After happily rambling about how much he had missed her, the boy craned his neck, looking around the terminal.


    "Mom, where''s Mr. Joshua?"


    "He had some business to take care of," Ste lied smoothly.


    Keen''s face fell in obvious disappointment.


    He had been practicing his marksmanship non-stop and had been dying to show off his skills to the older man.


    Taking his small hand, she guided him toward the exit. "Let''s grab a bite. I made a reservation."


    After dinner, Haynes was preparing to take his son back to his own apartment, but Ste stopped him.


    "I haven''t seen Keen in forever. Let him stay with me tonight."


    Haynes didn''t object. The boy had stayed over at her ce plenty of times before.


    However, when he offered to drive them, Ste rattled off the address to the massive vi where they had all briefly lived together.


    Haynes shot her a questioning look, but kept his mouth shut.


    As he put the car in park outside the familiar gates, Ste turned to him. "Come inside for a minute. We need to talk."


    Once they were indoors and Keen had excitedly sprinted off to his old bedroom, Haynes crossed his arms. "You practically demanded we fly out here immediately. What''s going on?"


    Ste didn''t sugarcoat anything. Sheid out the entire brutal scheme, piece by horrifying piece.


    Haynes listened in stunned silence. His initially calm demeanor rapidly warped into a deep, furious scowl.


    When she finally finished, he dragged a hand down his face.


    "Ste, if you asked me for a favor any favor-I''d do it. If it meant putting my life on the line, fine.


    But dragging our son into this?


    He''s just a little boy. He has no business being used as a prop in our messed-up adult drama.


    Besides..."


    He paused, locking eyes with her as true fear bled into his voice.


    "Joshua is a psychological powder keg right now. He couldpletely lose his mind and hurt Keen."


    Ste didn''t blink. "Even at his


    absolute worst, Joshua would never


    Keen the lie falls apart Joshua won''t buy it."


    Haynes stared at her in disbelief. "So that''s why you forced me to bring him. You needed him as bait."


    She held his gaze without an ounce of shame. "Yes."


    Haynes''s temper red.


    "He is your son! Are you really so desperate to save Joshua that you''re willing to exploit your own child?"


    Ste''s voice remained frustratingly calm and clinical. "I am utilizing him, yes. But we owe Joshua this much.


    If Deanna O''Brien hadn''t been in that ident, we never would have returned to Novaris in the first ce.


    At the funeral fire, Joshua literally walked into an inferno to drag Keen out. That traumatic event elerated his psychological copse.


    And that wasn''t the only time he put his life on the line for our son.


    That psycho you brought into our lives, Rachel Pearce? She hired ck-market thugs to kidnap Keen and execute us both.


    If Joshua hadn''t secretly swapped out one of the hitmen to protect us, Keen and I would be rotting in the ground.


    Then there''s your wonderful buddy,


    Foreman Richards. He pulled strings


    behind your back and you were too blind to see You let him take Keen, which led straight to our boy getting abducted by the Gibson family.


    Once again, it was Joshua who bled to get him out safely."


    Ste let the silence hang for a bitter moment before delivering the final blow. "So, even if Joshua snapped andshed out, it''s a debt Keen owes him.


    Haynes, this isn''t just about me saving him. You, me, Keen... we''re paying back the


    blood we owe."