morning wasn't birdsong or Cherry

Bang

Measure

driver or a friendly neighbour's greetin

fr

fisted in the hem of Monique's shirt. They had both drifted off sometime after u

ck came

up! Po

ond, her mind refused to catch up. She tried to believe she was ima

we have a warrant

eath c

.

at her, eyes

s. She scanned the room, her shoes, the go-bag, her phone. But she had not packed

ity had just bec

turned int

y into her arms and whispering, "Don'

sing something dark and dif

d, replaced by the

ing a key. O

time to hide.

t door b

re we can

raised her free hand, her voice calm for her daug

with me," she sa

r knees

, boots stomping across the hardwoo

ough the chao

tive

Jace." Once, he had held her like she mattered. Once,

ehind the badge order

eyes l

she

who Ch

till here to

red. Her voice cracked with

dn't flinch.

hild," one

ing Cherry to her chest. "You

n mock gentleness. "Ma'am, you're under arres

er down, please," Monique be

icer he

rris d

her.

oulders. Cold steel

ut shrieking, a wild, terrified sound Moniq

y! MO

her, don't, please,

rry away, and the todd

Moniqu

bli

or a s

t was

ker of

ried deep benea

it wa

ard and a flat expression, a child protective

e! You can't take her, call Ruby. Ruby Bell. She's my lawyer

arris said coldly. "

ision as she was dr

in her ears long after

stale coffee. Monique sat with her wrists pinched be

seat behind the protective glass, her voice raw a

n't re

as you

ade hi

didn'

the moment you saw her. Don't

, not

u lied to me. You disappeared when I needed you most.

is," Harris finally s

this the moment you wa

t a moment, Monique saw the man he had been, or the

er," he said. "Of Ava Morris. Y

ue fl

..I don't even know, what the

ago. Strangled. In an ap

I haven't, I just go

ias? Community counseling?" His voice was razor-sharp now. "You knew

sound familiar, but barely. From two years ago? A

she said, her voice lo

ll s

ed away

ealized somet

believe she

ld make his own sins

n the metal bench, shivering more from shock than temperature. She hadn't cried since t

d hours later, un

awyer's

collapsed w

m like a storm, all sharp heels,

appened?" Ruby hissed b

dered someone na

ps parting sli

she might've been in one of the su

tment leased under a fake name, but the ID photo they used is clearly doctored. The building's surveill

blinke

il

to Monique's chest l

" two years ago, who had offered her a sponsorship she refu

whispered. "He's

r an emergency hearing to get Cherry back in your custody. I'll push for bail. But you need to

d hard. "There's

wed her ey

id, quietly, "Cherry's

stopped m

e said, in

know who the father was. It wasn't until Cherry was bor

doned

ue no

the lines around h

and dangerous, "now we have