I held Owen tighter, his small chest rising and falling against my collarbone.

Patricia’s jaw dropped, her perfectly manicured fingers clawing at the floral wallpaper.

“You cannot be serious,” she hissed, her voice cracking as the deputy stepped toward her.

“Hands behind your back, ma’am,” Deputy Miller repeated, his voice flat.

Jake stood beside me, his shoulder tense, a solid wall between my son and his parents.

“This is a mistake you won’t recover from, Deputy,” Walter growled, the cuffs clinking as he shifted his weight.

Patricia reluctantly turned, her shoulders slumped in a mix of fury and disbelief.

The second pair of metal cuffs clicked into place in the chilly hallway.

“Child endangerment,” Jake said, his voice cold and steady.

“You locked my wife and my six-month-old son out in a sub-zero blizzard.”

“The heat was off in the entryway,” I whispered, the memory of the freezing air making me shiver again.

Logan didn’t look up from his screen.

His thumb tapped rapidly on the glass, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Logan said, his voice smooth and entirely unbothered.