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“No,” he shot, fear laced in his voice. “They’ll call him. If he finds me, I’m dead.” Carmen believed it. Looking at the damage done, she could well imagine the boy wouldn’t survive another round.

“Okay. No hospital. I need to monitor you, though.”

“Okay.”

Carmen spent several more minutes cleaning Darren up. She got him settled on his side and draped a blanket over his shivering body. “I’m going to make you a drink to help with the shock. Try to relax, okay?” Darren simply nodded, a single tear running down his cheek.

Molly was waiting for her in the kitchen, her face ashen. “How is he?”

“Hurting and scared. He won’t go to a hospital.”

“And his injuries?”

“It’s a safe bet he has a couple of broken ribs. The cut above his eye and lip have already stopped bleeding. I don’t think they need stitches. He needs to be watched tonight and woken regularly to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion.”

“Did he say how it happened?”

Carmen balled her hands into fists, anger coursing through her veins as she thought of the scumbag who’d hurt Darren. “His father. Caught Darren with his boyfriend.”

“Fucking bastard,” Molly hissed.

“My thoughts entirely.”

“He’ll need time to recover. The shelter isn’t the right place. I need to call Bessie.” Molly was talking to herself rather than Carmen, which was fine. Carmen began making a cup of sweet tea for Darren as Molly continued to mutter to herself. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Molly announced.

Carmen carried the tea to Darren, who was fast asleep. Hating herself a little, she nudged him awake. She wished she could let him sleep and forget for a little while, but the risk he had bumped his head took precedence. “You need to drink this. Can you tell me what day it is?”

Darren mumbled his answer, but Carmen didn’t mind. As long as he wasn’t confused, mumbling was okay. “I’m Carmen, by the way. I realized I didn’t introduce myself.”

“Thank you,” Darren said, looking into Carmen’s eyes.

“You have nothing to thank me for. Now, drink your tea.” Carmen sat silently next to him as he sipped his drink. A few minutes later, Molly bustled in.

“Hey Darren, I’m Molly.”

“Hi.”

“I know this is a lot and I’m sure you just want to go to sleep, but we need to make sure you have somewhere to stay.”

“I can’t stay here?”

“You need a place to heal. I help run a ranch for kids who need a place to stay. Would it be okay if we took you there?”

Darren studied Molly for a second and then looked at Carmen. The silent question was obvious. Darren wanted Carmen to tell him it was okay.

“It’s a great place, Darren. You’d be safe and have a place to recover.”

“Thank you,” he replied, this time to Molly.

“No worries, kid.” Molly shifted her attention to Carmen. “I’ve arranged for two other volunteers to relieve us. We need to get Darren back to the ranch ASAP.”

Half an hour passed before the relief volunteers showed up. After a quick hand-off, Carmen helped Molly walk Darren to her car. The ranch was lit up like a Christmas tree when they arrived. Bessie rushed out and assessed Darren. Mateo helped Carmen walk him inside and up the stairs.

“Faith is sleeping in Courtney’s room,” Bessie called as they scooted along the upstairs hall. It only took a few minutes to get Darren comfortable—well, as comfortable as possible with broken ribs.

“I made tea,” Enid whispered from the doorway. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table nursing something stronger than tea. Carmen slipped in next to her, took the glass from her hand, and downed the amber liquid. Without a word, Molly pulled over another glass and refilled them both.

“An eventful night, huh?” Bessie remarked.