My jaw worked as I tried to guess where she’d gone. Somewhere outside but not too crowded. I stepped around gatherings of tourists and moved to the rear of the ferry. Caelyn’s hair blew behind her in long, glossy waves. My pace picked up without me even thinking about it, and as I clasped her shoulder, she whirled around, fists clenched. “Griffin.” She let out a whoosh of air with the word. “What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t answering your phone.” As if that should explain it all.

Her brow furrowed. “But how did you know where I was?”

“When I realized you weren’t at the store, it didn’t take a genius to figure out where you must have gone. Why the hell weren’t you answering your cell?” Frustration that sounded a little too much like anger slipped into my tone.

Caelyn’s expression hardened. “I didn’t hear it, okay?”

“You shouldn’t have been going to see your mom by yourself. Do you have any idea how dangerous that could’ve been? You have no idea who she’s running with these days.” Those same images, the what-ifs, filled my mind, and my temper spiked higher. “You could’ve been hurt. Killed. Then what would Will, Ava, and Mia do?”

Caelyn’s eyes went glacial. “I know better than you ever will the responsibility that’s on my shoulders. I’d do anything for them.”

I blew out a harsh breath, trying to rein in my anger. “I’m sorry. I know. I was just—I was worried.”

The fight seemed to go out of Caelyn in a flash, and tears filled her eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I needed to see her. Needed to know if it was our mom that was doing all of this.”

I pulled Caelyn into my arms, holding her close, as if that would reassure that she was safe, whole, no longer in danger. “Did you see her?” She nodded against my chest. “Was it her?”

“Yes, and I honestly don’t know. I don’t think so.” Caelyn began crying even harder. “But she doesn’t care. It’s all about my dad. That’s the only person she’s ever really loved. But it’s not even love. It’s this sick addiction. She knows where he is.”

I tensed. “Is he here? On one of the islands?” There were dozens in our small chain. A couple of larger ones like Shelter, some mid-sized ones like Anchor, and even more smaller ones. Lots were even privately owned. If Sean O’Connor wanted to disappear here—and he had help—it wouldn’t be hard.

“I have no idea. She wouldn’t tell me anything. Even knowing that someone’s threatening her children, she still wouldn’t tell me anything.”