“Because I just can’t.” His voice is so small, almost reminding me of a little boy’s. “And I can’t tell you more than that. I wish I could. I wish I could help you. I want him to pay, too. For all of it, for everything. But it’s just not possible. You aren’t the only person involved here.”

I’m not the only person involved.

I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out.

The way they reacted when I mentioned her. The torn-up picture and the way they stared at it. All the secrecy.

“Is this about your mother?” I whisper, knowing it’s true but also sort of hoping it isn’t. “She’s supposed to be dead, but you told me she’s not. Is he… using her against you somehow?”

He lifts his head slightly, his eyes barely meeting mine before darting away. But he nods, and Piper gasps softly.

“We can’t go into this. I don’t even know… just forget we ever talked about it.” He practically jumps up from the bed and crosses the room in three long strides. “I’m gonna go. Please, whatever you do, don’t tell anybody we had this conversation.”

“Wait a minute.” I’m cut off by my phone buzzing away on my desk. I wish I wouldn’t have turned it back on. I’m tempted to ignore it since it can’t be anybody important, anyway—I almost never get calls.

But I glance over anyway because isn’t that what you do when your phone rings? Even if you have no intention of answering, curiosity makes you look. And that’s what I do.

I only programmed her number into my phone just in case I had an emergency and thought she might give a damn for once. “It’s my mom.” Nobody could be more surprised than I am as I answer the call, holding up a finger in a silent plea for Colt to stick around.

“Mom?” At first, I can’t figure out what I’m hearing. “Mom?” I call out over the sound coming through the phone. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Leni!” It finally hits me that she’s sobbing.

Loud, gusty sobs. “Sweetie. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know! I’m so sorry!” Whatever she says after that is lost to another burst of sobs, louder than before.

By now, Colt is standing beside me, and I can tell from the look on Piper’s face that she can hear everything, too. It would be impossible not to, the way Mom is screaming.