Anna went ramrod straight next to me. “No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t help them find it.”
Walker’s gaze narrowed on Anna, assessing. “And why’s that?”
“Justin and Lyla…they can’t go to my parents.” Her hands fisted at her sides. “Do you know what I need to do to petition for custody?”
“Why can’t they go with their grandparents?” Walker asked slowly.
Anna’s mouth clamped closed. Everyone was quiet for a long beat. Waiting and watching.
Kennedy eased down next to Cain. “If you don’t tell us, we can’t help. Whatever you say won’t leave this room unless you want it to.”
Anna’s gaze swept around, stopping on me. It killed me, the fact that I was the one she trusted the least. But I swallowed down that hit and cleared my throat. “I can leave if that makes you more comfortable, but I do have a law degree that might come in handy as you’re figuring things out.”
“You do?”
“I never practiced, moved into programming and tech before I had a chance, but I went to a good school. I know more than the basics.”
She looked down at her hands as if her fingernails were suddenly the most important things in the world. “My father doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. And he makes his displeasure known with his fists.”
The rage that swept through me caught me off guard. “Is that why you ended up at the shelter?”
“It’s more complicated than that…” Anna let her words trail off.
The mask Walker had perfected over the years on the job slipped into place. You’d never know that, under it all, he wanted to level Anna’s father. “Were reports ever filed?”
Anna shook her head. “He was good at hiding it. And it was the worst for me. Chelsea was incredibly good at toeing the line, doing exactly what he expected of her.”
“Do Justin and Lyla have a relationship with their grandparents?” I couldn’t imagine exposing my children to someone I knew could be violent. But I also knew that family ties were the ones hardest to sever.
Anna tugged at a thread on her denim shorts. “Chelsea said she’d never left them alone with our parents. But they see them once a month for a family dinner.”
Just saying the words seemed to be a struggle. I could understand why. The pain of seeing someone you loved returning to an abuser. Because as much as Chelsea might’ve thought she had put boundaries in place to keep herself and her children safe, just putting the kids in the orbit of those people would have a steep emotional toll.
“Do you know if your sister had a will?” Walker asked.
“She didn’t. When we were signing the kids up for school, she mentioned needing to find a lawyer in town to get all that squared away. But I’m on file as the emergency contact with the school. Will that help?”
Anna’s words came out faster and faster until they almost tripped over each other. I laid a hand over hers, stilling her movements. “I have some contacts I can call. We’ll find you a lawyer who knows all the ins and outs of custody cases and family court.”
She stared down at our joined hands, but I didn’t pull away. Her fingers spasmed in mine. “I can’t ask you to do that. I can do some research—”
I squeezed her fingers. “Let me do this. Please.”
Anna’s cheeks heated. “I don’t have a lot of money in savings, but I have some—”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Cain cut in.
Her head snapped up. “No. I’m not taking your money.”
“It’s just money, Anna. I happen to have a lot of it. Luck of the draw. But it will really piss me off if you don’t let me use it to help someone I care about.”
She swallowed visibly, her eyes falling closed. “Okay.”
I gave her hand another squeeze. “I’ll call my contacts on the way home. I’ll have a name tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Her gaze circled the room. “All of you. I’m sorry you had to step in—”
Kennedy leaned forward in her seat. “You’re not alone. We’ve got your back, whatever you need.”
