Will sagged against me. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I should’ve when they started getting worse.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean getting worse?”

Will released me, looking from me to Raines and back again. “They’re doing drugs.”

My jaw tightened. My parents had always been heavy drinkers, and I knew my dad smoked pot, but I’d never seen any hints of anything harder. The fact that my ten-year-old little brother could see the signs of drug use and knew what it meant… It shattered what little naïve hope I had left that my parents would get their acts together. “You don’t have to go back there. Not ever again.” I turned to Deputy Raines. “Right?”

“Correct,” he agreed. “Child Protective Services has already been here. The children have been placed in Miss Harriet’s care until a more permanent decision can be made.”

The roaring in my ears quieted a fraction. Harriet was a godsend, a true angel. Not only had she taken in Kenna when she needed a place to live; now, she was giving us safe harbor, as well. “Thank you.”

I gave Will’s shoulder a squeeze. “Why don’t you go hang with the rest of the crew while I talk to the sheriff? I know Kenna and Bell want to see you.”

Will nodded stoically. “You’re not gonna leave, right?”

My heart clenched. “Not without you.”

“’Kay.” He headed down the hall towards the lounge.

I couldn’t bring myself to look away from his small form until he disappeared from sight. I inhaled deeply, steeling myself for what was to come. I turned back to Raines. “How bad was it?”

Raines grimaced. “House was a wreck. Everywhere but in the girls’ room. It looked like Will had been sleeping in there, too. He’d moved his mattress between Ava’s bed and the crib.” I was going to kill my parents. For what they’d put these kids through, the fires of hell would be too kind. “There wasn’t a lot of food left in the house either.”

I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat. “Please tell me that means they don’t have a chance in hell of getting these kids back.”

“It’s not gonna happen. The sheriff wants to fill you in on why exactly that’s the case.”

There was an ominous tone to Raines’ words that had my stomach twisting. “Lead the way.”

The deputy guided me down a maze of hallways before stopping in front of a door and knocking.

“Come in,” a gruff voice called.

Raines pushed the door open. “Sheriff, this is Caelyn O’Connor. Caelyn, this is Sheriff Spaulding.”

I stepped forward. “Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for taking care of my brother and sisters.”

The man, who looked to be in his late fifties, inclined his head to a chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”