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Hez hoped Savannah’s day was going better than his, but he doubted it. Missing that clause in the contract had added to the stress she faced on every side, and it seemed he couldn’t fix it now. He’d spent the whole morning and part of the afternoon trying to come up with a coherent strategy for oral argument tomorrow. He’d failed. In the past few days he had collected nuggets of useful evidence, but forging them into a winning case wasn’t easy. He spun slowly in his chair, surveying the documents spread out on the floor of his home office. All the puzzle pieces were here, but how did they fit together?

A pulsing ache radiated from his left temple, reminding him that his head hadn’t fully healed. Could that be hurting his analytical abilities? Would he even know if it was? And what if he never fully recovered? Craniotomy patients often didn’t get back to 100 percent of their preoperative functioning. What would it be like to be stuck at 90 percent forever? Could he still practice law? Would he even want to, knowing that he could miss something crucial at any time—just like he missed the trap in the Hornbrook loan documents?

The front door rattled. He jumped to his feet, holding on to the back of his chair to steady himself against the head rush.

“I’m home,”

Simon called.

Oh, right. Hez looked at his watch: 3:40 p.m. Of course Simon was home. He walked out to greet his nephew. “Hey, bud. How was your day at TGU?”

“Fine.”

Simon dropped his backpack on the sofa without making eye contact with Hez. Then he bent over to pet Cody, who had materialized at Simon’s feet and started pawing at his shins. Marley watched with half-closed eyes from a pool of sunlight. His tail thumped the floor, but the rest of him stayed motionless.

The dogs gave Hez an idea. “You know, Cody and Marley haven’t been out in a while, and neither have I. Want to take them for a walk? We can pick up beignets downstairs if you like.”

The mention of the sugary treats got Simon’s attention. “Sure! I’m starved!”

“I’m always starved for beignets.”

Hez clipped leashes on collars. “Make sure to keep yours out of dog range.”

Simon didn’t need to be told which dog. He gave Cody a stern look. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that slice of pizza. Or the cheeseburger.”

Cody grinned and wagged his tail, clearly excited to hear his name in proximity to so many food words.

They headed down the iron stairs, the dogs’ nails sounding like gravel poured on sheet metal. Mouth watering at the aroma of frying dough, Hez bought beignets from Petit Charms’ takeout window and handed one to Simon, who held both leashes while his uncle paid for the food. He reached for his dog’s leash. “Want me to take Cody?”

Simon handed over Marley’s leash. “That’s okay. I like taking Cody.”

Hez slipped the leash over his wrist as they headed toward the beach. A balmy salt breeze greeted them. “They’re both great dogs, but Cody is special.”

Simon gave a rare smile. “Aunt Savannah says he’s one of a kind.”

“He definitely is, but that’s not quite what I meant. He helped me get through some really tough times.”

Hez took a bite of his beignet, and a dusting of powdered sugar drifted onto his shirt. “We helped each other.”

Simon looked up at him. “What happened?”

“You know that we had a daughter named Ella who died in September three and a half years ago, right?”

Simon nodded.

“It was my fault. I should have been watching her, but I got distracted. And there was nothing I could do to bring her back.”

Hez took a deep breath to steady himself as the memories came rushing at him. “I went into a dark place for a long time. I hid in my work and . . . other things. I hid from everyone who tried to help me. I even hid from Aunt Savannah, who I love with all my heart. I was all alone.”

“Is that when you got Cody?”

Hez nodded. “I needed a friend, and he needed a home. It was hard for him—losing his old family and home and having to come live with me. None of it was Cody’s choice and he didn’t understand any of it. He was angry a lot, especially at first.”

Simon squatted and gave Cody a hug. “Poor guy.”

Hez patted Marley’s side so he wouldn’t feel left out. “Cody mostly hid under the sofa when I brought him home. After a few days, he decided my apartment was safe and he liked it there. Then he got very clingy and didn’t want to be more than a few feet from me. He even got upset when I wouldn’t let him follow me into the bathroom. I think he was afraid I’d abandon him like his first family did. It was a little rough on both of us.”

Simon gave Cody a final rub and straightened. “I’m glad you didn’t take him back.”

“Me too. It took us a while to get used to living together, and it wasn’t always smooth sailing—like the time he destroyed my most expensive shoes because I was ignoring him. But I love him and he loves me and we’re happy now. I wouldn’t give him up for anything.”

Simon held him with those piercing, intelligent blue eyes. “Not for anything? No matter what happened?”

“Of course not. He’s family—even when he steals food.”

Simon looked down and snatched his beignet away just in time. “No, Cody!”

Cody, who had been stalking Simon’s treat while the boy was distracted, huffed in disappointment.

They walked in silence while they finished eating. The breeze soughed in the seagrass. Simon dropped the last crumbs of his beignet for Cody, who grinned and gobbled them. “I’m glad you adopted him. I’ll bet he is too.”

His gaze met Hez’s for the first time since Jess died.

* * *

Hez had been quiet all evening, and as they sat on the condo balcony watching the pinpricks of boat lights out on Bon Secour Bay, Savannah sensed his worry in the line of his back and the set of his mouth. Tomorrow would determine TGU’s future, but doubt of the outcome circled around them like a murder of crows.

She took a sip of sweet tea and put the glass on the table beside her phone. “Dad told me the board is thinking about replacing me, Hez. I think they’re right to do it. I have no idea how to save TGU. I should have known better than to take on something so above my abilities.”

He reached over and took her hand. “And who will they put in your place? One of your dad’s cronies to milk the last of what life is left in the university? You care, Savannah. You’re the only hope TGU has. It’s why you took the job in the first place. I was so proud of you when you said you had to try. And you’ve done that with all your strength.”

A boat horn blared out on the water, and the forlorn sound reverberated in her chest and intensified her sense of failure. “And I couldn’t save it.”

“The only mistake you made was putting too much faith in me and Jess. We’re the ones who let you down.”

His voice went hoarse. “Jess’s web of deceit and revenge was nearly perfect, and I-I’m damaged. Even after working all day, I’m not sure if I missed something that could save the university.”

He rubbed his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same man. I shouldn’t have missed that clause.”

She’d never seen him so uncertain of his abilities. He was right—he’d been operating at less than full capacity after the brain injury. This wasn’t his fault or her fault. Evil won a battle now and then.

She rose and settled on his lap and cupped his face in her hands. “Putting my faith in you is never a mistake. If we lose TGU, I know God still has a purpose and a plan. The war isn’t over as long as we’re still breathing.”

She kissed him, and the tension eased out of his shoulders as he pulled her closer. She wound her arms around his neck and felt the pulse in his neck quicken to match her own. Neither of them could wait until they were finally married. She sank deeper into his embrace until a sharp report from somewhere had them both on their feet. The glass in the sliding door behind them shattered, and she recoiled at the sound.

“Get down!”

Hez bore her down on the balcony floor and covered her with his body.

His breath was raspy in her ear, and she struggled to get up when another gunshot rang out and someone down on the street screamed. Other voices shouted to take cover. An engine revved and tires squealed below them. She turned her head to peer between the iron railing, but it was dark and the angle was off.

She tried to get up. “I have to get to Simon!”

Hez held her on the floor as he reached up and grabbed her phone off the table to hand it to her. “Call 911. I’ll check on Simon, but I’m sure he’s fine. The office is on the back side of the condo.”

The weight of Hez’s body moved off her, and he helped her to her feet and propelled her down the hall to the bathroom. “Call the police and I’ll be right back with Simon. We’ll stay here until the police arrive. There are no windows, so we should be safe.”

She perched on the edge of the tub and typed in 911 with a shaking hand. She reported the shooting incident and tried to calm her racing heart. The distant sound of sirens blared, and the sound of Simon’s sleepy voice behind the closed door reassured her he was okay.

Who could have shot at them? Hornbrook was about to get everything he wanted, so why bother with something that could land him in jail?