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“Hold him for a second,” he said quietly.

Lachlan carefully transferred Caleb to my arms, then before I knew what he had planned, scooped both of us into his own arms and sat the three of us into the rocking chair. He pulled me against his chest, creating a nest of warmth with Caleb secure between us.

“Better?” His breath stirred my hair.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Caleb’s weight, his baby-powder scent, the solid presence of Lachlan behind me—it grounded me in a way nothing else could.

“I need to tell you something,” Lachlan said after a long moment. “I understand now. Why you did what you did.”

My whole body went rigid. “Lachlan?—”

“No, let me finish.” His arms tightened around us. “When I first found out about the watch, about you feeding information to Ray, I was so angry. Felt betrayed in a way I couldn’t even articulate. But since I’ve found out Sadie is out there…” He paused, and I felt him swallow hard. “If someone had Caleb, if the price of his safety was betraying everyone and everything, I’d do it. Without hesitation. Without apology.”

“Even if people died because of it?” The question slipped out before I could stop it—the guilt that had been eating me alive given voice.

“I’d hate myself for it. It would destroy something in me. But yes.” His honesty was brutal, unflinching. “That’s what parents do. We protect our children, even when the cost is our souls.”

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks, landing on Caleb’s sleeper. “I tried to minimize the damage. Tried to give Ray just enough to keep him satisfied without… But people still got hurt.Kids overdosed because I couldn’t stop the drugs from getting through.”

“That’s on Ray, not you.” His voice held conviction I couldn’t feel. “You were an unwilling participant, forced into an impossible situation. The guilt belongs to the man who threatened a baby to get compliance.”

I wanted to believe him. Wanted to accept the absolution he was offering. But I’d lived with Ray’s evilness too long to think in such clear lines of victim and perpetrator.

“What happens after?” The question I’d been afraid to ask tumbled out. “After we get Sadie back, after Ray’s arrested—what happens to me?”

He was quiet long enough that I knew he’d been thinking about it too. “I’ll talk to the district attorney. Explain the situation. The duress you were under. The circumstances are extreme. Kidnapping, threat of violence against an infant, sustained psychological torture—any decent defense attorneycanmake a strong case.”

I hugged Caleb tighter.

“That’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get there.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Right now, focus on tomorrow. On getting Sadie back.”

“Will you—” My voice broke. “If I have to go away, will you keep them together? Promise me they’ll grow up together.”

“Piper—”

“Promise me.” I twisted to look at him, needing to see his face. “Whatever happens to me, promise they’ll have each other. And you. Promise they’ll be okay.”

His jaw worked, emotion flickering across his features in the dim light. “I promise. But we’re going to fight like hell to keep you with them too.”

I wanted to argue, to make him understand that my freedom was the least important part of this equation. But exhaustionwas pulling at me, made worse by the warmth of his body and Caleb’s comforting weight.

“Emma and Evelyn are going to watch Caleb tomorrow,” he said, returning to practicalities. “He’ll be at the ranch, completely safe. Lucas will have security there too, just in case.”

In case Ray demanded to speak to me. In case he got suspicious. In case everything went sideways and they needed me to try talking him down. I nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat.

“It’s just a precaution. The plan is solid.”

The plan. I’d memorized every detail. While Ray was at the warehouse supervising his shipment, one team—Beckett and Lucas—would extract Sadie from wherever Ray was keeping her. Once she was safe—only once she was confirmed safe—the second team would move on the warehouse. Clean. Precise. No room for error.

“What if she doesn’t remember me?” The fear slipped out, small and painful. “It’s been three months. That’s forever in baby time.”

“Then you’ll remind her.” His hand found mine where it rested on Caleb’s back. “Every day, every minute, until she knows again that you’re her mama and you love her more than life itself.”

The rocking chair creaked softly as he set us in motion, the familiar rhythm soothing. Outside, the world was still dark, but I could feel the approaching dawn like a countdown timer in my chest.

“Try to sleep,” he murmured. “Tomorrow’s going to be long.”

“I can’t. My brain won’t stop.”