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She’d hidden for what had to be almost two hours. To make sure they were gone. They’d searched for her, but they couldn’t find her. She’d gotten lucky, and she knew it.

She could hear them arguing about whether she had burned alive or not. Assholes were so stupid. If they’d not been idiots they might have found her.

Heather had watched them drive away. Then she’d started walking. And just kept walking. And walking.

Now, she just kept walking. Heather knew where she was now. She wasn’t that far from help. Ten or eleven blocks, maybe. From the TSP. It was right up this road, through the industrial park. Ten or eleven blocks, that was all.

The thought of going to the TSP, even for help, made her feel sick. So sick.

She just couldn’t do it.

Not the TSP now.

She wanted her sisters. She wanted to be with Bonnie and Marcia and Joy and Hope so much. So much right now. Heather’s injured fingers clenched around the hard drive. She had to get it to the right people. The right people would be able to use it somehow. She’d taken it from Scarface. Not like he could use it now, anyway.

But the right people could use it.

Far better than she could.

It wasn’t her war, after all. Not hers. She was just cannon fodder, really. Disposable. Like the redshirts in a Star Trek episode.

Just there to stand between the ones in charge and the real threats. So they didn’t have to get blood on their hands—their blood or anyone else’s.

Interchangeable.

Gunnar. It needed to be Gunnar. He…he wanted the OPJ ring destroyed so much. She trusted that, trusted him . If there was anyone from the TSP she trusted now, it was Gunnar. Gunnar and Miguel. And maybe Murdoch, a little.

But Murdoch was…with the governor. On the governor’s side. On McKellen’s.

She probably shouldn’t trust Murdoch even a little, really.

Her arm was probably broken. Her ribs—she had broken ribs. Where those assholes had kicked her and where she’d fallen from the tree at the end. But she could do this. Heather could do this. Her head hurt most of all. That asshole old guy had punched her, and it hurt. Maybe she hadn’t just hidden for a while there—she might have passed out for some of it.

She could get back to her babies. More than anything, her arms ached to hold her babies. And then, her sisters’ babies were next. Even Meggie and Maris and Crispin. She would hug them all. From her sweet baby girl all the way up to Bonnie, Marcia, and Norm.

Heather wanted her family so much.

The TSP was just ten blocks away—and the hospital. That would only be thirteen blocks away. Heather was going to do this. Going to get there. Someone would be there, someone who could help her.

Maybe…maybe it would be Samia working the ER. Or little Cashie. It was time for them to be there. But with her in trouble, maybe no one of her family would be there. Maybe they’d be in Hughes Heights. Waiting. Just waiting for her too.

But…maybe…one of them would be there. The other side. And they’d help her. Maybe…even…Dr. Lake. Murdoch’s twin brother. Heather liked twins, considering she had one of her own. She really hoped Joy was at FCGH right now. If not, Murdoch’s twin.

Yes, she’d go into the ER and ask for Murdoch’s brother, if Samia wasn’t there. Joy had said he was really kind. Compassionate. Sweet, even. He was friends with Cashie and Joy—both of them liked him. Trusted him.

And Joy said he had a crush on Samia. A real one. Samia said he didn’t. Heather thought he would be someone who could help her.

She would ask for him. Dr. Lake. Murdoch’s twin brother.

She half thought Murdoch was that way too. Compassionate anyway. If he hadn’t been on their side, she would like Murdoch; she decided that on block two of her walk.

Yes, in another life, she would have liked Murdoch. Would have considered him a friend. Like Miguel.

Miguel. Miguel was most likely out there, looking for her right now. And he would be utterly relentless until he found her. She did have one friend left at the TSP. One. That mattered.

The TSP.

She hated that place so much. But if she quit…

She couldn’t quit. She couldn’t. Heather never quit.

Her family would say that all the time. Heather never quit.

Heather kept putting one foot in the other. And she just kept walking.

People looked at her. As she walked by. But no one said anything to her. They just stared.

Someone, a man around Cashlyn and Cara and Hope’s age, jogged right up to her. He stopped right in front of her. Heather tried to go around him. But he got right in front of her. Blocked the sidewalk.

Why was he doing that? Heather just looked at him. Why wouldn’t he get out of her way?

“Lady, do you need help or something?” He had dark brown eyes and dark brown skin, short black hair, and a diamond stud earring. He wore jogging clothes, and he was muscular and sweaty. He was a lot taller than she was. Six three or four, maybe. He had kind eyes. That was what stood out the most. He had kind eyes. Like her father’s had always been. “Who hurt you? Were you in a wreck? Talk to me, so I can help.”

“I just need to keep going. I need to keep going until I get there. My sisters work there. They are probably waiting for me now.”

“Lady, you need the hospital. Do you want me to call an ambulance?” He was walking beside her. Just walking beside her. He tried to touch her. Just on the arm, when she stumbled.

Heather hissed, jerked away. “No. Please don’t touch me! My…my arm is probably broken, and it really hurts now.”

He held up his hands. “Okay, I won’t touch you. I won’t. It does look like it might be dislocated, as well. But I’m not going to let you walk alone with a broken arm. I’m just not. I’m just going to be here if you need help, okay? Just tell me if you need more help. We’ll get there together.”

“Okay. I just need to keep walking.” Heather did that. A part of her knew she was going into shock. And she hurt. Every step hurt. But she just kept going. “To FCGH. I’m going there. To my sisters.”

“Do you want me to call an ambulance? I can call an ambulance. We’ll get you to the hospital faster that way. I promise I’ll stay with you.”

“No ambulance. I can walk. I can’t…afford an ambulance, actually. Even with…insurance. I just can’t. Not right now, not after the other bills. From when I was hurt…before. I can walk. I am going to do it. I told those bastards I would walk out of that warehouse on my own two feet and they wouldn’t. After they hurt me. I did it too. I walked out. They didn’t. I did. They didn’t.”

“I am sorry they hurt you. You are doing fine. I’m going to walk with you, right beside you, just to make sure you get there. We are seven or eight blocks away from FCGH now. Or County. We’ll just walk there together.”

Her sisters were waiting. And her baby girls. A sharp pain went through her breast—she hadn’t left enough milk in the fridge for the baby. But maybe there had been enough in the freezer? Summer kept track of everything in that freezer. Maybe there had been enough for her baby? If there was, Summer would have found it. Summer would make sure Ember had what she needed somehow; Summer was good at that kind of thing. At getting the things their family needed, even when they couldn’t buy those things. Summer would take care of her baby. “FCGH. My sisters work at FCGH. My nieces too.”

“Can you tell me your name?” The man just kept walking next to her. Calm and steady. She liked him.

“Heather. My name is Heather. And I am a Coleson. That matters. I have to get back to my family.”

“You will. I’ll make sure of it. I promise.”

She almost thought she believed him. He did mean it, she thought. He wanted to help—he must not be a cop, then. Cops in this town didn’t help. They didn’t.

Well, most of them didn’t. She was going to try to remember that some of the cops here were good.

They were just really hard to find. That was all.

Heather just kept walking. And walking.

Then she was there. The hospital parking lot. Finley Creek General Hospital. The sign still looked bright and brand new. “I made it. I…did it. I did it. I made it.”

“Yes, you did. You’re here.”

“I need to find the right person. I need to give them…this.” She still held the hard drive. It was all sweaty now. And bloody. It probably wasn’t her blood. She held it out so he could see it. So someone else would know she had it too. “Tell them where to go. The TSP. But…there’s probably a fire now. They were setting things on fire. To hide things. To hide…the bodies.”

“Whoa, what bodies?”

“Two of the men…who hurt me. Took me. They took Powell. And shot Powell’s bodyguard, who was just trying to keep her safe. They shot him. He was so young, and they just shot him. Because of the drugs. I need to find the right person. One with…the right kind of power.” Heather wasn’t making sense. She could see that in the man’s eyes. He had told her his name. But she didn’t remember. “One from their side. ”

“Whose side?” He had his phone out. She could see that. He was recording her. It should matter. But it didn’t. Heather just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Like Hope had. Just a few weeks ago. One foot in front of the other.

Hope .

She had to get back to her baby sister. Make sure Hope was okay. The TSP had almost taken her baby sister too. She had to make sure Hope was okay too. Protect her, no matter what. All she’d ever wanted was for them to be safe.

“The others. My half sister’s other family. The ones they think matter most. Not us. And…the governor. Maybe… McKellen.” Heather considered that for a moment, then shook her head. “No. Not him. Not either of them. Don’t…trust them. Or their stupid games. Messing…with people’s lives now. And it isn’t fair. They just throw people away. Trash. Disposable.”

“Okay. I’m going to take you to the ER now. It’s right there. We’ll figure this out, okay? We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

“Thank you. I know…I’m not making sense. But they hurt me, and I can’t really think. Me and Powell. They took us. And shot the bodyguard. I hope he will be okay. I need to make sure she’s okay too. Powell, and her baby. She’s pregnant, and they were threatening to hurt her. And I have to give them this. Then…then I just want to go home. I just…want to go home so much right now.”

“Okay, just a little while longer. You are safe here. I promise.”

Heather just kept walking.

One foot in front of the other.

It was really all she could do now.