“For now, I’ll take your word for it,” Brianna had said. “But I’m not a baby. You don’t need to protect me from knowing what’s happening.”

“I understand. But your father doesn’t want you involved. Neither do I. Right now, until we have solid evidence, it’s better that you stay away from Garrett and from the agency,” Allison had said. “Now let’s talk about something else.”

Recalling the conversation now, Brianna struggled to make sense of it. Garrett had been her friend for as long as she’d known him. She’d always trusted him. And now, suddenly, he was supposed to be the villain.

Allison had already told her about the Edgeway Mob connection. At the time, she’d found herself wondering if it would be so bad, having plenty of money to remodel the theater and not having to pay it back, versus having her father go into heavy debt to borrow money from the bank. She still didn’t fully understand what was going on, except that the Mob was evil. If they financed the theater, they would probably demand control over everything. If he signed that contract, her father would be pushed aside, with no power. If he refused to sign . . .

A chill crept over her as she weighed the implications. The danger was real. But had Garrett joined forces with the Mob, or was he simply guilty of trusting the wrong people?

Allison had warned her to stay away from Garrett. Should she take the warning at face value? Maybe. Or maybe she should talk to the man she’d always believed to be her friend.

Too weary to make a decision, Brianna rose from the chair and wandered back into the house. Tomorrow morning she would start her new job at the newspaper office. To be at her best she would need a good night’s sleep.

Upstairs in her old room, she turned on a lamp to get ready for bed. The soft light fell on the framed photo that stood on the bookshelf. Taking it down, she gazed at the happy image of her family. She’d been twelve when the snapshot was taken by one of her father’s friends. Her father—barely forty here—looked young and happy. Her mother was the picture of radiant health, even though the cancer that took her life must have already begun growing inside her.

Wise, funny, loving Mom. How Brianna missed her. Allison was all right, but she was more like an older sister than a mother. Mom had been the real deal.

Brianna imagined telling her about Liam, and about the problems with her father’s business. Her mom always had an answer for her, even if it was just to be patient and trust her heart.

What advice would she give her troubled daughter now?