You put her in it.” And Gregory came around the desk, the loving mask gone entirely, and took my wrist in a hard grip, and said, low, that I should think very carefully — that children left unattended sometimes end up in places their mothers never meant them to be.

I reached into my open bag with my free hand and pressed the panic button on my phone.

Chapter 14 — The Confession

The door came in with a crash.

Christopher first, then two officers who had been watching from the street.

“Get your hands off her.” Gregory let go and raised his palms, reasonable again in an instant.

“A misunderstanding, officers.

A private conversation about our relationship.”