Kaitlynn and her two children

through the back door of the farmhouse, her arms wer

y on her own bed-the only cle

hing for the first aid kit she had assembled from the clinic's sup

n. They were getting used to t

osing his torso. The stab wounds were deep, but they ha

mething fell out of his pocket an

king. But it wasn't the metal that caught Ka

tail, wrapped around

roze in mid-air.

ark of the Golden Crescent Syndicate, one of the most ruthless international drug cartels in the world. And t

a random kid. She had

der her breath. This was b

him, they would find her. She couldn't call the police. A kid with that tattoo wou

make him

n't come in here

lse. Then she checked his shoes. Inside the lining of his left shoe,

wrapped in a tiny

t just a prince; he was

ody, expensive clothes and carried them to the kitchen. She shoved them into

e of Cason's old shirts, slipping it over the

him... tell him I found a homeless kid in the woods who fell down the rav

blood, the makeshift bandages, his mother's grim expression.

ous boy. His face was pale, his breathing shallow. She had

rennan hurried in, his medical bag in hand. He took

Kaitlynn. Wh

ng the lie she had rehearsed. "He looks like a runaw

s taking over. He examined the leg, the stab wounds

. "But I couldn't just

nd concern in his eyes. "You're a good woman, Ka

felt like a woman standing

he boy cry out in his unconscious state. He stitched t

s. Her movements were precise, efficient. She knew the names of

hands. "You've done this before

she said smoothly. "He said these were sk

. It explained everything-her strength, her skills, her c

st stitch and stood up, wiping his hands. "He's stable for now.

Kaitlynn said, walk

hear Paige's soft breathing from the other room. She

e engraved snake seeming to mock her. It was a beacon, a death sentence. She walked over to the burn barrel in the yard and tosse

in a piece of oilcloth, tucked it into the dark space, and pushed the board firmly back into place. It was too dangerous to look at no

ttling on the overgrown garden and the pe