“I know.”

  “Good.” Grace was just about to ask Peter if he wanted a lift home when her phone rang. Reaching to her hip, she pulled her cell phone off its holder and narrowed her gaze at the name on it. She held out a finger to Peter and answered. “Annabelle?”

  “Hey, Detective Grace.” Annabelle’s voice wavered.

  Grace’s stomach clenched. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s…it’s Kit.”

  “What happened?” Grace’s shoulders tightened with fear. She knew she shouldn’t have let Kit go home. She should have kept her, forced DCFS’s hand or something, anything. She closed her eyes and prayed Kit wasn’t dead.

  “I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Annabelle, is she okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Grace let out a sigh. She had to be patient. She could do this. “Where is she?”

  “I…that’s the thing. I don’t know.”

  “Annabelle.” The warning in Grace’s tone set Peter to full alert. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. She’s not home. Her parents kicked her out again. This week…it was bad. I haven’t seen her since your house, but she sent me a few texts when she could get to her phone.”

  “What do you mean get to her phone?”

  “Well, her parents found it.”

  “Found it?” Grace’s eyebrows rose. “We gave her that phone—”

  “I know, but she had to hide it from them. She doesn’t have it now.”

  “Fucking Christ.” Grace shot Peter a glare. “When did they kick her out?”

  “Last night.”

  The biting question on the tip of Grace’s tongue died with a bad taste. She wanted to know why Annabelle had waited so long to call her. If she’d known before, she could have driven over and gotten Kit immediately instead of having to try and find her. Again. Grace snapped her fingers at Peter and mouthed “Call Amya” at him.

  He was on the phone in seconds while Grace focused on Annabelle. “Did she say where she was going?”

  “No.” Annabelle sniffled. “Why does this keep happening?”

  “Don’t worry. This is the last of it.” Grace stood and pushed Paige’s chair back to her desk and grabbed a piece of paper and wrote two notes, one to Paige and one to Humbard. “You go to school, Annabelle. Let me worry about Kit. I’ll find her like I always do.”

  “I knew you would.” The relief in Annabelle’s tone was astonishing.

  Grace glanced at Peter who gave her a thumbs up sign. Finishing her note, Grace left one on Paige’s desk and headed for Humbard’s office. “Get to school.”

  “I will. Let me know when you find her, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Grace drew in a sharp breath as they hung up, and she put her the note on Humbard’s desk. When she came back, Peter handed her the phone. “I didn’t know what to tell her.”

  “Amya,” Grace took the phone.

  “What’s going on? Kit’s missing?”

  “Her parents kicked her out again.”

  “When?”

  “Last night. I’m going to go look for her.”

  “I’m coming.”

  “Probably better to stay separate and hit multiple places at once.” Grace headed for the door of her unit before looking over her shoulder at Peter. “You coming, kid?”

  “Uh…yeah.” He skipped a step before joining her.

  “What’s Peter doing there?” Amya asked.

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Okay.” Amya sighed. “Um…I’ll take the coffee shop and the school since I’m closer.”

  “I’m going to swing by her house, the library, and I’ll call Peggy to see if she can let me know if she shows up there.”

  “Sounds good. Call me.”

  “Yeah.” Grace hung up as she slipped into her cruiser. Peter joined her in the passenger seat. Grace started the engine and backed out of her parking space and drove into the street. “You’ve got more than just me to apologize to, you know.”

  “What?” Peter’s eyes went wide.

  “Amya?”

  “Oh, yeah, right.”

  “So you can get on that.” She handed his phone back over before taking a left and headed for the library downtown. Kit was adept at hiding in the library. Grace had found her there once before when she’d been kicked out of her parents’ house, but Kit loved to sit in the quiet stacks.

  When Grace pulled up outside, the library wasn’t open yet. Gritting her teeth, she was about to go searching for the emergency number to get whoever was on call to let her in to the building when she stopped short. A lump of a person shoved into the corner of one of the pylons caught her attention.

  Grace put her hand out to Peter to stop him in his tracks and her hand over her weapon, though she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to have to use it. She stepped closer, quietly, as she tried to figure out who was under the jacket. Grace nudged the boot with her shoe and waited as the person rustled.

  Sure enough, Kit’s crystalline eyes and dark brown hair shone back at her. Grace grinned. “Kid, we’ve got to stop finding ourselves in this situation.”

  “Annabelle?”

  “Who else? Let’s go.”

  “Go where?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m betting you’re cold and hungry, so let’s start with breakfast.”

  Kit nodded and pushed to her feet. “I couldn’t call you.”

  “You heard of a pay phone?”

  “What?”

  “Jesus, kid, you’re young. Find a phone, put in some coins, or call collect.”

  “What’s collect?”

  “I’m done. You did not just ask that. Get in the damn car.”

  Peter hesitated as Kit came closer, but she didn’t. She walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight hug before getting into the back of the cruiser. Grace let out a breath and called Amya.

  “Find her?”

  “Yeah. Library. I’m going to get her breakfast and drop her off at school.”

  “Want to talk in an hour?”

  “You know it. Your office?”

  “Yeah.”

  “See you then. I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Grace.”

  It didn’t take them long to go through the drive through and order breakfast for the three of them. Grace drove toward Kit’s school, and as soon as she pulled up outside with the other dozen million parents dropping kids off and kids parking their own vehicles, Grace let out a breath. She got out of the car and opened the door so Kit could get out with her bag in tow.

  Grace put a hand on her shoulder. “I have no answers for you right now. Go to class, listen in class, I’ll be by to pick you up when school is done. Meet me here, and I will have some answers for you then, okay?”

  Kit nodded. “I’m sorry about the phone.”

  “It’s not your fault, kid.” Grace wrapped her arm around Kit’s shoulders and pulled her into a brief side hug. “None of this is your fault.”

  Kit’s chin bobbed up and down, but Grace wasn’t sure if she believed her or not.

  “And I swear, kid, if I have to go find you when I get here after school, I’m not going to be happy. No more running.”

  “Got it.” Kit gave her a smirk.

  “See you in a few hours.”

  Kit stepped away from the cruiser and turned to walk up the front steps to the school. Peggy waved at Grace, who made a hand signal like she was going to call her that day. Getting back into her cruiser, Grace turned to Peter.

  “Want to go home?”

  “Can I?”

  “Always, kid. Always.”

  Focus on the Family

  Heading into Amya’s offices, Grace sat heavily on her couch and let out a huff of air. Amya still sat at her desk, but Khloe had told her she could go right in. Rubbing her fingers over the bridge of her nose, Grace let out another long sigh. Amya shot her a dirty look.

  “Give me five minutes.”

  “You got them.” Leaning her head on the back of the couch, Grace closed her eyes. What the hell were they going to do with Kit or even Peter for that matter? Surely they couldn’t do what Daniel did for her. Her parents were dead, well, her mom had been dead. Her dad—he was alive technically when she’d been homeless as a teen, but she’d known he wouldn’t have been worth her time.

  They couldn’t just bring Kit to live with them for the next year and a half, could they? Without getting into all kinds of trouble? Peter was a whole different story. She’d allowed him back in the house after he swore up and down he was sober, and she hadn’t seen any signs from him that he wasn’t. She’d locked the alcohol back up that they’d brought out over the weekend and left him to his own devices for a while.

  She and Amya were going to have to set some new ground rules for the house. Rules that would stick and be strict. Both those kids needed the structure in order to flourish. Amya spun in her chair and smiled at Grace, her lips bowing into a curve as her eyes crinkled in the corners.

  “Kit okay?”

  “I guess,” Grace muttered. “Didn’t get too much of a chance to talk to her, but I’m not bringing her back to them.”

  Amya crossed her arms over her chest as she rested against the back of her chair. “I wouldn’t think so. No third chances.”

  “Right.” Grace sat up and then leaned down again. “She slept outside last night at the side doors to the library.”

  “Why didn’t she call?”

  “They took her phone.”

  “Wonderful.” Amya rolled her eyes.

  Grace could tell there was a question on the tip of her tongue, but Amya wasn’t asking it. Scratching the back of her head, Grace groaned. “You don’t think…I mean…what if…I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”

  Amya smiled and then stood up to sit next to Grace. “Start with whatever words come to mind.”

  “What if she does come live with us? Assuming that’s what she wants. Can we even do that?”

  “I think we could.”

  “I don’t want to call Doreen again. We saw what happened the last time we did that, and I really don’t want to make her go back to her parents just to be kicked out again.”

  “I agree.” Amya ran the palm of her hand up and down Grace’s thigh.

  “Do you think Kit will be angry if there is no punishment for them?”

  Amya let out a breath and bit her lip. “She could be. I don’t think she will be right now, if that’s what you’re thinking. She may be at some point in the future, but for now, I think she’ll just be happy to be somewhere safe and where she’s wanted.”

  “She’ll be eighteen in a year and a half.”

  “She will be.”

  They lapsed into a silence. Grace stared at the floor under Amya’s desk and rubbed her palms absent-mindedly together. When Amya’s hand slid over hers, Grace turned her gaze upon her girlfriend.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “That I want to do this.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Grace nodded. “Okay. It’s settled. I’ll pick her up at school.”

  “Grace, this is going to be different than if we formally fostered her. There’s going to be some things she can’t do until she’s eighteen.”

  “I know. I’ve been there, remember?”

  “Yeah, but it’s a bit different now. We’ll just have to make the work around when we can.”

  “We will.” Grace leaned in and pressed her lips to Amya’s, smiling when Amya’s hand moved to the back of her neck and pulled her in deeper. A year ago, she never would have allowed such intimacy in the offices. When she backed away, she cupped Amya’s cheek. “Still got time to go to the hospital with me today?”

  “Yes, right now, as a matter of fact.”

  “Good. I’m driving.”

  Amya rolled her eyes. “You always drive.”

  “I have the cruiser. I get front row parking.”

  “There is such a thing as chaplain’s parking, but I’m not going to argue with you.” Amya grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. Grace stood up and followed Amya out of her offices. She locked the door to her main work area behind them and told Khloe she’d be back in two hours. Grace sincerely hoped a visit to the hospital wouldn’t take them that long.

  ###

  When they got to ICU, Amya immediately started talking to the nurses. Grace slipped into Joseph’s room and sat in the chair against the window and stared at him. She had no idea what to do or what to say. The kid was comatose. He wasn’t going to respond no matter what she did, but she wanted to still get a sense of who he was as best as she could.

  She let out a breath and focused on the room. Did he have a particular smell other than hospital sanitation? No. Did he have any ticks he did even while in his coma? No. Did he have any items in the room? Yes. There were small trinkets here and there, teddy bears, cards, flowers, but nothing that would tell her who he was.

  Grace stopped short when she heard the curtain slide. She figured Amya would be joining her shortly, but instead, she was greeted by a small man in blue scrubs. He looked just as startled to find her sitting there. He looked down at the floor as soon as she sat up.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I’ll come back later.”

  Immediately, he left the room. Grace watched him as he skittered away, curious as to who he was. Clearly he worked at the hospital. He had the uniform and the badge to prove it. He was probably a nurses aid come to change the sheets or something. Amya slid into the room shortly after he left with a smile on her face.

  “So Joseph has a whole line of regular visitors.”

  Grace rolled her eyes. “I know that. I got the list from them the last time I was here.”

  “Oh.” Amya handed the sheet of paper over to Grace.

  Grace skimmed the names, curious to see if there were any similar ones or different ones from before. Curiously enough, one of the names did pop up as different and yet familiar. Diego Narvaez. His name was actually listed twice, each time the same day or the day after she had gone to talk to him. Curious, Grace handed the paper back to Amya.

  Amya immediately moved to Joseph’s side and touched his hand and his forearm, running her hand back and forth over his taped up skin. Grace stared at her in curiosity. This was not a side of Amya she saw.

  “Hey, Joseph. I’m Amya, and I’m a chaplain for the sheriff’s department. It’s so good to meet you.”

  Grace’s lips thinned. She never would have thought to talk to him because he couldn’t talk back to her. Watching carefully, Grace stood unmoving, still unsure of what she should be doing.

  “My friend here is Detective Grace Halling, she probably didn’t introduce herself because she’s a bit shy.”

  Rolling her eyes, Grace turned toward the door out of frustration and embarrassment and caught sight of the man in blue scrubs walking past the door again. This time, she made sure to memorize every feature about him she could. His hair was short cropped against his scalp, near a buzz cut but slightly longer. His eyes were dark brown but had a golden hue to them.

  As soon as he saw her looking, his speed increased, and he moved beyond her line of sight. Grace stepped to the door and poked her head out to see where he had gone, but he was already vanished again. “Interesting.”

  “What’s interesting?” Amya said as she came over to stand next to Grace.

  “Nothing. What did Joseph tell you?”

  “Not much,” Amya gave a wry smile. “You should ask him some questions or say something to him.”

  “Uh…no thanks.”

  Amya gripped Grace’s hand and dragged her to the bed. Instead of putting her own hand on Joseph’s, Amya laid Grace’s hand against his arm skin. Immediately, Grace wanted to move. She was not comfortable with the situation, but the only reason she stayed put was the look Amya gave her, the one that dared her to try something new, to test the waters, to stand right where she was in her own discomfort.

  “Remember,” Amya whispered, “This isn’t about you. It’s about him. Four years with very limited human contact wears on a person even in a vegetative state.”

  “All right.” Grace drew in a deep breath, held it in her lungs for a moment before letting it out slowly. “All right.”

  Gripping her hand around Joseph’s wrist, she held on.

  “Good. Joseph, this is Grace.” Amya turned toward Joseph’s head. “Like I said, she’s a Detective for the Sheriff’s Department, and she’s actually the lead investigator on your case. Isn’t that cool? She’s trying to figure out who you are and where you come from.”

  Amya rambled on for another ten minutes or so, but Grace stopped paying too close attention to what she was saying. The monitors on Joseph’s body changed. His heart rate increased, his blood pressure went up slightly before going back down. She was curious about it all, but she didn’t dare ask anyone in that moment. That could be a question for later. She made a mental note to find some answers when she had the time.

  They were just getting ready to leave after an hour of sitting in the room, when that same man walked by again. Curious, Grace followed him this time, not explaining anything to Amya. She beelined it out of the room and tried to catch up with him, but he was fast and wily. He was gone before she had a chance to figure out who he was or where he was going.

  Grunting, Grace went back to Joseph’s room and a confused Amya. She shook her head and walked up to the nurses station. “Hey, have you seen that man come by Joseph’s room before?”

  “What man?”

  “The one that has been by three times today since I’ve been here. That doesn’t seem normal to me.”

  The red-headed nurse glared at Grace. “Every visitor Joseph has must sign in here.”

  “I don’t think he signed in. I think he just showed up. And I’ve been told that some visitors don’t sign the log.” Grace’s tone was getting sharp, and she knew she was going to have to reign herself in. Luckily, Amya stepped in and pressed her fingers to Grace’s arm.

  “What did he look like, Grace?”

  “He had on blue scrubs. I thought he was CNA at first, but I don’t know. They would have just come in and done their job while I was in there. They wouldn’t have cared about visitors.”