Mr. Khouri eyed us both carefully and then nodded toward the door. “I’ll permit you to enjoy the rest of your lunch.”

I made a move to leave, but Sam spoke up. “I’m doing it too.”

Mr. Khouri raised his “The Rock” eyebrow as if to say, Pardon me, Mr. Murray?

So Sam said it again. “Detention—I’d like to do it, too, if that’s okay.”

“I’d much rather you told me what the fight was about, or who was bullying you at lunch. . . .”

I couldn’t believe it when Sam stared him down. Just zipped his lip and kept looking straight ahead.

Mr. Khouri sighed. “Okay, detention for both of you then.”

We thanked him and left.

The note about my detention was burning a hole in my backpack. I imagined it as a lump of molten rock, sizzling at the bottom of my bag. Sam was striding ahead of Jed and me—it sure didn’t seem like he was worried or weighed down.

Jed and I stopped at his driveway and I said, “Sorry you got in trouble.”

Jed shrugged. “No big, so long as the kid’s okay.”

The kid hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye to Jed or thank him for today—I looked over and saw the screen door bang as he went into my house.

“It was pretty cool,” Jed said, when I looked back at him. “The way you ran over there and rescued Sam.” He smiled and gave a little shrug. “He’s lucky you were there to help him.” I could feel my face burning up as Jed kept smiling at me, so I rolled my eyes and punched him—lightly—on the upper arm. He grabbed it and pretended to wince in pain.

“It was pretty cool how you and Aidan helped too,” I said, and then I started walking backward, toward my house. “You’re a good friend.” I watched as Jed opened the door to his house, and then I yelled, “And I’m lucky to have you too!” I heard his door slam, but I didn’t want to see if he’d heard me, so I spun around. And that was when I saw it.

Luca’s police car was tucked all the way into our driveway—down the side of the house so it was hidden from the street.

He was supposed to be at work, and would only come home if . . .

I bolted.

I crashed through the door and followed the sound of voices to the living room. Luca and his partner, Senior Constable McNeal, were standing over Anika as she lay on the couch, and Sam crouched in front of her.

“Dad?”

He looked up when he heard me and lifted an arm that I quickly wrapped myself under. I breathed in his cologne and the faint smell of leather from his duty belt, which was pressing painfully into my hip as he squeezed me.