My heart clenched. “Not without you.”

“’Kay.” He headed down the hall towards the lounge.

I couldn’t bring myself to look away from his small form until he disappeared from sight. I inhaled deeply, steeling myself for what was to come. I turned back to Raines. “How bad was it?”

Raines grimaced. “House was a wreck. Everywhere but in the girls’ room. It looked like Will had been sleeping in there, too. He’d moved his mattress between Ava’s bed and the crib.” I was going to kill my parents. For what they’d put these kids through, the fires of hell would be too kind. “There wasn’t a lot of food left in the house either.”

I swallowed against the bile rising in my throat. “Please tell me that means they don’t have a chance in hell of getting these kids back.”

“It’s not gonna happen. The sheriff wants to fill you in on why exactly that’s the case.”

There was an ominous tone to Raines’ words that had my stomach twisting. “Lead the way.”

The deputy guided me down a maze of hallways before stopping in front of a door and knocking.

“Come in,” a gruff voice called.

Raines pushed the door open. “Sheriff, this is Caelyn O’Connor. Caelyn, this is Sheriff Spaulding.”

I stepped forward. “Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for taking care of my brother and sisters.”

The man, who looked to be in his late fifties, inclined his head to a chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”

I did as instructed, and Deputy Raines took his leave. I couldn’t help twisting a loose thread on my jeans as Sheriff Spaulding took my measure, seeming to assess every weakness and flaw in a matter of seconds. “You’re in school at Seattle University.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You working? Taking out loans?”

He must’ve known my parents weren’t helping me in any way. They’d just been happy to have one less mouth to feed. “I have a full academic scholarship. I work part-time to cover my room and board.”

Spaulding nodded, seeming pleased with my answer. “Your parents…”

“Are total and complete wastes of space?” I offered.

“I’m afraid it’s worse than that.”

I gripped the loose thread on my jeans tighter. “Will said he thought they were using drugs.”

“Your father has gotten mixed up with a bad crew. We had suspicions before, but tonight confirmed it. He’s dealing, and I’m not talking pot.”

The string popped off my jeans. “Dealing? He was bringing those people into the house? With the kids there?”

Sheriff Spaulding’s gaze hardened. “I’m afraid so. In and out of the house.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“You’d have to find him first. And we can’t seem to do that.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean?”