“It’s just a mistake,” Daniel said, though he didn’t sound like he believed it. “A banking error.”

“It’s not an error,” Evelyn said, her voice trembling as she walked up behind Marcus.

She held her phone in her hand like it was a weapon.

“My landlord just texted me,” Evelyn said, her eyes wide with panic. “The rent check for the boutique bounced.”

She turned her eyes to me then, her gaze shifting from anger to desperation.

“Rachel, tell me this is a mistake,” Evelyn said, taking a step toward me. “The bank said the funding source was closed.”

“It was,” I said.

My voice was flat, devoid of the warmth I had spent years forcing into my tone for her benefit.

“Rachel, you can’t do this,” Evelyn said, her hand reaching out toward my sleeve.

Harris moved instantly, his large frame blocking her path before she could touch me.

“Please keep your distance, ma’am,” Harris said.

Evelyn recoiled, her mouth hanging open as she looked at Harris’s uniform and the government plates on the SUV.

“Who is this?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Daniel, who are these people?”