Nicole's POVI stood there a moment longer, with the report still glowing on my phone screen. The cold feeling was steady in my chest.Someone had paid real money toward the possibility of hurting my children, and that fact was now in writing.I was afraid, but I was also thinking clearly. Both things were true at once, and I had learned a long time ago that they usually were.The silence in the kitchen felt heavy, but then a door opened down the hall.Bare feet hit the floor in a fast, heavy rhythm. Someone was running-stumbling, little feet thumping loudly against the floor. Then, a voice called out, still half-asleep and thick. "Mommy? Where are you at? I can't find you!"Hearing the messy, loud shout, I knew it was Maple.I flipped the phone face-down on the counter, and turned toward the kitchen entrance, smoothing my face so he wouldn't see the fear. "In here," I called back, softening my voice. "Come get breakfast, buddy. I'm right in the kitchen."He appeared in the doorway,
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