Nate had taken Mo’s words to heart. He’d introduced Ash to the family, one by one. They were all charmed by her. Mo wanted to like her, but something about this girl rubbed her the wrong way. She was a little too quiet and introspective, always deflecting Mo’s questions as though they were beneath her, always snapping pictures like she was the damn paparazzi.

Mo had remained quiet about her misgivings. As the days and weeks wore on, Ash had become a constant presence around their campsite. Most afternoons she would stop by, draping herself all over Nate, the two of them unable to keep their hands off each other. It was slightly distasteful, but still Mo had kept quiet. A few nights a week, Ash would sneak away from her own home and spend her evenings sitting with the Tribe, listening as Nate played music, the others singing along. Through it all, the voice inside Mo’s head had been practically screaming, Don’t trust her.

She hadn’t been consulted about Ash’s tattoo either, arriving too late to put a stop to it. She’d been disappointed that Vic allowed this to occur without consulting her. Mo should have intervened sooner. Now she had no choice.

As they walked, Mo looked at Vic, his shoulders hunched up, cigarette dangling from his lips. Mo regarded him more carefully, noticing the slight tremor under his left eye. A dead giveaway he was concealing something. “I’m disappointed in you, Vic.”

Her words startled him. “I don’t… why?” he stuttered.

“You’re not being truthful. What is it?”

He looked down again, kicking at the broken glass. “Vic, I asked you a question.”

Vic’s eyes instantly met Mo’s. “I made a promise to Nate,” he said.

Mo flinched. This was worse than she’d thought. First Nate getting caught up with Ash. Now Vic was keeping secrets from her.

“You made a promise to me. To the family. Is what you’re not telling me something that could harm us? Endanger our future?”

His eyes widened, and Mo gave herself a mental high five. She knew Vic even better than he knew himself. She touched Vic’s arm. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, sweetheart.”

He sighed. “Did you know Ash’s foster mom works for the five-oh?”

Mo went still, fighting the rising tide of fury. No, she did not know the girl’s mother worked for law enforcement. If she did, she never would have allowed her into their sanctuary. The police were never to be trusted. They’d destroy everything Mo worked to build.

“Far as I know she hasn’t said shit to her mom. Nate said she wouldn’t. Said he swore her to secrecy,” Vic said.

They both grew silent, considering the possibility that Ash couldn’t be trusted. It would be easy to lose control. Mo needed to be swift in her decision making. This was the only solution.

“When Nate wakes up, I want to have a chat with him, and then once I get a better sense of how he’s doing, I’ll speak to Ash. I’m sure I can smooth things over,” Mo said confidently.