A six-year-old girl hobbled through the crowded diner, dragging herself on one leg. The crutches she gripped scraped against the floor with every painful step. Her eyes were hollow, her face gaunt, and her ribs pressed against her shirt.

She reached the first table. “Please, can I sit here?”

The mother recoiled, pulling her children close as if the girl were a threat.

“Table’s taken,” she said dismissively.

The second table—”We’re busy.”

The third—four women sat in their Sunday best, clutching Bibles, eyes hardening at the sight of her. “Where are her parents?” one of them demanded.

The girl didn’t stop. She kept moving, table after table, rejection after rejection. Then, she paused in front of a Hell’s Angel, his prison tattoos and scars marking him as someone you didn’t want to mess with.

“Please, mister,” she said, her voice fragile. “Everyone else said no.”

What he discovered next would reveal a killer hiding in plain sight.

Tap, scrape, tap, scrape.

Stone heard it before he saw her. He lifted his gaze from his burger. A little girl stood in the doorway—thin, barely standing, and limping on crutches that were too big for her small frame. Her left leg was missing below the knee, the pant leg pinned up and swaying as she shifted her weight.

She scanned the room like a trapped animal searching for a place to hide. She wasn’t looking for parents. She was looking for somewhere to sit.

The first booth was filled with a family of five. The father was glued to his phone, the mother cutting pancakes, while the kids fought over syrup.

The girl limped closer. “Excuse me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Can I sit with you for just a little while?”

The mother’s eyes snapped up, scanning the girl’s dirty clothes, the missing leg, the crutches.

“Brian,” she hissed at her husband.

The father glanced up, his face contorted with distaste. “Sorry, sweetheart. Family time.”

“I won’t bother you,” the girl mumbled, her voice trembling. “I promise. I just need to sit down. My leg hurts and I’ve been walking for…”

“I said no.” The mother pulled her children closer, as if the girl were diseased. “Go find your parents. This isn’t appropriate.”

The girl’s shoulders drooped as she turned away.

Tap, scrape, tap, scrape.

Stone’s jaw clenched.

The second booth: an elderly couple, their plates of meatloaf and mashed potatoes untouched. The girl stopped beside them, her voice fragile.

“Please,” she asked, her hands clutching the crutches. “Can I sit here, just at the edge?”

The old man glanced at her for a fleeting second, then returned his gaze to his plate, pretending she wasn’t there.

“Harold,” his wife whispered, nudging him. “Say something.”

Harold didn’t respond.

“We’re waiting for someone, dear,” the wife finally said, though there was no one coming. The check had already been paid.

“Okay,” the girl whispered, her voice breaking.

Tap, scrape, tap, scrape.

The third booth: four women in Sunday dresses, pearl necklaces, and iced tea beside their Bibles. The girl approached them slowly.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I just need somewhere to sit. I’ve been walking for so long and I’m so tired. Please, I’ll be good.”

The women exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing. One, with hairspray so thick it looked like armor, leaned in.

“Where are her parents?” she asked loudly. “Why is she alone? This is what happens when people don’t take responsibility.”

Not a single word of concern. Just judgment.

“I’m sorry,” the girl whispered, backing away. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Find a shelter,” another woman said curtly. “There are places for people like you.”

People like you.

The girl turned, her crutch catching on a chair leg. She stumbled but caught herself just in time. Pain flashed across her face, but she kept moving.

She stood frozen in the middle of the diner, eyes scanning the crowd, but no one stepped forward to help.

And then her gaze found Stone. She saw his leather vest, the Hell’s Angels patches, the tattoos marking him as someone dangerous. He was everything mothers warned their children about.

But those mothers had already turned her away.

Tap, scrape, tap, scrape.

With every step, it cost her more, but she made her way toward him. She stopped at his table.

“Please, mister,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Can I sit here? Everyone else said no.”

Stone didn’t hesitate. He pushed the chair out with his boot. “Yeah, sweetheart. Sit down.”

The relief that washed over her face was immediate. She moved toward the chair, but her leg gave out. She wobbled, and her crutches clattered to the floor.

Stone was on his feet before she even began to fall. He caught her under the arms, steadying her, and lowered her gently into the chair. She was light as a bird, broken but still holding on.

He picked up the crutches and leaned them against the wall before sitting back down. That’s when he saw it. Yellow bruises on her cheekbone, old, maybe a week’s worth. And on her upper arm, where her sleeve had rolled up, were purple marks, shaped like fingerprints—adult-sized fingerprints, wrapped around a child’s arm. His fists clenched beneath the table.

“What’s your name?” he asked softly.

“Ember.”

“You hungry, Ember?”

Her eyes widened, as if his question were a trap. “I don’t have any money,” she said quickly. “I’m not trying to get anything. I can leave if you want. I don’t want to be a bother. I’m sorry. I’m really…”

“Ember,” he interrupted. “I asked if you were hungry. Not if you could pay.”

She stared at him, searching for the catch. The trick.

“Yes,” she finally whispered. “I’m really hungry.”

Stone flagged down the waitress. “Marie, grilled cheese, fries, hot chocolate. Extra whipped cream. Keep them coming.”

Marie looked at the girl. Her eyes lingered on the bruises, the hollow cheeks. Her expression softened.

“Coming right up, honey,” she said, and disappeared.

Stone turned back to Ember. “When’s the last time you ate?”

She looked down at her hands. “I don’t remember.”

“Yesterday?”

She shook her head.

“Day before?”

She shook her head again.

Stone felt a chill in his chest. “Ember. How long?”

“Four days,” she whispered. “Maybe five. I lose count sometimes.”

“Why?”

She didn’t answer.

“Ember. Why haven’t you eaten in five days?”

“The refrigerator has a lock on it,” she said quietly. “So do the cabinets. Derek says food costs money. He says I’m too expensive already.”

“Derek?”

“My stepdad.”

The food arrived. Grilled cheese, crispy fries, hot chocolate with a mountain of whipped cream. Ember stared at it as if it might disappear.

“Go ahead,” Stone said. “It’s yours.”

She grabbed the sandwich with both hands and bit into it like she was afraid it would be taken away. Because she was. She ate like a starving animal, shoving bites in too fast, her eyes darting up to make sure Stone was still there.

He’d seen this hunger before. In Afghanistan. In the faces of children who had lost everything. He never thought he’d see it in a diner in Colorado.

“Slow down,” he said gently. “Nobody’s taking it away. There’s more coming.”

She slowed. Barely.

“Ember,” he said. “Those bruises on your face, on your arm. Did Derek do that?”

She flinched. “I fell,” she said automatically. “I fall a lot because of my leg. The crutches are hard and…”

“Ember,” he stopped her. “Those marks on your arm are fingerprints. Someone grabbed you. Hard.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Please don’t make me go back,” she whispered. “Please, I’ll be good. I’ll be so good. I won’t eat much. I’ll sleep outside. Just please don’t make me go back there. Please.”

Stone’s chest cracked open. “Hey, look at me.”

She raised her eyes. Terror radiated from her.

“Nobody’s making you go anywhere. You hear me? You’re safe here. Right here. Right now. You’re safe.”

“You don’t understand,” she sobbed. “He’ll find me. He always finds me. And when he does… then he’ll go through you first. And trust me, he doesn’t want to do that.”

Stone leaned forward. “Ember, look at me. Why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.”

“Because you needed help, and I was here. That’s reason enough. Everyone else made the wrong choice. That’s on them, not on you.”

He reached across the table and took her small hand in his. Her fingers were ice cold, trembling, fragile—he could have crushed them without trying. He held them like they were made of glass.

“What happened to your leg, Ember?”

She went very still. “There was an accident.”

“What kind of accident?”

“Derek was backing up his truck in the driveway. I was playing behind it. He didn’t see me.”

Her voice was flat, mechanical, rehearsed.

“That’s what he told everyone. He didn’t see me. The doctors took your leg.”

“At the hospital, I was there for a long time. Derek came every day, brought flowers, held my hand, cried.” She swallowed hard. “All the nurses said how wonderful he was. What a devoted stepfather. How lucky I was.”

She paused. “But when I came home, everything changed.”

“Changed how?”

“He moved me to a room in the back of the house. It’s not really a room. It used to be for storage. There’s a window, but he painted it black so no light comes in.”

Stone’s grip tightened on her hand.

“There’s a lock on the door,” she continued. “On the outside. He locks me in at night, sometimes during the day too. The refrigerator, the cabinets, all locked. He decides when I eat. He says I don’t deserve food because I’m bad.”

“He says I make too much noise with my crutches. He says I breathe too loud. He hits me when I make mistakes, when I drop something or take too long. He says Mom spoiled me. He says I’m just a burden.”

The words came faster now, a flood breaking through.

“He says the world would be better off without me,” she whispered. “I heard him on the phone. He was laughing. He said he took out a policy… $300,000. He said another accident and nobody would question it. Just a crippled orphan who couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.”

Stone froze, his heart pounding in his chest. “Say that again.”

“He wants to kill me,” Ember whispered, her voice barely audible. “For the insurance money. He’s just waiting for the right time. I heard him say it. I wasn’t supposed to, but I did. And now he knows I know. That’s why I ran.”

Her eyes were wide with fear, full of desperation. “That’s why I’m here. Because if I go back, he’s going to kill me. And no one will care because no one cares about crippled orphans.”

Stone stared at the broken girl before him—her tangled hair, her missing leg, the bruises that marked her small frame, each one telling a story no child should ever have to live. Something inside him twisted, something old and buried for years.

It wasn’t rage. Rage was reckless, hot, and irrational. No, this feeling was colder, sharper—more focused. This was purpose.

“Ember,” he said, his voice soft but firm, “I need you to listen to me very carefully.”

She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, but she was listening.

“You’re not going back to that house,” he said, his voice unwavering. “Not tonight. Not ever. Do you understand?”

“But how?” she asked, her voice breaking. “I have friends. A lot of them. And when I call them, they come. No questions asked.”

“What kind of friends?”

Stone glanced down at his vest, at the patches that marked him as something most people feared. “The kind that don’t let monsters hurt children,” he replied. “The kind that make monsters disappear.”

Ember’s eyes widened with a mix of fear and awe. “Are you going to hurt him?”

“I’m going to make sure he never hurts you again. Whatever it takes.”

“But he’s an adult. He has a job. Everyone believes him. The police came once, and they believed him, and they left, and then he…” She couldn’t finish, the words choking her.

“The police aren’t my friends,” Stone said. “My friends don’t need warrants. My friends don’t need evidence. All they need is a name, an address, and a reason.”

He pulled out his phone. “You gave me the reason, Ember. Now give me the address.”

She hesitated, fear still gripping her. “He’ll know I told.”

“He won’t do anything ever again,” Stone promised, his voice low and steady. “I swear to you.”

She stared at him, her small face uncertain, but there was something in his eyes that made her believe him. “412 Maple Street,” she whispered.

Stone quickly typed a message to Brick.

Broken wagon. Now. Bring everyone. Child abuse case. Stepfather planning to kill her for insurance. 412 Maple Street. Name is Derek. This is not a drill.

He hit send and turned back to Ember.

“What happens now?” she asked, her voice small.

“Now you eat your fries. They’re getting cold.” He gave her a stern, but kind look. “That’s it. You eat. You rest. You let the grownups handle the rest.”

“But…”

“Ember, you’ve been carrying this alone for months. You ran away on one leg from the man who wanted to kill you. You’ve done enough. More than enough. It’s time to let someone else carry the weight for a while.”

Her lip trembled. “I don’t know how to do that.”

“I know. But you’re going to learn. Starting right now.”

Marie appeared with another grilled cheese and more hot chocolate. “Figured she could use seconds,” she said, setting them down. “Kitchen’s making her some soup, too. On the house.”

“Thanks, Marie.”

Marie looked between Stone and Ember, then back at Stone. “You need anything else, you holler. And I mean anything.”

“I will.”

She disappeared, and Ember picked up a fry but didn’t eat it, just held it in her trembling fingers.

“Stone?”

“Yeah?”

“What if your friends can’t stop him? What if he gets away with it? What if nobody believes me again?”

“My friends don’t let people get away with things,” Stone said. “And I believe you. That’s enough.”

“How do you know? How do you know it’s enough?”

Stone leaned back in his chair. “Because I’ve been where you are, Ember. Not the same situation, but the same feeling. That feeling like the whole world is against you, and nobody’s coming to help, and you’re so tired of fighting alone that you almost want to give up.”

Her eyes locked on his. “What happened?”

“Someone showed up when I least expected it. When I’d stopped believing anyone would. And they didn’t ask what I could give them. They just helped. Because I needed it and they could.”

“Who saved you?”

“The men you’re about to meet. My brothers.”

“Brothers?”

“Not by blood. By choice. That’s the strongest kind.”

Ember looked down, her voice small. “I don’t have brothers,” she said quietly. “I don’t have anyone.”

“You have me.”

She looked up sharply, confused. “You just met me.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“How can it not matter? You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you’re brave. I know you’re strong. I know you’ve survived things that would break most adults. And I know you deserve better than what you’ve gotten.”

“Derek says I don’t deserve anything.”

“Derek is a monster wearing a man’s face. His opinion doesn’t count. You’re six years old, Ember. Six. You should be worried about homework, cartoons, and whether your best friend is going to sit with you at lunch. Not whether your stepdad is going to murder you for insurance money.”

Her face crumpled, her voice breaking. “I don’t have a best friend,” she whispered. “I don’t go to school anymore. Derek pulled me out. He said it was too expensive. He said I couldn’t learn anything anyway.”

“I don’t care what he said. I care about what’s true. And the truth is, you’re smart enough to escape from a locked room, make it across town on one leg, and find the one person in a crowded diner who would actually help you.”

He paused, letting the words sink in. “That’s not stupid, Ember. That’s survival.”

“I didn’t find you. I just… you were the only one left.”

“Same thing.”

“It’s not.”

“It is. Because you didn’t give up. You kept going. Table after table. Rejection after rejection. You kept going until you found someone who said yes. That’s strength, Ember. Real strength. The kind that matters.”

She was crying again, but this time, it wasn’t out of fear. “Nobody’s ever said anything like that to me before.”

“Then everybody else was wrong.”

The bell above the door chimed, and Stone looked up.

Brick walked in. He was 52, with a gray beard, eyes like shards of ice, and a President’s patch on his vest.

Behind him came Tank, Diesel, Razor, Jax, and Tommy. Six men, all built like they’d been carved from granite. Faces that had seen the wrong end of too many fights. Hands that had done things polite society would rather forget.

Without a word, they spread out across the diner, taking positions, blocking exits, and making the space theirs.

The other customers shrank back, too afraid to look, afraid of becoming part of whatever was unfolding at the corner booth.

Brick walked straight to Stone’s table. His gaze locked onto Ember, taking in her bruises, her missing leg, and the tears still fresh on her cheeks. His jaw tightened.

“This her?” Brick asked.

“Yeah.”

Brick crouched down to Ember’s level, his voice unexpectedly gentle. “Hey there, little one. My name’s Brick. I’m a friend of Stone’s. He tells me you’ve been having a hard time.”

Ember looked at Stone. He nodded.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered.

“None of that ‘sir’ stuff. Just Brick.” He smiled, and the smile softened his whole face. “You like grilled cheese?”

“Yes.”

“Me too. Best thing on the menu here. Stone treat you right?”

“He’s the only one who would let me sit down.”

Brick’s eyes went cold for a moment. “Is that so?”

He stood and scanned the diner. The family. The elderly couple. The church women.

“A lot of good Christians in here tonight. A lot of fine upstanding citizens.”

Nobody met his eyes.

“Funny how that works,” Brick continued. “Funny how the people who talk the most about charity and kindness are usually the first to turn away a child in need.”

A woman with helmet hair stood up. “Now see here—”

“Sit down.”

She sat.

Brick turned back to Stone. “Tell me everything.”

Stone told him. The starvation. The locked room. The bruises. The accident that took her leg. The insurance policy. The overheard phone call.

With each detail, Brick’s expression darkened. When Stone finished, the diner was dead silent.

“412 Maple Street,” Brick said.

“Yeah.”

Brick pulled out his phone and made a call.

“It’s me. I need everything you can find on a Derek at 412 Maple Street. Millbrook. Yeah. Everything. Employment, finances, insurance policies. The works. Call me back in twenty.”

He hung up.

“We’re not waiting twenty minutes to move on this,” Stone said.

“No, we’re not.” Brick looked at the other brothers. “Tank, Diesel. You’re on the house. Don’t go in. Just watch. Nobody leaves. Nobody enters until we know more.”

He turned to the others. “Razor, Jax. Canvass the neighborhood. Quietly. I want to know if anyone else knows anything about this guy.”

The men nodded and headed for the door.

“What about me?” Tommy asked.

“You stay here. Watch the girl. Anyone comes through that door that isn’t one of us, you call me immediately.”

“Got it.”

Brick crouched back down to Ember’s level. “Ember, I know this is scary. A lot of big strangers showing up all at once. But I need you to trust us. Can you do that?”

She looked at Stone. “He trusts you,” she said quietly. “So I trust you.”

Brick smiled. “Smart girl.”

“Stone, a word?”

They stepped away from the table. Not far, just enough for privacy.

“This is bad,” Brick said, his voice low.

“I know. If what she’s saying is true…”

“It’s true. Look at her, Brick. Look at those bruises. Look at how she eats. That kid hasn’t been fed properly in months.”

“I believe you. That’s not what I mean.” Brick’s eyes were hard. “If there’s an insurance policy and a plan to kill her, this isn’t just abuse. This is premeditated murder. We can’t handle this the usual way.”

“Why not?”

“Because if we touch this guy and he ends up dead or disappeared, the first place cops look is the kid’s associates, which as of tonight is us. So we let him live?”

“I didn’t say that.” Brick’s smile was cold. “I said we can’t handle it the usual way. We need documentation, witnesses, a paper trail. Something that makes sure when this piece of garbage goes down, he stays down. Legal.”

“Since when do we care about legal?”

“Since that little girl needs someone to take care of her after this is over. And that someone isn’t going to be allowed anywhere near her if he’s sitting in prison for murder.”

Stone went still. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying she needs more than revenge, Stone. She needs a home. She needs stability. She needs someone who’s going to be there for her tomorrow and next week and next year. Is that you?”

Stone looked back at Ember, small and broken, clutching her hot chocolate like a lifeline.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “That’s me.”

“Then we do this right. We do it clean. We make sure that monster never sees daylight again and we make sure you’re still standing when it’s over to pick up the pieces.”

Stone nodded slowly. “Okay, what do you need?”

“Time, information, and that little girl’s trust.” Brick glanced at Ember. “She talked to you. She opened up. That’s rare. Usually takes months to get an abused kid to share details like that.”

“She’s desperate.”

“She’s more than desperate. She saw something in you, Stone. Something that made her feel safe enough to tell the truth. Don’t waste that.”

“I won’t.”

Brick’s phone buzzed. He answered it, listening, his expression growing darker with every second.

“You’re sure? No, that’s good. That’s exactly what we need. Send it to me. Everything.”

He hung up. “Well, Derek Manning, 38 years old, works as a claims adjuster for Western Life Insurance.”

“Guess what kind of claim?”

“Life insurance?”

“Give the man a prize. He knows exactly how the system works. What gets paid out, what doesn’t, how to make an accident look like an accident.”

Stone’s blood ran cold. “The truck.”

“He knew what he was doing, Stone. He knew exactly how to run over that kid and make it look like an accident. He planned it from the beginning.”

Brick continued reading from his phone. “My guy pulled the marriage records. Derek married Ember’s mother fourteen months ago. Six months later, she dies of cancer. Two months after that, he takes out a $300,000 policy on the kid.”

“That’s not suspicious at all.”

“It gets better. He’s behind on payments for the house. Credit cards maxed. Three months behind on his truck. A gambling problem that’s gotten worse since the wife died. He needs the money. He’s drowning. And that little girl over there is his life raft.”

Stone’s hands curled into fists. “We end this tonight.”

“We end this tonight,” Brick agreed. “But we end it right. I want that paperwork. I want those neighbors. I want every piece of evidence we can find that proves what he’s been doing to her.”

Brick’s eyes went flat. “And then we make a phone call to some friends in the DA’s office. And Derek Manning spends the rest of his miserable life in a cell.”

“That’s not enough.”

“It will be. Trust me. You know what happens to child killers in prison?”

Stone did know. He nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

They walked back to the table. Ember looked up at them, fear and hope battling in her eyes.

“What happens now?” she asked.

Stone sat down across from her. “Now we make sure Derek never hurts anyone again.”

“How?”

“You let us worry about that. All you have to do is stay here. Stay safe. Eat your food.”

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Then drink your hot chocolate. It’s getting cold.”

She picked up the mug with trembling hands. “Stone?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it really going to be okay?”

He reached across the table and took her hand again. “Yeah, Ember. It’s really going to be okay.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Outside, the snow kept falling, but inside the diner, everything was still. The other customers ate their meals in silence, avoiding any eye contact, too afraid to get involved with whatever was unfolding in the corner booth.

Twenty minutes later, Brick’s phone buzzed again. He read the message and turned to Stone.

“Tank and Diesel are at the house. Derek’s truck is in the driveway. He hasn’t left.”

“Does he know she’s gone?”

“Front door’s wide open. He knows.”

Stone looked at Ember. “Did you leave the door open when you ran?”

She shook her head. “It was closed. I made sure. I didn’t want him to know right away.”

“Then he’s been out looking and he came back,” Stone said. “Or he’s waiting.”

“Waiting for her to come home,” Brick said grimly.

“She’s not going home.”

“No, she’s not.” Brick checked his phone again. “Razor and Jax are three houses down. They’ve already got two neighbors willing to talk. One of them called CPS twice. Nothing happened.”

“That’s going in the report.”

“Everything’s going in the report.”

Stone looked down at Ember. She was shaking.

“Hey, look at me.”

She looked up.

“You’re safe. You hear me? He can’t touch you. Not here. Not with us.”

“He’s going to be so angry,” she whispered. “When he finds out I told, he’s going to be so angry. He said if I ever told anyone…”

“What did he say?”

Her face went pale. “He said he’d make it look like an accident, like with my leg. He said nobody would question it. Just a clumsy crippled girl who fell down the stairs or drowned in the bathtub or…”

“Ember. Stop.”

She stopped.

“None of that is going to happen. You’re never going back to that house. You’re never going to be alone with him again. Whatever he said, whatever he threatened, it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s done.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m going to make sure of it. Me and every single one of my brothers.”

She looked around the diner at the men in leather vests, standing guard at every exit, at Brick standing like a wall between her and the door.

«Why?» she asked, her voice trembling. «Why do you care? You don’t even know me. None of you do.»

Stone leaned in, his expression unwavering. «Remember what I told you about someone showing up when I’d already given up?»

«Yeah.»

«These people, Ember… every single one of them. They’re here because I told them a little girl needed help. And that’s all it took. One message, and they dropped everything.»

«But why?»

«Because that’s who they are. That’s who we are. We take care of our own.»

«But I’m not your own. I’m nobody.»

Stone’s grip on her hand tightened, his voice firm. «You’re not nobody, Ember. You stopped being nobody the moment you sat down at my table.»

Tears welled up in her eyes once more. «I don’t get it.»

«You will. One day, you will.»

The door swung open, a cold draft cutting through the room. A man stepped inside. Not one of the brothers. Someone different. Tall, thin, wearing a gray coat, his smile never quite reaching his eyes.

He scanned the diner before his gaze locked on Ember. His smile widened.

«There you are,» he said smoothly. «I’ve been searching everywhere for you.»

Ember’s hand stiffened in Stone’s grip. «That’s him,» she whispered. «That’s Derek.»

Stone didn’t flinch. Brick moved forward, positioning himself between Derek and Ember.

«Can I help you?» Brick asked.

«You can step aside,» Derek replied with an unsettling calm. «I’m here to take my daughter home.»

«Stepdaughter,» Stone corrected from the booth.

Derek’s eyes narrowed. «Excuse me?»

«She’s not your daughter. She’s your stepdaughter. Get it right.»

Derek’s smile faltered. «I don’t know who you are, but this is a family matter. Ember, come here. We’re going home.»

Ember didn’t budge.

«Ember.» Derek’s voice grew colder. «Now.»

«She’s not going anywhere,» Stone asserted.

«I didn’t ask for your opinion.»

Derek took a step closer, but Brick didn’t move an inch.

«Look, I don’t want trouble,» Derek said, his tone feigning reason. «My stepdaughter ran away. She’s been having some issues. I just want to take her home.»

«What kind of issues?» Stone’s voice cut through.

Derek blinked, taken aback. «What?»

«You said she’s having issues. What kind?»

«That’s none of your business.»

«It is now.»

Derek’s polite façade slipped. «Listen here, you piece of trash.»

«Careful,» Brick warned, his voice ice-cold. «Choose your next words very carefully.»

Derek surveyed the diner, taking in the leather vests and the faces hardened by years of violence, unshaken by fear. His bravado cracked.

«I don’t know what she told you,» Derek began, his voice losing its smooth edge. «But it’s all lies. She makes things up. She’s been doing it since her mother died. It’s just a cry for attention.»

«So, the bruises are lies?» Stone asked sharply.

«What bruises?»

«The ones on her face, her arm.»

«She falls. The crutches are hard for her. She’s still adjusting.»

«She falls in a way that leaves adult-sized fingerprints on her arm?»

Derek’s face drained of color. «She… she did it herself. Sometimes when she has tantrums.»

«And the lock on her bedroom door. What’s that about?»

«That’s for her safety. She wanders at night. I have to…»

«And the padlocks on the fridge and cabinets?»

Derek’s mask cracked completely. «Who told you that?» His voice sharpened, more desperate. «Ember, what did you tell them?»

«She told me the truth,» Stone said, his voice steady. «All of it. Including the phone call.»

«What phone call?»

«The one where you talked about killing her for the insurance money.»

The diner fell silent.

Derek’s face contorted with rage. «That’s insane. Absolutely insane. I never…»

«$300,000,» Stone continued, his tone unwavering. «That’s the policy. My people already confirmed it. Taken out two months after your wife died. Behind on the house, the truck, maxed-out credit cards, gambling debts piling up. That little girl’s worth more to you dead than alive.»

«This is ridiculous. This is…»

«Derek Manning,» Stone said, his voice now cold and hard. «Claims adjuster for Western Life Insurance. You know exactly how to make a death look like an accident. You’ve probably done it before, haven’t you? Helped people file fraudulent claims. Showed them how to make things look right on paper.»

Derek’s color drained completely. «I want a lawyer.»

«We’re not cops.»

«Then you have no right to…»

«We have every right,» Stone said, standing up, his gaze deadly. «We have the right to protect a child you’ve been starving and beating for eight months. We have the right to make sure you never touch her again. We have the right to stand between a monster and his victim.»

He moved closer, until he was inches from Derek.

«Stay away from me or… or I’ll call the police.»

«Go ahead. Tell them why you’re here. Tell them about the locked room, the padlocked fridge, and the $300,000 insurance policy on a six-year-old girl. You can’t prove any of this.»

«Watch me.»

Stone stood firm, his presence overwhelming. «Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to leave this diner. You’re going to go back to your house, and you’re going to wait.»

«Wait for what?»

«For the police. The real ones. The ones who’ll come with warrants and questions, and very little patience for men who hurt children.»

«You can’t…»

«I’m done talking.»

Stone grabbed Derek by the collar and shoved him toward the door. Brick moved aside just enough to let them pass.

«If I ever see you again,» Stone said, his voice low and venomous, «I won’t call the police. I’ll handle it myself. And trust me, Derek, you don’t want me to handle it myself.»

He shoved Derek out the door, into the cold parking lot. Derek stumbled but caught himself, turning back with a snarl.

«This isn’t over,» he spat. «She’s mine legally. You can’t just take her.»

«Watch me.»

Stone returned to the booth. Ember was crying, Tommy’s hand gently resting on her shoulder.

«Is he gone?» she asked, her voice fragile.

«He’s gone.»

«Is he coming back?»

Stone sat down across from her. «Not for you. Not ever.»

Her eyes were filled with an ancient kind of sadness, as though her young heart had known too much. «You promise?»

«I promise.»

«People break promises.»

«I don’t.»

She stared at him for a long moment before slowly reaching across the table with both arms. Stone leaned forward, and she wrapped herself around his neck, holding on like he was her lifeline in a world that had tried to break her.

«Thank you,» she whispered into his shoulder. «Thank you. Thank you.»

Stone closed his eyes and held her gently, as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

«You’re safe now, Ember,» he murmured. «I’ve got you.»

For the first time in months, she believed it.

The silence was heavy. Then Derek’s voice broke through, strained and different now, his desperation raw. “Who told you that? Did she? She’s lying. She lies about everything. She’s disturbed. She needs help. I’ve been trying to get her help, but the system…”

“Save it.”

“You don’t understand what it’s been like. Her mother dying, the medical bills, trying to raise a special needs child alone…”

“You ran over her with your truck. It was an accident. You backed up slowly, and she was playing directly behind you. The neighbor at 408 saw it happen from his window. He said you checked your mirror twice before you put it in reverse.”

Stone felt Ember stiffen in his arms.

“That’s not… he’s mistaken. The sun was in his eyes.”

“It was six o’clock in the evening in October. The sun had already set.”

Derek’s voice faltered. “You can’t prove anything. It’s my word against…”

“Against four neighbors. Against your stepdaughter. Against photographs. Against insurance documents. And your browser history, which my guy already pulled, showing searches for ‘how long can a child survive without food’ and ‘untraceable ways to cause death.’”

Ember was crying now, silent tears streaking down her face. Stone held her tighter.

“It’s over, Derek,” Brick said. “You’re done.”

“I want a lawyer.”

“You’re going to need one.”

Sirens were wailing in the distance, growing louder. Stone heard commotion inside—scuffling, a crash, someone shouting. Then Brick’s voice rang out, cold as steel.

“Don’t move. Get off me! This is assault! I’ll sue every one of you!”

“You just tried to run from a crime scene in front of six witnesses. How do you think that’s going to look?”

The sirens were deafening now. Red and blue lights flickered across the snow.

“Ember,” Stone said softly, “The police are here. They’re going to take Derek away. You’re safe.”

She didn’t respond, trembling so violently that Stone could feel it deep in his bones.

“Ember, look at me.”

Her head lifted slowly, her eyes red and swollen, filled with terror—and something else. Hope. It was fragile, bruised, barely there. But it was there.

“Is it really over?” she whispered.

“Yeah, kid, it’s really over. He’s never coming back. Never, I promise.”

“You promise a lot.”

“I keep them all.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Then, as if breaking, she buried her face in his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered, over and over. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Stone closed his eyes, pulling her closer. His arms tightened around her. He didn’t have words for the storm of emotions inside him, the overwhelming need to protect this fragile child. All he knew was that he would die before he let anyone hurt her again.

The back door opened. Brick stepped outside.

“It’s done,” he said. “They’ve got him in cuffs. DA’s guy is already talking charges. Attempted murder, child abuse, insurance fraud, false imprisonment. He’s not getting bail.”

“Good.”

“There’s a social worker here. She needs to talk to Ember.”

Stone felt Ember tense in his arms. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “She’s here to help. She’s one of the good ones.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Dane called her personally. He doesn’t call people who aren’t good.”

Ember didn’t move.

“Stone,” Brick said gently. “She needs to do this. It’s part of making sure Derek never gets near her again.”

“I know.” Stone looked down at the small face pressed against his chest. “Ember, can you talk to the social worker? I’ll be right there the whole time. I won’t leave.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She took a shaky breath. “Okay.”

They walked around to the front yard. Police cars were everywhere. An ambulance. A van from Child Protective Services. And, just as Brick had predicted, three news vans with cameras already rolling.

Derek was in the back of a police car, face pressed against the window, his eyes locked on Ember. Something changed in his expression when he saw her. Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage. He began shouting, slamming his fists against the window. His words were muffled, but the hate was unmistakable.

Ember whimpered, pressing closer to Stone.

“Don’t look at him,” Stone said firmly. “Look at me. He can’t touch you. He can’t hurt you. He’s done.”

“He’s so angry.”

“Good. Let him be angry. Let him be angry in a prison cell for the rest of his life.”

A woman approached them, mid-forties, with a kind face and a clipboard in her hands.

“I’m Patricia Henley,” she said gently. “I’m with Child Protective Services. You must be Ember.”

Ember didn’t respond.

“She’s had a rough night,” Stone said.

“I can imagine,” Patricia replied, looking Ember over—her thin frame, the bruises, the missing leg. Her expression tightened, but her voice remained soft. “Actually, I can’t imagine. But I’m going to do everything I can to help.”

“What do you need?” Stone asked.

“Just a few questions. Nothing scary. Just so we can figure out what happens next.”

“What happens next?” Stone asked, his voice thick with concern.

Patricia hesitated. “Normally, we’d place her in emergency foster care while we…”

“No.” The word escaped Stone’s mouth harder than he meant it to.

Patricia blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“She’s not going to foster care. She’s staying with me.”

“Sir, I appreciate what you’ve done tonight, but there are procedures. Background checks, home studies, licensing requirements.”

“Then start them. Tonight. Right now. Do whatever you need to do, but she’s not going anywhere with strangers.”

“Sir…”

“My name is Stone McKenna. I’ve got a checkered past, but nothing violent in the last ten years. I own my house outright. I’ve got steady work. And I’m not letting this kid out of my sight.”

Patricia studied him carefully. Then, she looked at Ember.

“Sweetie, can you tell me what you want?”

Ember’s grip on Stone’s neck tightened. “I want to stay with him,” she whispered. “Please. He’s the only one who helped me. Everyone else said no. He said yes.”

Patricia’s eyes softened. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“Really?”

“Really. I can’t promise anything yet, but I can tell you that what that little girl wants matters. And if you’re willing to go through the process…”

“I’m willing.”

“Then we’ll make it work.” She glanced back at the house, at the police cars, at Derek shouting in the backseat. “For tonight, at least, you can stay together. I’ll push through an emergency placement. It’s not standard procedure, but…” She paused, looking at everything happening around them. “Nothing about this is standard.”

“Thank you,” Stone said.

“Don’t thank me yet. There’s a lot of work ahead. Interviews, assessments, court dates. It’s not going to be easy.”

“I don’t care about easy. I care about her.”

Patricia nodded slowly. “I can see that.” She made a note on her clipboard. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. For now, get her somewhere warm. Get her fed. Let her sleep.”

“I will.”

Patricia walked away. Brick appeared at Stone’s side.

“That went better than expected. She’s a good one. Dane knows how to pick them.”

Brick looked at Ember. “Hey, little one. You did good tonight. Real good.”

She didn’t respond. Her eyes were beginning to close.

“She’s exhausted,” Stone said.

“Take her home. We’ll handle the rest.”

“What about the house? The evidence?”

“Police have it. DA has it. It’s airtight, Stone. He’s not getting out of this.”

“Good.”

Stone carried Ember to his truck. Jax had driven it over from the diner. He settled her in the passenger seat. She was asleep before he finished buckling her in.

He stood there for a moment, looking at her—this tiny, broken girl who’d walked into a diner on one leg and changed everything.

Eight hours ago, he’d been eating a burger and reading the paper, perfectly content to be alone. Now, he was responsible for a child. A traumatized, abused, disabled child who’d survived hell.

He had no idea what he was doing. No idea how to raise a kid. No idea how to help her heal from what had been done to her.

But he knew one thing. He wasn’t going to fail her. He’d failed people before. In Afghanistan. On the streets. In his own family, back when he still had one. He wasn’t going to fail again. Not this time. Not her.

He closed the door gently and walked around to the driver’s side. Brick was waiting.

“You know this changes everything,” Brick said.

“I know.”

“The club’s got your back. Whatever you need.”

“I know that too.”

“But this is on you, Stone. She’s on you. That’s not something you can walk away from.”

“I’m not walking away.”

Brick studied him for a long moment. Then he smiled. “No, I don’t think you are.” He stepped back.

Stone got in the truck, started the engine, and pulled away from the yellow house with its dead flowers, its painted-over window, and its closet where a child had been kept like an animal. He didn’t look back.

Ember slept the whole way. When they reached his place, a small house on three acres at the end of a gravel road, he carried her inside and laid her on the couch, found a blanket, and tucked it around her thin shoulders.

She stirred. “Stone?”

“I’m here.”

“Where are we?”

“My house. Your house now, if you want it.”

She blinked up at him, confusion and exhaustion clouding her eyes. “My house?”

“Yeah. If you want.”

She was quiet for a long moment. “I’ve never had a house,” she whispered. “Just places I wasn’t supposed to be.”

Stone’s throat tightened. “Well, you’re supposed to be here.”

“Okay.”

“This is your place now. Nobody’s going to lock you in a room. Nobody’s going to take your food. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She reached out with one small hand. He took it.

“Will you stay,” she asked, “until I fall asleep?”

“Yeah, kid. I’ll stay.”

“You won’t leave?”

“I won’t leave.”

She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed. Her grip on his hand loosened but didn’t let go.

Stone sat there in the dark, holding on to this child who’d been thrown away by everyone who should have protected her, and he made a silent vow. Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I’m going to give her the life she deserves.

Outside, the snow kept falling. Inside, for the first time in eight months, Ember slept without fear.

Ember woke up screaming at 3 a.m. Stone was there in seconds. He found her thrashing on the couch, tangled in the blanket, her small fists swinging at something only she could see.

“No! Please! I’ll be good! I’ll be good!”

“Ember! Ember, wake up!”

He grabbed her shoulders gently. She fought him, eyes still closed, still trapped in whatever nightmare had its claws in her.

“Don’t lock me in! Please, I can’t breathe! I can’t…”

“Ember!”

Her eyes flew open. For a moment, she didn’t recognize him. Terror filled her face. She scrambled backward on the couch, pressing herself against the armrest, making herself as small as possible.

“It’s me,” Stone said, keeping his voice low and steady. “It’s Stone. You’re safe. You’re at my house. Remember?”

She stared at him, chest heaving. “Stone?”

“Yeah, kid. It’s me.”

Her face crumpled. “I thought I was back there. I thought he… I thought…”

“You’re not back there. You’re never going back there.”

She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. “It was so dark. It was so dark, and I couldn’t get out, and I kept banging on the door, but nobody came. Nobody ever came.”

Stone held her tight. “I came. I’m here now.”

“Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not leaving. Promise.”

She cried for a long time. He didn’t try to stop her, didn’t tell her it was okay. It wasn’t okay. Nothing about what had happened to her was okay. All he could do was hold on.

Eventually, the sobs faded. Her breathing slowed. Her grip loosened.

“Stone?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m hungry.”

He almost laughed. Almost. “Okay, let’s get you something to eat.”

He carried her to the kitchen and set her on a chair at the table. Then he opened the refrigerator. It wasn’t locked. He saw her notice, saw her eyes go wide.

“It’s not locked,” she whispered.

“No, it’s never locked. You can open it anytime you want, day or night. If you’re hungry, you eat. That’s how it works here.”

She stared at the refrigerator like it was a miracle. Stone pulled out eggs, cheese, and bread, and started making scrambled eggs and toast because it was 3 a.m., and that’s what you made at 3 a.m.

Ember watched his every move.

“Stone?”

“Yeah?”

“What if I eat too much? What if I use up all your food?”

His hands stopped moving on the pan. “Then I’ll buy more.”

“But what if you can’t afford it? What if…”

“Ember.” He turned to face her. “I’m never going to run out of food. And even if I did, I’d figure it out. You eating is not a problem. You not eating is a problem. Understand?”

She nodded slowly. “Okay.”

He finished the eggs, put them on a plate with two pieces of buttered toast, and set it in front of her. She didn’t move.

“Go ahead,” he said. “It’s yours.”

“You’re not eating?”

“I’ll eat later.”

“But you made it.”

“I made it for you.”

She looked down at the plate, then up at him, then back at the plate.

“Derek never made me food,” she said quietly. “He said cooking was women’s work. He said I should be grateful for whatever scraps he decided to give me.”

“Derek was wrong about a lot of things.”

“I know. But sometimes it’s hard to remember. His voice gets stuck in my head, telling me I’m bad. Telling me I don’t deserve things.”

Stone sat down across from her. “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think you’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of people. Soldiers, fighters, men who would run into gunfire without blinking. But you know what? Most of them had backup. Most of them had weapons. Most of them had someone watching their six.”

He leaned forward. “You had nothing. You had one leg and a monster for a guardian and a world that kept turning away. And you still fought. You still ran. You still survived. That’s not bad, Ember. That’s incredible.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You really think that?”

“I know it.”

She picked up her fork. She ate.

The next three days were a blur. Patricia from CPS came by twice. The first time she did a home inspection. Stone watched her walk through his house, checking closets, opening cabinets, looking for God knows what.

“It’s not fancy,” he said.

“It doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to be safe. Is it?”

She looked at him. “Yes, it is.”

The second time she brought paperwork. Mountains of it. Emergency foster placement forms, background check authorizations, financial disclosures. Stone signed everything.

“This is just temporary,” Patricia explained. “Emergency placement while we…”

“No.” The word came out harder than Stone intended.

Patricia blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“She’s not going to foster care. She’s staying with me.”

“Sir, I appreciate what you’ve done tonight, but there are procedures. Background checks, home studies, licensing requirements.”

“Then start them. Tonight. Right now. Do whatever you need to do, but she’s not going anywhere with strangers.”

“Sir…”

“My name is Stone McKenna. I’ve got a checkered past, but nothing violent in the last ten years. I own my house outright. I’ve got steady work. And I’m not letting this kid out of my sight.”

Patricia studied him for a long moment. Then she looked at Ember.

“Sweetie, can you tell me what you want?”

Ember’s grip on Stone’s neck tightened. “I want to stay with him,” she whispered. “Please. He’s the only one who helped me. Everyone else said no. He said yes.”

Patricia’s eyes softened. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“Really?”

“Really. I can’t promise anything yet, but I can tell you that what that little girl wants matters. And if you’re willing to go through the process…”

“I’m willing.”

“Then we’ll make it work.” She glanced back at the house, at the police cars, at Derek shouting in the backseat. “For tonight, at least, you can stay together. I’ll push through an emergency placement. It’s not standard procedure, but…” She paused, looking at everything happening around them. “Nothing about this is standard.”

“Thank you,” Stone said.

“Don’t thank me yet. There’s a lot of work ahead. Interviews, assessments, court dates. It’s not going to be easy.”

“I don’t care about easy. I care about her.”

Patricia nodded slowly. “I can see that.” She made a note on her clipboard. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. For now, get her somewhere warm. Get her fed. Let her sleep.”

“I will.”

Patricia walked away. Brick appeared at Stone’s side.

“That went better than expected. She’s a good one. Dane knows how to pick them.”

Brick looked at Ember. “Hey, little one. You did good tonight. Real good.”

She didn’t respond. Her eyes were beginning to close.

“She’s exhausted,” Stone said.

“Take her home. We’ll handle the rest.”

“What about the house? The evidence?”

“Police have it. DA has it. It’s airtight, Stone. He’s not getting out of this.”

“Good.”

Stone carried Ember to his truck. Jax had driven it over from the diner. He settled her in the passenger seat.

Stone’s blood ran cold as he clenched his fists. “That’s bullshit.”

“Of course it is,” Brick replied, his jaw tightening. “But he’s got a top-notch lawyer. A big shot from Denver who specializes in getting guilty people off the hook with technicalities.”

“How the hell did he afford a lawyer like that?”

“That’s the interesting part,” Brick said, his voice growing darker. “Someone’s paying for it. Someone with deep pockets.”

“Who?”

“We don’t know yet, but Derek didn’t have two nickels to rub together before this. Now, suddenly, he’s got representation that costs more than most people make in a year.”

Stone’s mind was racing, and a dangerous thought took hold. “The insurance company.”

“What?”

“Think about it. Derek works for Western Life Insurance. He knows things. Secrets. Maybe he’s helped others commit fraud. Maybe he’s got dirt on someone big. You think they’re paying his legal fees to keep him quiet?”

Brick’s expression shifted, a hint of recognition in his eyes. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“That’s a damn good theory,” Brick nodded slowly. “I’ll have our guy dig into it.”

“How long do we have?”

“The hearing’s in three days,” Brick said grimly. “If the judge grants the motion to dismiss, he walks.”

“He walks?” Stone’s fists tightened in fury. “That’s not happening.”

“I know, but we need to be smart about this. We need ammunition.”

“What kind of ammunition?”

“More witnesses. More evidence. Something that proves Derek’s pattern of behavior didn’t start with Ember.”

Stone’s mind went still. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying this might not be Derek’s first rodeo. Maybe there are other victims. Other kids. Other wives who died… conveniently.”

“You think he’s done this before?”

“I think men like Derek don’t wake up one day and suddenly decide to torture a child. They build up to it. They start small, get away with it, and then they go for bigger things.”

Stone considered that. Derek’s confidence, his well-practiced lies, his ability to deceive the police, social workers, and anyone who should’ve seen through him.

“He’s done it before,” Stone muttered. “He has to have.”

“Then we find proof. And we make sure that motion gets denied.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Three days.”

“Then we work fast.”

Brick nodded, his face set. He turned and headed back to his bike. Stone stood for a moment, watching him go. Three days. Three days to find evidence that might not even exist. Three days to stop a monster from walking free.

He went back inside. Ember was still sitting on the counter, still stirring the batter, but her smile was gone. Worry replaced it.

“Something’s wrong,” she said quietly. “I can tell.”

Stone hesitated, not wanting to burden her with the truth. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“It’s about Derek, isn’t it?”

Stone’s heart ached at the fear in her voice, but he couldn’t lie to her now. “Yeah. It’s about Derek.”

“Is he getting out?”

“No. I won’t let that happen. But something’s wrong. His lawyer is trying to get the case thrown out, saying the evidence isn’t good enough.”

Ember’s face went pale. “But you saw. You saw my room. You saw the locks. You saw…”

“I know. And the judge will see it too. We just need to make sure our case is stronger than his lawyer’s tricks.”

“How?”

Stone looked at her with all the sincerity he could muster. “Ember, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me, okay? Do you know if Derek ever hurt anyone else before you? Another kid, maybe? Or your mom?”

Ember stopped stirring. Her eyes dropped to the batter. “He never hit my mom. Not where I could see. But…”

“What?”

“Sometimes at night, I heard them fighting. And the next day, Mom would move differently, like she was sore. She’d wear long sleeves even when it was hot.”

Stone’s stomach churned. “Did she ever say anything?”

“I asked her once why she was crying. She said she fell. She said Derek was helping her be more careful.” Ember’s voice dropped to a whisper. “But I knew. I knew she didn’t fall. Just like I didn’t fall.”

“Did anyone else know? Any of her friends? Family?”

“Mom didn’t have friends. Derek said friends were distractions. He said she only needed him.” Ember paused. “But… there was a woman. She came to the house once when Derek was at work. She and Mom talked for a long time. Mom was crying.”

Stone leaned in closer. “Do you remember her name?”

“Mom called her Sarah. She said Sarah was from before. Before Derek. Like an old friend. I think so.”

“She gave Mom her phone number. Told her to call if she ever needed help.”

“Did your mom call her?”

Ember’s eyes welled with tears. “I don’t know. Mom got sick right after that. And then she died. And then everything got bad.”

Stone reached out and took her hand gently. “You did good, Ember. That’s really helpful. Really. Do you remember anything else about Sarah? What she looked like? Where she worked?”

“She was pretty. Brown hair. She wore a blue jacket with a name on it.” Ember squeezed her eyes shut, trying to recall. “Providence. It said Providence something. Providence… I think it was a church or a hospital. I don’t remember.”

“That’s okay. That’s more than enough.”

Stone pulled out his phone and typed a quick message to Brick. Need you to find someone. Sarah. Works at a place called Providence something. Maybe a hospital. Connected to Ember’s mother. Could be our key witness.

The reply came within seconds. On it.

Stone tucked his phone away. “Ember, I need you to know something.”

“What?”

“Whatever happens with this hearing… with Derek, with any of it… you’re safe. Here. With me. No matter what some judge decides, I’m not letting you go back to him. Even if I have to break every law in Colorado to make sure of it.”

Her lower lip trembled. “You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah, kid. I would.”

She slid off the counter and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I don’t want you to go to jail,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose you too.”

Stone knelt down to her level. “You’re not going to lose me. And I’m not going to jail because we’re going to win this the right way. With evidence. With witnesses. With the truth.”

“What if the truth isn’t enough?”

“It will be. It has to be.”

She looked at him with those old, tired eyes. “Derek always said the truth didn’t matter. He said all that mattered was what you could make people believe.”

“Derek was wrong.”

“But what if he wasn’t? What if his lawyer makes the judge believe him?”

Stone took her face in his hands. “Then we’ll find another way. And another. And another. Until we win. Because that’s what we do, Ember. We don’t give up. Not ever.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Then she nodded. “Okay. Okay. I trust you.”

Three words. That’s all it took to break Stone’s heart and rebuild it at the same time.

“Good,” he said, his voice rough. “Now let’s make those pancakes before the batter goes bad.”

She almost smiled. “Can we put chocolate chips in them?”

“Kid, we can put whatever you want in them.”

This time she did smile. Small, fragile, but real. And Stone thought that maybe, just maybe, they were going to be okay.

His phone buzzed. A text from Brick.

Found her. Sarah Chen. Social worker at Providence Hospital. She filed a domestic violence report about Ember’s mother six months before she died. Report was buried. Never investigated.

Stone read it twice, then a third time. “Who buried it?”

Brick’s response came fast. Working on it. But Stone, you’re not going to like the answer.

“Tell me anyway.”

A pause. Then: The report was assigned to a CPS caseworker named Thomas Reed. Same guy who closed the investigation after the neighbor’s calls about Ember. Same guy who signed off on Derek’s home as safe.

Stone’s blood ran cold. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?

Yeah. Someone on the inside has been covering for Derek for at least a year, maybe longer. This goes deeper than we thought.

Stone looked at Ember, happily dropping chocolate chips into the pancake batter, counting them out loud. “Seven, eight, nine…”

She had no idea. No idea that the system meant to protect her had been working against her all along. No idea that Derek had help.

But Stone knew now. And he was going to burn it all down.