I laid him down on the faded floral sheets of the twin bed and covered him with a heavy blanket.

Lily sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes wide in the dim light.

“Is this where we live now, Mom?” she asked.

“For a little while, sweetie,” I said, kissing her forehead. “It’s safe here.”

She nodded slowly, her eyelids fluttering with exhaustion.

I closed their door halfway, leaving a sliver of yellow light from the hallway spilling across the floor.

I walked into the small kitchen and stood by the sink.

The linoleum was worn thin near the stove, showing the dark wood underneath.

I set my laptop bag on the laminate counter and stared at my phone.

A new message appeared from Daniel.

“I know where you took them,” the text read.

“You have twenty-four hours to bring my children back, or I will make sure you have nothing left.”

My fingers shook as I forwarded the screenshot to Robert Hayes.

I needed to believe my attorney could keep us safe, but the distance between this coast and the city felt dangerously thin.