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Chapters (48)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Prologue
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-one
  27. Chapter Twenty-two
  28. Chapter Twenty-three
  29. Chapter Twenty-four
  30. Chapter Twenty-five
  31. Chapter Twenty-six
  32. Chapter Twenty-seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-nine
  35. Chapter Thirty
  36. Chapter Thirty-one
  37. Chapter Thirty-two
  38. Chapter Thirty-three
  39. Chapter Thirty-four
  40. Chapter Thirty-five
  41. Chapter Thirty-six
  42. Chapter Thirty-seven
  43. Chapter Thirty-eight
  44. Chapter Thirty-nine
  45. Also by Allison Brennan
  46. Praise for these other novels by New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan
  47. About the Author
  48. Newsletter Sign-up

Relieved, Ricky ran to his room. He sat on his bed and stared at his row of books. Most of the books he read Javi traded for others, but he let him keep his favorites. They gave him an odd sense of comfort. He had never really liked reading when he was at home. But now the books were his friends.

A knock on his door made him jump. Javi came in.

“Are you in trouble?” Ricky asked. “Mr. Young said you weren’t, but he could be lying.”

“JJ doesn’t lie.” Javi sat down at Ricky’s small desk. “I think you should go with JJ.”

Tears burned in Ricky’s eyes. “I don’t want to.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“He did lie. He said I didn’t have to leave.”

“You don’t have to. I won’t force you to leave. I love you, son.” His voice cracked and he looked like he was going to cry, too. “You have people—family—in the US.”

“You’re my family. I love you. This is my home. I’ll be good. I won’t get in trouble. I’ll help more with the cars and the garden.”

“Oh, son, you are a good boy. You have never been trouble for me. Not one day. You have never once complained and I know living here is much different than there. Simpler. Maybe boring for a young man.”

“I like simple.”

“Me too, Ricky.” Javi looked him in the eye. He always did, as if he were the most important thing in the world, and that meant everything to Ricky. “You are sad. You will never learn to be at peace with what happened to your family if you don’t go back and face your fears. Face the people who did this. JJ will protect you. The FBI agent, Nate Dunning, he will protect you. You can trust him.”

“How do you know? You just met him.”

“Because sometimes you know what is right and who you can trust. It’s a little faith and a lot of experience. JJ would never have brought him here if he didn’t trust him.”

“I want to stay here.”

“If you want to come back, after you give your grandparents a real chance to love you and care for you, you know how to reach me.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You will do the right thing because you are a good soul. Sometimes, we have to do what is right even if it’s not what we want. Even when it’s hard.”

He got up and walked out.

Ricky stared after him. He didn’t want to leave.

But it was the right thing to do.

Chapter Twenty-five

THURSDAY AFTERNOON