Because Mercy had told him nothing of her personal life. She’d hoarded the details, at first still nursing her anger over what she had thought had been Gideon’s role in her torture at Ephraim’s hands. Then, once she’d known the truth, she’d been too overwhelmed and ashamed to tell him anything.

Not that Gideon understood that, because she hadn’t told him anything. I am a very bad person.

“No,” Farrah said. “I met her in college. We’ve been friends for many years. I work at the university. I’m in research.”

“She is a doctor,” Irina said. “And engaged to be married to a police captain.”

Gideon’s smile became warmer, less forced. “Irina should be a detective. She finds out all the good details before the rest of us do.” Then he turned back to his sister. “Mercy?”

Farrah returned to Mercy’s side and gave her a small nudge. “I’ll be here. Call if you need me.”

“Thank you.” Mercy commanded her feet to move, and then she was following her brother out of the kitchen and into the hall, where Daisy stood, wearing her Brutus bag cross-body.

Daisy reached up to give Mercy a hug. “Welcome back,” she said softly. “I missed you.”

Mercy sucked in a harsh breath as her eyes began to burn. “Thank you. I . . . I missed you, too.” And it was true. Daisy’s buoyant optimism was so much like Farrah’s, and Mercy had wanted to drown herself in it when she’d been here before.

Daisy’s grin looked a bit forced. “Of course you did,” she said lightly, and then she went into the kitchen to wait with the others, leaving Mercy and Gideon alone.

“This way,” Gideon said, leading her down the hall and through a great room with cathedral ceilings and carved wood everywhere. He finally knocked on a door, opening it when someone inside called to come in.

“Gideon, my boy.” Karl was seated at his desk, Sasha leaning against his chair. They were looking at something on his laptop, which Karl closed quickly. Then he stood. “It’s always good to see you.” He rounded the desk to give Gideon a hug while Sasha watched, her expression smoothing from upset to unreadable. Just as her father’s had.

Which made Mercy wonder what they’d been looking at on that laptop.

“I was wondering if we could use your study,” Gideon said. “But if you were doing something important, we can find another—”

“Hush.” Karl gathered his laptop under his arm and motioned to Sasha. “Let’s go check on dinner. Your mother will have something for us to do.”

Gideon sat in one of Karl’s guest chairs and pointed to the other, indicating that Mercy should sit. She complied, biting back a wince when the bandage pulled.

Gideon frowned. “Are you in pain? Should you see a doctor?”

“I saw a nurse. Irina cleaned the wound and bandaged me up quite capably. I’m fine.”

“Okay.” Gideon sat back, his eyes full of worry. “If I’d known you were coming, I’d have had the FBI there at the airport.”