Nobody’s taking my daughter from me. Nobody. They’ll have to kill me first.

Which . . . if she was caught in the clinic was a real possibility.

So get moving, Hayley. Get into the office and—

She stifled a shriek when the outer door opened and closed quickly. Spinning to see who’d entered, she let out a harsh breath of relief. “Graham,” she hissed. “What are you doing here?”

Her brother Graham crept across the room, reminding her of a spider, all gangly, skinny limbs. He was taller than she was, even though he was only twelve.

He’d be thirteen soon. Which meant he’d be apprenticed to one of the tradesmen in the community. Which, in a place other than Eden, might not be so bad.

But people whispered. “Bad things” happened to some of the boys.

Bad things. The words were whispered in the same way that the women whispered about the sex their husbands forced on them or the “fallen” who’d tried to flee this hellhole.

Hayley had an idea of what those bad things were. And there was no fucking way she’d let that happen to Graham. Not while she drew breath.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed back. “I followed you because you got that look on your face like when you’re planning something. You’re going to get us thrown in the box.”

The box. It was basically an outhouse, with little ventilation. One got locked inside for a period of time that suited the crime. Whatever the hell that meant.

“I’m trying to get into the office,” Hayley whispered.

Graham’s brows lifted. “Why? There aren’t any drugs in there.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like I’d use while I’m pregnant? There’s a computer in there, assface. I’m sure of it.”

Graham’s eyes widened. “Here? In Nowheresville?”

“Here, in hell.” She gestured to the locked door that led to the healer’s office. “I was in here yesterday for my appointment.” Which was a joke. The healer basically weighed her and told her to eat more vegetables. “I heard a printer. I know it. This door was cracked open and the healer went real still, like she heard it and was afraid I’d heard it, too. I pretended I didn’t, but there is something in there. If it’s a printer, there has to be a computer.”

Graham frowned. “How is it running? There’s no electricity here. How is it connected? There’s no cable, no Wi-Fi.”

Hayley wanted to scream. Graham was all about the why of things. “I don’t know. I don’t care. If there’s a computer, I can get a message to Cam. He can get us out of here.” She swallowed hard. “I can’t have my baby here, Graham. They’ll take her from me. I heard the women talking. Even if I live through it, they’re going to give my baby to Sister Rebecca.”

Graham’s mouth set in a firm line that Hayley recognized all too well. It was his stubborn face, which meant he was about to dig in—one way or the other.