Mercy closed her eyes tight, her trembling growing to full-body shaking. “No. He sang it to his cows. I heard him sometimes.”

“Because your house was close to the barn,” Rafe remembered. “He took care of the animals.”

“Right. He was so nice to those cows.” She’d sobered now, her teeth chattering. “One time one of his wives said that she wished he was that nice to us and he threw a hammer at her head.”

Rafe knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but every new revelation was like a punch to his gut.

“What happened to her?” Farrah asked, taking Mercy’s hand in hers.

“She . . .” Mercy began to hyperventilate. “She died. Oh my God, Farrah, she died. My mother and I tried to take care of her, but she died.” A sob broke loose and it was like the dam had broken. “Ephraim told everyone she’d fallen down, then told us if we didn’t lie for him that he’d do the same to us. So we did. We lied for him.” Her voice broke. “We lied to save ourselves. What does that make me?”

“It makes you alive,” Farrah said fiercely.

Rafe had to take a moment to quell his rage so that he could be gentle. Sharing a quick glance with André, he could tell that Farrah’s captain was also trying to control his fury. I’m glad Gideon isn’t hearing this. His friend had barely made it through the minutes Mercy had forced herself to talk to Belinda Franklin. Rafe understood because he’d shared Gideon’s anguish. Now, hearing her brokenhearted weeping, he was at the limit of his restraint again. But he needed to keep it together. For her.

Once he felt the return of his control, Rafe pulled Mercy onto his lap, ignoring the seat belts as he held her tight. “Farrah’s right,” he murmured. “It makes you alive to take him down now. You’re going to take him down and we’re going to help you. You aren’t alone.” He stroked her hair, his own eyes burning. He kissed her temple. “You were wonderful in there, but it had to be hard to pretend like that.”

“I wanted to hurt her,” Mercy cried, curling her fingers into his shirt and digging into his skin. “I wanted to hit her and hit her. She raised him. She said he was a good boy. A good boy. He wasn’t. He was a brute. A monster. And he still is. He’s still killing people and he’s getting away with it.”

Farrah was crying now, patting Mercy’s knee helplessly. “He won’t. He can’t.”

Rafe’s heart was breaking. “He won’t get away with it, Mercy. I promise.”

Mercy said no more, just pressed her cheek into his chest and held on. And cried herself to sleep.

TWENTY-FIVE

GRANITE BAY, CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 4:35 P.M.

Ephraim checked the photo on his phone once again, disappointed. Zoya Sokolov hadn’t exited the school along with the other students, and he’d waited for an hour after the final bell. He’d examined the faces of every student who’d walked in or out of the doors all day long, the binoculars he’d purchased with Sean MacGuire’s credit card coming in handy as he’d parked far enough away to avoid detection.