Page 81 of Veiled Vengeance

Zane opens the door eagerly with Rio right behind him. “Hi, Sharon!” He crouches down so he’s level with two little girls. One has two long braids, and the other has two high pigtails. They hold each other’s hand firmly as if they’re afraid they’ll be separated. “And this must be Ana and Sofia.”

“I’m Sofia,” the one with pigtails answers. “Mrs. Sharon said you’re FBI. Is that true? What does FBI mean?”

“Oh, I’m not FBI—he is.” Zane points to Asher. “I’m a New York detective.”

Sofia frowns and tilts her head to the side. “What’s a dee-tet-uh-tive?”

Zane makes a welcoming gesture. “Do you want to come inside, and I’ll tell you all about it?”

Sofia squints her sweet brown eyes at Zane, then examines the rest of us. “Does Ana get to come too?”

“Yes, of course.”

Sofia lets out a sigh of relief and nods. “Okay, we’ll stay then.”

“I’ll let you all get settled in. Call me if you have any questions.” Sharon sets the girls’ bags inside the door and waves goodbye.

“Do you want to see your room?” Rio asks Sofia.

“Can Ana stay in there with me?”

Rio scoffs dramatically in jest. “Well, duh. The room has bunk beds.”

For the first time, Ana shows emotion with a large smile and nods enthusiastically. We lead them upstairs and get them situated.

While showing them the room, I sit on the floor and pull out the dolls, blocks, and other toys they get to play with. Ana walks straight to me and plops down on my lap. My chest fills withwarmth as this innocent soul gives her trust to me. She puts a doll in my hand and grabs one for herself, then talks for her doll, pretending they’re about to go play at a park.

I look up to find Asher, Rio, and Zane staring at me with various expressions of excitement and adoration.

Asher sits down next to us and grabs a doll for himself while Sofia pulls Rio and Zane onto the floor to play with the blocks.

This is the life I chose for myself. This is the life I get to keep choosing every day.