ASH FELT LIKE SHE’D been squished through the holes in a strainer, as she trudged up the walk to Mischa’s front door.

He was still distant, which she expected. It was what she’d asked for, and the way it needed to be. However, after his visit to Kelly’s school yesterday, her sister was more subdued too.

The sound of an engine, and tires on the driveway, clenched around her gut. She didn’t know if she was up for another round of glacial stares with Mischa.

She glanced over her shoulder, and her stomach did a second flip when she saw a police car. An officer was climbing out. “Excuse me, miss.” He approached her with a painted-on smile. “Do you live here?”

For now wasn’t the right answer. Panic whispered through her that he was asking because he didn’t think she should be here. Now she wished Mischa was already home. “I do.”

“I’m looking for Georgia Wolfram.”

That couldn’t be good. “I’m Georgia, but it’s Taylor now.”

“Apologies. I’m Officer Dave Covey.” He showed her his badge. “Do you mind if I come in?”

She unlocked the door, glancing over her shoulder as she talked. “I’m sorry. May I ask what this is about?” She hoped Mischa didn’t get mad at her for letting the man in, but she didn’t have any reason to believe it was a bad idea. She opened the door and gestured for him to join her.

“Have you been in touch with your sister recently? Kelly?” He stepped into the foyer, posture casual.

“This morning.” Oh, God. The sick feeling inside surged in Ash’s throat, acrid and vile. “Is she all right? What happened?”

“There’s no reason to panic.” His tone softened. “I’m not here with bad news. I need to find her.” That wasn’t reassuring, but at least he wasn’t here to say her sister was hurt or worse.

“Why?”

“Your father reported her as missing. He says sometimes she turns to you when she’s upset, but if she’s run away, we need to take her home.”

Ash’s blood turned volcanic in her veins, but didn’t sear away the sick. Of course her dad was behind this. “She does more than come here when she’s upset. She lives with me, and has for several years.”

“I see.” He adjusted his stance, planting his feet more firmly, and moving his hand closer to his hip. Not his gun, but something black and plastic. A taser? “And this is your home?”

“It’s mine.”

She’d been so distracted by the conversation, she didn’t notice Mischa step into the house. Relief surged inside. She didn’t want it to, but the backup would be nice.

“Is there a problem?” Mischa asked. He moved to stand next to Ash.

Officer Covey thumbed the snap on at his hip, but didn’t unclasp it. “I’m looking for Kelly Wolfram, and her father believes she may be here. “You are?”

“Ash’s fiancée.” Mischa clasped her hand.

She’d never been so grateful for keeping up appearances. Comfort slid over her.

“Ash?” The policeman raised his brows.

“Me. I’m Georgia Ashleigh Taylor.”

“I see.” Covey pulled a notepad from his pocket, and looked between it and them. “And you’re Mischa? It says you’re the ex-boyfriend.”

“We fought. We didn’t break up.” Ash didn’t hesitate with her reply. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how that’s your business.”

Officer Covey tensed at her words. “I need you to know I have backup on the way.”

“For what?” Mischa asked. “What’s going on?”

“Ralph Wolfram has reported that his daughter ran away. If you know where she is, or have any information that will lead to her, you need to tell me.”

Mischa’s grip tightened on her hand, and she felt the tremor run through his arm and into hers. At least she wasn’t the only one using the connection as a lifeline.

“I did tell you.” Ash tried to keep her voice calm. “She lives here, and she’s probably in her room.”

“Where is that?” Covey stepped further into the house.

Mischa moved to block his path.

“Don’t.” Ash tugged Mischa back.

He opened his mouth.

“The officer is just the messenger.” She was surprised she kept her voice from shaking. “He’s doing his job.” She looked at Covey. “I’ll get Kelly. You’ll see she’s fine, and we can all have the rest of our afternoons back. This way.”

Covey stepped around a scowling Mischa, and followed Ash toward the door that led to the downstairs apartment. She knocked, and called, “Kel-bel. Come upstairs?”

“Be right there,” Kelly’s reply carried back.

“Now step away.” Covey gestured for Ash to move aside, hand still at his hip.

That was bullshit. “I swear to God, if you pull a gun on my fourteen year-old sister, the news will go viral so fast, your head will spin.” Ash didn’t try and keep her voice calm this time. She didn’t know how she’d do it, but she’d make good on the threat.

The muscles in his neck stood out, but he dropped his hand. A second later, the door swung open, and Kelly bounced into the room. She stopped, eyes wide, when she saw Covey.

“Kelly Wolfram?”

She nodded slowly.

“Your father is worried about you. He’s reported you missing. I need to take you home.”

“I am home.” Kelly’s voice was tiny. She looked at Ash. “I didn’t do anything. Don’t make me go.”

Ash’s heart shattered at the plea. “This is Dad’s doing. I don’t think I have a choice.”

“I don’t want to go.” Kelly’s chin quivered, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Shit,” Covey muttered. “Does your dad hit you? Do I need to take you into custody and call CPS?”

Child Protective Services? How much further was this going to spiral out of control?

“Custody?” Mischa asked.

“If there’s abuse, the courts will need to get involved, but I won’t take her home to an environment like that. Are you scared to go home, hon?”

Kelly shook her head, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “This is home.”

Ash was tempted to say Yes. Her father beats her. But the lie wouldn’t take long to uncover, and knowing her father, the backlash would make this even worse. “There’s no abuse, because she’s lived with me for several years.”

Covey’s expression had softened, probably because Kelly was sobbing silently. Another knock interrupted, and a female officer stepped through the open front door. She frowned the moment she saw Kelly. “Is everything all right?”

“I’ll fill you in,” Covey said. He looked at Ash. “He’s her legal guardian. He filed a missing person’s report. Unless you can show me she’s in danger, or that you have the legal right to keep her here, I need to take her home. I’m sorry.”

Ash wanted to protest, but she felt backed into a corner. “It’s not your fault.”

The female officer approached Kelly, and touched her arm to draw her attention. “Hon, I’m Jen. Do you have anything you need to pack?”

Kelly shook her head. “I’m not going.”

Ash hugged her, not sure what to say.

“I know people.” Mischa’s voice was firm and confident. “You’ll be back here soon.”

“I’m sorry. You’re the ex-boyfriend?” Jen eyed him suspiciously.

“Current fiancé.” Mischa glared at her. “There was a misunderstanding on Mr. Wolfram’s part, about the relationship.”

Jen clenched her jaw. “Word of warning. You have the potential to make this go south real quick for these young ladies.”

“Excuse me?” Ash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The implication.

“Just a friendly warning. Older man. Younger girl.”

“You’re disgusting.” At least Kelly had stopped crying. Her vicious scowl was made darker by red puffy eyes. She turned toward the basement. “I’m going to get my stuff. Don’t follow me.”

Jen looked at Ash. “Does the basement have a walk-out exit?”

Ash nodded. “Back side of the house.”

Jen sighed and headed downstairs. A moment later, Kelly screamed, “Get out.”

There was a span of time, the clock ticking away, and then Kelly and Jen stepped back into the room. Kelly had a single duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

“Do you want to take your board?” Ash asked.

“No. It’s safer here. I’m only taking the stuff I don’t care about.”

This was so bad. Ash didn’t even know where to turn for a solution.

Covey pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to Ash. “The number for CPS. Good luck.” He sounded like he meant it.

Ash walked them to the door, and watched as Kelly climbed into the front passenger seat of Jen’s patrol car. And then the police were gone.

She rested her forehead against the doorframe, letting the rough texture dig into her skin.

“What can I do?” Mischa’s question was quiet.

Hold me. Tell me it’ll be all right. Make this go away. She choked back the string of responses. She’d take his help, because this was about Kelly, not her, but she wouldn’t let herself believe he was offering out of any sort of affection toward Ash.

“Help me find a good family lawyer?” She turned to look at him.

He was already reaching for his phone. “I’ll start making calls.”

She needed to do the same. She pulled her own phone from her purse, and dialed the number for CPS, from the business card. She wandered to the bottom stair and sat.

The woman on the other end was kind, but otherwise the conversation was almost identical to the one with the police. If Ralph Wolfram was Kelly’s legal guardian, there wasn’t much they could do unless there was a history of abuse. .

Something occurred to Ash. “There’s neglect. He leaves Kelly home alone for days on end, while he’s out of town.”

“With no supervision?” The woman’s voice rose.

“None. He doesn’t make any arrangements at all. Just leaves her there.”

“When was the last time he did this?”

Damn-shit-fuck. “Five years ago,” Ash said softly. “But it’s because she came to live with me after that.”

“But not legally. And you can’t prove it.”

This was all so circular. Ash wanted to scream at someone Help us, damn it. “Because there was no need. He just let me take her.”

“So he did make arrangements. Through you.”

“What? No.” How was Ash making this worse?

“I’ll start a file for you, but if there’s no abuse or neglect, there’s no reason to displace the child.”

“She’s already been displaced.” Ash let her frustration bleed into her voice.

“If she’s not in immediate danger, you have to go through the proper channels. File a complaint, wait for an investigation, and petition for guardianship, to get Kelly back. I can point you toward where to start.”

“I’ll take what I can get, thank you.” Ash wrote down the information the woman gave her. After the line went dead, she stared at her phone. What next?

She was vaguely aware of Mischa’s voice in the other room, and when it stopped. A moment later he sat next to her. The heat from his arm brushing hers was a clear spot in the haze of frustration, but not a big enough one to matter.

“I got a referral from a friend.” His tone was subdued. “He gave me a lot of the same information as the police, but he’s willing to put some hours in. I’ve hired him to make something happen.”

That made Ash feel more lost than ever. Another reason she’d be indebted to Mischa, but not an offer she was willing to refuse. “This is my fault.” The words slipped out, and she frowned at the bitter taste of reality.

“How could you possibly blame this on yourself?” His voice was kind, but a subtle edge lay underneath.

“I went to Dad, and told him you and I broke up. I was trying to convince him to give you a break.”

There was no response. She glanced sideways to see Mischa frowning. She didn’t know how to interpret the look. “He said no—because why would he do otherwise? I’m so stupid. And then he said Kelly was obviously in an unstable environment, and he threatened to take her back.”

“You’re not stupid, and this isn’t your fault. It’s all on him. Kelly’s been happy with you for years. Ralph made the decision to disrupt that. Not you.”

“That’s sweet of you to sa—”

“I’m not being sweet.” He sounded harsh. “It’s honest, and don’t you dare throw it back in my face. This isn’t your fault.”

She wasn’t in the mood to argue. She gave him a thin smile, and swallowed her disagreement with his assessment. “All right.”

He stood. “I’ll tell you what the lawyer says.” His words kept time with his footsteps as he walked up the stairs.

She shouldn’t have provoked him. Or pushed him away. Or... there were so many things she wanted to take back. Maybe this wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t stop counting the bad decisions.

She’d never felt so alone.