Beth tried to talk to her. Judge did. Even I tried, but contrary to my claim to Haze just minutes before, Maisie was immune to my charm.

Judge looked at his watch before running his hand through his hair. I knew what he was thinking.

We had time, but not an unlimited amount. We always work under the assumption a nosy neighbor will call the husband.

It’d happened before. And that time, I’d had to lay down my prized blue Harley to stop the demented asshole from firing off shots.

Not an experience I was eager to repeat.

Keeping my voice low, I whispered, “We can pop the door off the hinges.”

Judge tilted his head, mulling it over. “If she’s already this upset, taking her out by force might fuck her up worse. We’ll leave that for a last resort.”

I tilted my head, and we moved to the far end of the hallway. “How old is she?”

“Eight. Almost nine,” Beth said.

“You told Anna it’s gonna be a long vacation. Think Maisie’s upset about leaving her friends?”

“No, she doesn’t really have friends here yet. Anna is the one with enough boldness to be the world’s youngest CEO. Or to lead a prison gang. It’s a coin toss.” She picked at her cuticles until I worried she’d bleed out. “Maze isn’t like that. She’s always been easygoing. Shy.”

“Dad’s gone?”

She nodded, all that grief weighing her down. “Died in the line of duty a little after Zoe was born. Firefighter. He and Martin were friends. After Sammy passed, we grew close. He’d always loved my girls. He took care of us. I thought I was doing the best thing, giving them stability. Making sure they never wanted for anything. Martin made all these promises. And now…” She looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know what to think. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Martin is a good dad to her and that’s why she’s so upset.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said.

And I knew who could help.

25. Karma Likes to Run

CHAPTER 25

KARMA LIKES TO RUN

MAC

“We’re back together.”

I held in a sigh—but it was hard.

I also kept any judgment out of my tone—and that was harder.

Choosing my words wisely, I asked Everly, “And how do you feel about that?”

“Oh my God, what a shrink question.” She rolled her eyes, but her smile wasn’t quite there. Her shoulder lifted in a nearly imperceptible shrug. All body language cues that contradicted her words. “I’m happy.”

“That’s good. What else is new?”

Everly wasn’t a fan of my attempt to move on. I could easily read her displeasure since Glitch’s upgrades made my internet speed infinitely faster. No more lagging computer. Just a visual so clear, it was like she was right across from me.