”

He could understand that. Wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, but understood it.

“I could ask you the same thing, though,” she said. “You look like you took a few hits.”

“I’m okay. Bumps and bruises that will heal.” He shot her a tight smile. “Let’s get you back to Caden’s.”

“No, I need to go to my house.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

Gavin glanced at the sun getting ready to dip below the horizon. “All right, but we’ve got reinforcements coming with us.”

“Who?”

“Travis Walker and Asher.”

“Who’s Travis?”

“Another guy who works for the agency. From now on, I think we need to keep you surrounded.”

For a moment, he thought she might protest, but she gave a slow nod. “I think you might be right.”

As Gavin rounded the truck, he got on the phone and asked the two friends to meet him at the hospital. He climbed into the driver’s seat, but he wasn’t leaving until he had an escort. Sarah leaned her head against the seat rest, and Gavin thought she might be fighting tears.

“Hey,” he said, reaching for her hand and threading his fingers through hers. “It’s going to be okay.”

She sniffed and nodded. “I don’t cry,” she whispered. “Why am I crying? I think I’ve cried more in the last few weeks than I’ve cried in . . . ever.”

“It’s okay to cry.”

“No, it’s not. It shows weakness, and I feel like I’ve been weak ever since the Taliban walked in that school and took us.”

Gavin huffed in disbelief. He cupped her cheek. “Sarah, you’re one of the strongest people I know. Man or woman. You’ve had experiences no one should have—and you’ve lived to tell about it. You have a beautiful heart and care about people. Strangers like Brianne who most people would have walked away from. And Dustin. I know he’s your brother, but in your gut, you feel something’s wrong with his suicide and you’re going after answers. That takes a strength that’s rare to find. So, don’t beat yourself up if you shed a few tears. Because you and I both know you’ll brush them away and keep going. And that’s what real strength is. Pressing on when it would be much easier to simply give up.”