CARA’S POV Three days had passed since I stood in Julian’s hotel room holding those offshore account records that secretly belonged to my father.
Downstairs, the house had almost reclaimed its normal rhythm.
Danny sat on the parlor rug, methodically fitting together a plastic airplane kit Aunt Val’s driver had brought him.
The dark bruise on his jaw had faded to a dull yellow, and the manic panic from the docks was finally gone from his eyes.
Surrounded by perimeter guards, iron gates, and Aunt Val’s immovable presence, he felt safe.
Aunt Val stepped quietly into the parlor carrying a tray with two porcelain mugs of cocoa, the rich steam carrying a hint of cinnamon into the cool room.
She set the tray on the low coffee table, her silk cardigan whispering as she sank into the armchair beside Danny’s spot on the rug.
“He’s been working on that thing for an hour, Cara,” Aunt Val said softly, her sharp gaze softening as she watched Danny press a microscopic plastic wheel onto its landing gear.
“Precision runs in the family.
Though I suspect he gets his patience from your mother, not your father.” Danny’s hands paused for a second at the mention of Mom, but he didn’t tense up.
Instead, he leaned back against the base of Aunt Val’s chair, letting his head rest against the plush velvet right near her knee.
Aunt Val didn’t hesitate.
Her hand reached down, her thin, ringed fingers resting gently in his thick dark hair, lightly stroking it back from his forehead.
“You don’t have to keep fixing things today, sweetie,” Aunt Val murmured to him, her voice dropping into a tender cadence I rarely heard her use with adults.
“You’re allowed to just sit here and be fourteen.” Danny swallowed, letting his eyes close for a long second under her touch.
“I like having something to put back together,” he muttered softly.
“I know,” she whispered, leaning down to press a swift, firm kiss to the crown of his head.
“We all do.” Watching them, a heavy ache settled behind my ribs that was a bitter mix of profound relief and a sharp, solitary grief.
For all his life, I’d been Danny’s shield, his parent, and his anchor.
Seeing him anchor himself to Val gave me the room I needed to breathe, but it also made the reality of what I had to do next hit harder.
I had to protect this quiet moment before my father’s shadow tore it away again.
I zipped the small canvas duffel on the sofa.
“You’re packing a bag,” Danny said from the floor, not looking up from the model kit, though his body went instantly rigid against Val’s knee.
“Just heading out of town for the night, Danny.
I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.” His fingers stilled on the plastic wing.
“Where?” “Not too far from the city, I promise.
I need to grab some files from my old apartment’s storage area.” I hadn’t left anything obvious at my old place.
I also did not have any friends who could be dragged into this.
“Don’t go,” Danny said, setting the plane down.
Aunt Val’s hand remained resting on his shoulder, giving him a firm, grounding weight as I walked over and crouched beside him on the rug.
“You know you’re fine here.
Aunt Val is right here with you.” “I know I’m fine,” he muttered, staring at his knees, his chin trembling just enough that he had to bite his inner lip to stop it.
“I’m worried about you.
They’re just protective details, Cara.
They aren’t going to be able to withstand bullets for you if those men come back.” I swallowed against a sudden tightness in my throat.
I’d convinced myself his fear was gone, but it had only been suppressed.
Watching me pack had brought it right back to the surface.
“Nobody is coming after me, Danny,” I said, placing my hand over his where it rested on his leg, until he finally looked up at me.
“I’m getting what we need to end this custody fight once and for all, and then I’m straight back here.
Deal?” Aunt Val looked across at me, her blue eyes bright with unspoken worry, but she gave me a slow, resolute nod that signaled she would hold down the fort.
She squeezed Danny’s shoulder.
“Your sister always keeps her promises, Daniel.
And I’ll be right here beside you the entire time.” Danny wiped his palm against his jeans, looked between Aunt Val and me, and gave a brief, ragged nod.
“Deal.” Aunt Val met me by the front door ten minutes later, keys already in hand.
She had vetoed the train immediately, sending me off in her armored sedan with her driver, Thomas.
The trip to Detroit took nearly six hours through heavy gray weather.
Thomas parked around the block from my old building and kept the engine running while I used my key to slip into the basement.
The lock on the laundry room door gave a heavy click.
The room was empty, smelling of stale detergent and damp concrete.
I pulled the loose corner of the metal utility panel forward, reached into the cold ductwork, and felt my fingers brush against the taped drive.
I shoved it deep into my coat pocket and walked back out into the street.
By four o’clock, the sky had darkened and a heavy rain was falling sideways.
With traffic grinding to a halt and Thomas needing to refuel, I pulled up a map on my phone and had him stop at a small hotel near the interstate.
I planned to review the drive’s contents there before heading back at dawn.
The lobby was warm and crowded with stranded commuters.
I carried my bag toward the front desk, but halfway across the rug, a sudden movement by the lounge area caught my attention.
Standing near a display rack, pretending to look at a local map, was Julian.
I stopped cold.
“Are you serious right now?” Julian froze, slowly lowering the map.
He rubbed the back of his neck and adjusted his coat as he walked over to the counter.
“Cara—” “Are you following me?” I kept my voice low, but sharp enough to cut through the hum of the lobby.
“What is wrong with you?” “I was keeping an eye on you,” he said, holding his hands up defensively.
“Look, I just want to make sure you are safe and sound, that’s all.
I helped you at the docks.
I gave you the offshore accounts.
” “And I thanked you.
That doesn’t mean you track my car across state lines!
Aunt Val sent security with me.
It’s handled.” Julian stepped closer, his voice dropping.
“Handled?
Cara, Ibarra is still out there.” I stared at him.
“Ibarra is dead.
Dante shot him on the pier, Danny watched him go over, and he hit the water.” “Dante shot him, sure,” Julian said, his jaw tight as he leaned in.
“But harbor patrol pulled nothing out of the water.
He’s not dead, Cara.
Until there’s a body, he’s still very much an active problem.” The cold floor beneath my boots suddenly felt unstable, but I kept my face still.
“Dante doesn’t miss.” “Maybe he didn’t.
But you’re out here alone,” Julian said, staring at me with a rigid, frantic focus.
“I wasn’t going to just sit in my apartment while you walked around by yourself.” “You could be anywhere right now,” I said, rubbing my forehead as a dull headache set in.
“You’re on administrative leave.
Go to the fucking Bahamas or Maldives.
Go anywhere else.
Why are you here?” “Because I’m not leaving you alone in this,” he said, reaching out to grab my arm.
I stepped back before his hand could touch my sleeve.
“Don’t you fucking touch me.” The receptionist behind the desk cleared her throat, stepping in with a grimace.
“Excuse me?” she said, looking between us.
“Miss, I have your online reservation right here, but our system just cross-booked it with the gentleman behind you.” I turned back to the counter, trying to regain my composure.
“I booked a single room twenty minutes ago.” “I know, and I’m so sorry,” the woman said, tapping rapidly on her keyboard.
“The storm has the highway backed up for miles, and we are completely full.
It was a system glitch.
This is literally the last room in the building.” Julian looked at the clerk, then slowly turned to look at me.
“I guess we would have to stay together.” “Like hell we would,” I retorted.
“You can have the room, I’m going to another hotel.” A loud thunder crashed as I turned around to face the exit and a heavy downpour began with full force.
I just couldn’t believe it.
How pathetic.
“Guess you and I are stuck together,” Julian said.
“Fair warning.” I turned around to face him.
“If you try any stupid shit, Aunt Val’s men won’t hesitate to come in and shoot you.”