Chapter 15

Lake POV

“That’s right, sweetheart. Can you be a very quiet mouse for me?”

Ollie nodded and immediately buried his face against my chest, his body going still and silent the way I’d taught him. It was a skill no five-year-old should have to learn, but it had kept us safe more times than I could count.

I looked up to find Ramon staring at us with an expression I couldn’t read. There was something dark in his eyes, something that might have been anger or concern or both.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, adjusting Ollie’s weight in my arms. “He’s just tired and confused. I should get him to bed.”

“Lake.” Ramon’s voice was carefully controlled, but I could hear the tension underneath. “What kind of game teaches a child to go silent when he’s afraid?”

I swallowed hard, realizing what he’d witnessed. “I... it’s nothing. Just something we used to do when...” I trailed off, not sure how much I wanted to admit.

“When what?”

The questions in