Zoe turns to her husband. “Can’t you see she’s scared, Josh? She’s warning us so we can protect Anna.”

“Protect her against what? We’re supposed to believe that some stranger is going to murder a two-year-old girl because of her bloodline?”

Lynell nods, feeling the urgency in the room climb, and the volume along with it. “Eric isn’t just a stranger. He’s the leader of the Registration. He’s Anna’s great-uncle.”

Josh’s nostrils flare. “That man is nothing to my daughter. He has no claim to Anna.”

Lynell manages not to flinch. “I know. But Eric won’t think that way. He won’t even think of this as murder. He may even wait for the next quarter to make it a legal Registration, because a Registration, no matter who it is, isn’t murder.”

“It is when it’s my daughter!”

“I agree!” Lynell says. “That’s why you have to take Anna and leave, to keep her safe.”

Everyone in the room falls silent. Lynell hears a dog outside barking and then . . . a child is crying.

Anna.

Lynell didn’t expect it. Didn’t prepare for it. And when it happens, when she hears it from down the hall, her heart leaps. A thrill of love and joy flows through her body, and she wants to find Anna and hold her close so she can chase away the nightmares and soothe her daughter back to sleep.

But once again, Lynell forces herself to stand still. She reaches out to Daniel and threads her fingers through his to help keep herself rooted.

Anna is crying. But it’s not Lynell’s job to comfort her. It’s Zoe who stands and rushes down the hall. Lynell watches her go and although she expected feelings of resentment, she feels gratitude.

Josh stares at them, still sitting on the couch armrest. The crying doesn’t stop and after a few minutes, Zoe returns, Anna in her arms.

She’s gorgeous. Big, sparkling blue eyes. Daniel’s eyes. Her eyebrows are so light they’re almost invisible and her hair, a bit darker now than in the photo, stands up at a dozen different odd angles, frizzy and tangled. She’s holding a pink blanket with a small head at the top close to her face, one thumb pushed into her mouth. Zoe gently pulls it out of her mouth, but it only stays free for a few seconds. Anna holds onto Zoe with one arm and leans into her, staring at Lynell, confused and half asleep.

“Say hi, Anna,” Zoe says.

Anna turns to look at her mom then buries her head into the crook between her neck and shoulder.

“Sorry, she’s really tired.”

Josh stands up and reaches out for Anna. She holds her chubby arms out and lets Josh pull her into his arms. “Of course, she is. It’s 3 a.m.,” he says, sitting on the couch with her. Anna curls up next to his side, thumb still in her mouth and blanket clutched in her hand.

“Daddy . . .” Anna says, looking up at Josh. Her eyelashes are dark and long, just like Daniel’s.