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"I’ to coain?"

"No I think he was going to, but then Grant caer ed back the last of the coffee, signaling they were done here "If he tries to contact you again, you need to let Isabelle or one of us know, okay?"

"He’s not going to hurt ht," soothed the older man "But he’s not supposed to see you without supervision If he tries anything, on’t have any choice but to charge hi"

Dale snarled, "Good I want hio back to jail"

"Keep your distance, son It’s the safest thing for both of you and your friends" He turned to Isabelle "We’ll file a report in case you need any official docuht His caseworker can call for a copy in the "

"Thank you"

He handed both her and Dale a business card "If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call Custody battles can turn ugly fast"

"I understand"

He gave her a sympathetic nod "Thanks for the coffee"

The police left, and Isabelle shut and locked the door Dale stood there with his feet braced apart and his face gri a punch, and Isabelle felt the sting of tears Again He’d been through so much All she wanted was for him to be safe and happy and healthy He had so much potential that that’s all he needed to bloo, Dale started to fidget like he was nervous "I’m sorry"

"You should be You really scared y with tears even though she’d tried to stay strong

"I didn’t mean to"

"I know you didn’t I also know you’ll never sneak out like that again, right?"

"I promise"

"Good Go on to bed and make sure thatis locked We’ll talk more after you’ve had soet away fast enough He was halfway up the stairs when he stopped but didn’t turn around Isabelle kneanted to say so, so she waited silently

"I’m sorry I made you cry," he said and hurried up the stairs, two at a time

Granteach to make sure it was locked Isabelle’s house was old, and the only secure ere the ones painted shut Not that that would keep anyone frolass

She needed a security syste That way he wouldn’t have to worry about her when he was gone

Yeah, right Hardly a week had gone by since he’d joined the irl he’d left behind and wondered how she was Her cards and letters had helped ease his er all in his head The danger to her and Dale was real, and he had to do so to fix it

Grant finished his security check downstairs and went to the second floor

He heard the soft thru and waking him up, Grant crept inside

Dale was asleep, his body flung out across the bed, covers twisted around his restless body, barely keeping hiht, and it wasn’t over yet Not until Wyatt went back to jail or gave up any hope of reuniting with his son

Grant grabbed the blanket off his own bed and covered Dale up After a quickcheck, he left the boy in peace, hoping he’d found sooing to highlight last night’s ugliness Grant knew that from experience

He shut Dale’s door and went back to his own rooh he was sure the color was meant to be cheerful Isabelle’s touch, no doubt

He sat on the wide bottom bunk bed, careful not to smack his head on the narroin bed above him He unlaced his boots and toed them off He’d been so exhausted when he’d crashed earlier that he hadn’t noticed anything about the room other than the fact that it had a bed and he wanted to be in it

Two small chests of drawers flanked theThe drawer pulls were molded into the shapes of different anirowth chart, void of anyfor the touch of little hands to give it life

It was a kid’s roo to be filled

Was Isabelle expecting another foster child? If so, then maybe Grant was in the way Maybe he shouldn’t have been so insistent that he stay here

Then again, people were dying, and Dale’s father was a complete asshole who clearly could not be trusted Until those proble a child here

Not that it was any of his business He had no say in her life

That fact shouldn’t have bothered him nearly as much as it did

Grant stripped out of his clothes and settled back in bed He couldn’t let hiet sucked into her problems He’d talk to the police and see if her suspicions about the deaths were valid, beef up her security, and be on his way

The thought made him uneasy Isabelle had no idea how to protect herself And she had a child He had to be sure it was safe to leave them There could be no mistakes

And once he was sure, he’d hit the road and never come back This place was full of badup by the day

If he never saw Isabelle cry again, it would suit hi so hard she almost didn’t hear the faint squeak of floorboards overhead