She stared down at her hot chocolate, stirring it with a spoon.

I knew it wasn’t easy for her to open up, and I wished I could’ve given her time, but we simply didn’t have it. “If we’re going to do this, we have to be honest with each other. That’s the only way we’ll pull it off.”

“You’re right.” Anna lifted her chin, meeting my gaze, but her grip on the handle of the mug was iron. “My father hit Justin a few weeks before they came here.”

My back teeth ground together as I did my best to keep the anger from my face. The fury. A grown man laying hands on an eleven-year-old boy. Justin. A kid who had the best heart. He always looked out for the little ones at camp, making sure they never felt left out. He stayed late to help the volunteers pick up. And he always kept a protective eye on his sister.

“Did your sister file a report?” If she had, that would be a point in our column when we made it to court.

“Justin didn’t tell her. That’s the thing about my parents. They have an uncanny ability to make you think that no one will believe you.”

So many abusers had that skill. They stole every ounce of power their victim had until they believed that their current circumstances were normal. That their life would be like that forever. “Do you think he’ll be able to tell Walker or a social worker now?”

Anna stirred her drink. “I think so. He knows what’s at stake. Mason, I can’t let them have Justin and Lyla. I don’t care what it takes, I’ll run if I have to.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, the air almost burning. The vision that filled my mind of Anna on her own with those two kids, trying to hide from everyone, was a sucker punch to the gut. “We’re going to make it so you don’t have to do that.”

She looked me dead in the eyes. “Do you honestly think this will work?”

“Yes.” Because I would use every resource at my disposal. And I had more than a few of them. The references I could pull would make any judge think twice about taking the kids away from us.

“You sound sure.”

I released my hold on my mug, flexing my fingers. “I’ve got some strings I can pull.” Anna’s eyes narrowed on me. “Nothing illegal. But I know people in positions of power who will be happy to write letters of reference to any judge. We’ve already got one of the best lawyers in the state on the case. Now, we just have to get married.”

A laugh bubbled out of Anna, and she clamped her lips together. “Sorry. You just sounded so matter-of-fact about it.”