Kennedy motioned her friend towards the back hall. “Come on, I’ll go with you.”

Anna looked up at me, and I was frozen for a moment, not wanting to let her go. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anytime.” I forced my hand to leave the back of her neck and then stepped away. But I couldn’t keep myself from watching her walk off, not turning around until she’d disappeared out the back doors.

Walker let out a low whistle. “Fiancé?”

Hell. This would be the tricky part. “That’s right.”

He looked between Cain and me. “As much as I want the full story on that one, I think it’s best if I’m in the dark. Fill me in with the official line when you’re ready. And call if you need anything. Hopefully, those two won’t be back.”

God, I hoped so. But the fact that they’d mentioned a hotel in town gave me pause. “Thanks, Walker.”

He saluted and headed for the front doors, walking out into the summer sunshine. Cain cleared his throat. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

I focused on him. Cain had become more than a business partner over the past two years. He was a friend. And our histories meant that he should understand exactly why I was doing this. “John Foley hit Justin just before they moved to Sutter Lake.”

A muscle in Cain’s jaw ticked. “Reported?”

“No.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly.” I flexed my fingers and then cracked my knuckles, trying to relieve some of the phantom pressure there. “Wouldn’t you do anything to save those kids from that?”

Cain was quiet for a moment. “I hope you know what you’re doing. That’s giving up a chunk of your life for something you might not even be able to pull off.”

But I didn’t see it that way. The only things I would be giving up were lonely evenings and a ghostly quiet house. It wouldn’t be a sacrifice to have Anna, Justin, and Lyla there. And I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I could do something to help and simply didn’t. “Failing at this isn’t an option, Cain.”

“Then let’s make sure you don’t fail.”

11

ANNA

I pushed open the door to the cottage, Kennedy on my heels. I’d done the fastest power walk I could manage from Hope House. I knew if I ran, people would worry there was an emergency, so I’d opted for an almost comical walk instead. But there was no hint of laughter inside me. Only a desperate need to lay eyes on Justin and Lyla.

Justin was pacing the living area but froze mid-step at the sound of the door, then whirled around. “What is it? What happened?”