I felt bad for lying to Grant, telling him Willow’s “friend” had called and that sure enough, they had skipped school together. Collette was overdue for a nap, I insisted, and Lucas would be home from kindergarten any minute. I threw in that I needed to stop by the store for sanitary pads. That instantly convinced Grant to stay home.

I had my reasons for the lies. I couldn’t tell him the truth. Never. He wouldn’t understand. He’d fill up on rage, and God knows I’d had enough rage to last a lifetime. It was better left unspoken, a secret locked away that only I held the key to . . . well, me and Geoffrey Faust.

The apartment building was as average as they came. A line of redbrick buildings with tiny concrete patios creating adjoining corridors separated only by a rusted railing. Decorative bistro sets and colorful pillows adorned the front porches of several dwellings in a vain attempt to personalize the cookie-cutter homes. Potted flowers welcomed spring, and a lone black cat stood sentry in one of the doorways. A forbidding omen?

Geoffrey had directed me to number 206. Second story. Six doors in. I found it easily, although my steps were wary as I approached. Was it stupid of me to have come alone? There was no other choice, was there? I couldn’t possibly bring Grant to meet the father of his son, or Mackenzie when things were still awkward between us. I’d considered calling Officer Montgomery, but involving the police didn’t seem like a good idea either. Besides, part of me wanted to do this on my own. To show Geoffrey he hadn’t defeated me. To prove to myself I was stronger than my pain. I could run from my past, playing a game of hide-and-seek with my demons. Or I could stomp the smug little devil into dust. Dust it was.

Willow was safe, he’d assured me over the phone. Willow had confirmed it with an annoyed, “Just come and get me, Mom!” shouted in the background. She had turned up on his porch; I didn’t ask for an explanation as to how she got there. After my initial fear subsided, I had put two and two together: somehow Willow had learned about Geoffrey Faust—from eavesdropping, or Ryan directly—and came here looking for him on behalf of the big brother she idolized. But that didn’t explain Ryan being incommunicado. Surely he wouldn’t have just dropped his little sister off at the home of a man he’d never met.

Of course, it could be a trap. That distressing thought occurred to me as I glanced through a dirty window, cupping my eyes to peer inside. Closed blinds blocked my view, but my ears picked up on a television blaring inside. Laughter. Clapping. Some kind of game show, it sounded like.