“You’ll be declaring war on Rose,” Bobbie snapped, her voice low and afraid. “There’s no way to get to him without exposing yourself. It’s a terrible idea.”

My father had asked one thing of me: keep Eli safe. Maybe my desperate need to follow his dying request was a temptation, which confused me because I really didn’t know Ben as a father.

What I did know in that moment was that I had never wanted something so badly as to protect Eli. He was being held in the Pierce home, but it was a home I knew as well as my own. With schedules I knew intimately.

And Rose wasn’t there. Not yet.

“This is insane, Grace,” Bobbie cried. “Think of the danger you’ll be putting yourself in. And your baby!”

That gave me a moment’s pause. But only a moment. My need to save my helpless brother had taken root. And the branches were sprouting with each passing thought.

“And if Rose is right about him?” Bobbie demanded.

“You don’t know?” I asked aloud, spinning to her.

She blinked. “No.”

“Then please shut up.”

And then I was running.

Chapter
Twenty-One

I RACED ALONG THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN, ANgling for the Pierce home, moving as fast as my tired legs would carry me without making a ruckus. The sun had just set over the far mountains, and I knew within half an hour the sky would be dark. I didn’t have much time.

Bobbie appeared and disappeared at will, stepping out from behind a tree or a house just ahead of me as I ran. Her voice of warning was insistent and constant.

“You shouldn’t do this, Grace.”

“Think of what they will do to you if you’re caught!”

“You’re running toward danger, Grace.”

Every word she said was true, and my mind screamed at me in agreement. This was insane and dangerous. If Rose would kill a dying man and a young child, what would stop her from killing me? Even more, for her to go to such extremes could only mean that a true and terrible threat against Haven Valley had made itself known, at least to Sylous and her. Rose had always been a gentle and pure woman, and murder wasn’t something I thought her capable of.

The fact that she’d been pushed over the edge meant I should be terrified of whatever had done it.

Determination like I’d never known pulled me forward. It filled my legs with strength and blocked out the cries from my brain. Eli needed to be saved, and there was no one else to help him. There had to be another way. My father knew he would need protecting.

Bobbie was relentless. “You can’t trust anyone, Grace, and that includes the boy.”

“It also includes you,” I snapped, breaking my silence.

“I saved you from the Fury once. I will do it again.”