The next morning, Preston sat beside Talia’s bed. His face was still, but peaceful. Jace waited silently near the door.
“Jace,” Preston said. “Will you help me sink him?”
Jace nodded without hesitation.
—For her. Yes.
The investigators arrived within hours. They reviewed the club’s security footage and found a record of Morton’s truck in the alley. More evidence surfaced in the financial records. Morton stood to gain a great deal from Preston’s downfall. With Jace’s testimony, the detectives confronted Morton and soon made the arrest. He was charged with attempted murder and multiple counts of fraud.
Preston watched the news report in silence. Jace was sitting next to him on the sofa.
“You saved his life twice,” Preston said gently. “First in the alley. Then at the funeral.”
“I just did what anyone should,” Jace replied.
—Not everyone would have risked everything to tell the truth.
When Talia finally opened her eyes, she found Preston beside her. He brushed her hand with trembling relief. She turned her head and saw the boy standing by the wall, as if afraid he didn’t belong there.
“Father,” he whispered. “Who is it?”
Preston smiled with a warmth she hadn’t felt since she was a child.
—He’s the one who kept you alive. You wouldn’t be here without him.
Talia extended a weak hand towards Jace.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for not leaving me.”
Jace blinked rapidly and his voice cracked.
—I never could have.
Preston put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
—You’re not going back to the streets. From this moment on, you’re staying with us. You have a home now.
Jace looked at him as if he couldn’t trust what he was hearing.
Is it safe?
—I’m completely sure.
The boy nodded slowly. His eyes shone with a light that recalled hunger and cold nights, but for the first time, he believed in the promise of safety. And Talia smiled at him with quiet understanding. His life had been saved by a stranger who refused to be silent. Now he was no longer a stranger. He was family.
