My brother released a long, slow sigh. “I’m happy for you, Shay.”

I smiled, warmed by his words. “Thank you.”

For the first time since he’d walked into the room, Caden showed evidence of a grin. “You look good.”

“Thanks.” I felt good, too, better than I had in years. I was in control of my own life and when I looked at the future, I could do it with a smile and not cringe with pessimism at what I feared awaited me.

“I mean you look really good.”

My brother wasn’t one to freely hand out compliments. “If that’s the case, then you should know this is the way someone looks when they don’t shoot drugs or drown their sorrows in the bottom of a bottle.”

“Is that a dig?” he asked.

“Not intentionally. It’s a statement of fact.”

My brother let those words soak in for several minutes. “I’m clean now.”

“Stay that way,” I advised. “No high is as high as being clean and sober, brother.”

He nodded. “It isn’t easy.”

I knew that, too. “Nothing of value ever is, but I’m here to tell you that you can break completely free with help from your Higher Power.”

Caden’s forehead folded into a thick frown. “Are you attending one of those twelve-step groups now, too?”

“No.” Drugs had never taken control of my life, and for that I was eternally grateful. Shooter had been disappointed when I wouldn’t use with him. It’d been a constant source of conflict between us. Occasionally, I’d give in to his demands, but drugs had never given me the same high they did others. In retrospect, I believed this had been God’s protection in my life.

“Guess three years in prison did that for you.”

It would be too hard to explain and so I didn’t try. “I got word about Shooter,” I said.

Caden’s head shot up. “The police found him?”

I nodded. “They caught him in Oregon. He’s being transported back to Washington state.”

My brother paled. “He’s the reason I needed to see you. Shooter will kill me if he gets a chance.”

“Which is why you decided to change your name to Shane?”

Caden nodded. “Always liked that name better anyway. Don’t know what Mom and Dad were thinking naming me Caden.”

“It’s a good name.”

“So is Shane.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him. Caden, Shane, or whatever else he chose to call himself was fine by me.

“I don’t feel I have the right to ask you for anything,” Caden said.

He didn’t, but I would do what I could to help him. “I’m listening.”

My brother exhaled, as though he found it difficult to speak. “It’s not asking you for money, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Good, because I’m not giving you any.”

“Would you talk to my attorney for me?” he asked.

It seemed my brother thought I had some influence with the prosecutor. I didn’t. “About…?”

“All I want is to be sent to a different prison than where Shooter is. If they can’t do that, then it will be a death sentence for me.”

Seeing that I’d already had one nearly disastrous run-in with the drug dealer, I could understand Caden’s fears.

“I’ll ask,” I assured him, “but don’t expect miracles.”

“I’d appreciate whatever you can do.”

“No promises.”

“I understand.”

I nodded. Now that we’d arrived at the reason he’d asked to see me, I was ready to go. It surprised me when Caden continued the conversation. It was almost as if he was looking for an excuse to keep me close.

“What’s the name of that preacher…the one you like.”

“Drew.”

“He’s the taller one, right?”

Both men hovered around six feet, but Drew was definitely taller. “Yeah, what about it?”

“He’s been to see me a few times.”

Drew hadn’t mentioned it, but it sounded like something he would do. That Caden would be willing to talk to Drew surprised me. Knowing that, Drew probably thought it was best that I not know.

“You been listening to what he has to say?”

“Not really,” Caden said with a shrug. “I like the other guy better. He knows street life. Your Drew, he just wants to be sure I understand that I’m to leave you alone. If you tell him I asked to see you, then you’d better explain why, otherwise he might make things bad for me. Worse than they are already.”

“Drew wouldn’t do that.”

Caden snickered. “He’s real protective of you. I’m glad of that.”

Nothing could have hidden my smile. When push came to shove, I knew that Drew wouldn’t doubt me about that missing money. We hadn’t spoken of it, but the conversation needed to happen and we both knew it. It felt like a dark cloud hung over my head while I decided what I was going to say and do.

“You’ve got a couple white knights in your corner.”

“I know, Drew and—”

“Not them,” Caden said with a snort. “Those homeless guys. Dumb and Dumber.”

“Hey, those two are my friends.”

“You’re telling me? They look at themselves as some kind of guardians, watching out for you.”

Keeping a smile off my face would have been impossible. These people were my family now and I loved them. “You should be so lucky to have friends like those two, Caden. Perhaps one day you will.”

He gave me a funny look and then shrugged. “Maybe you’re right.”

I already knew that I was, at least in this instance.

“Shay, can we talk?” I asked her Monday afternoon. I’d waited until she was back from an errand she’d run.

“Of course.” I suspected that we both knew where this conversation was headed. I saw her tense up. That did little to settle my own nervousness. I was certain Alex hadn’t mentioned the missing funds to anyone other than me. The only way Shay would know about it was if she’d taken the money herself, or if she knew who’d done it. I couldn’t make myself believe that she would risk her future for less than two hundred dollars.

She sat at my kitchen counter while I took the time to brew us each a cup of coffee. When I’d finished, I turned to face her and handed her the first cup. I held my mug with both hands, letting the heat warm my palms, deciding how best to start our conversation.

We stared at each other for several moments before I spoke. “Shay, is there something you’d like to tell me?” I asked her.

I could see the hesitation in her eyes. “You’re asking me about the missing money, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “What do you know about it?”

Shifting uncomfortably on the stool, she avoided eye contact. “Do you think I took it, Drew?”

“No.”

Immediately her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you for that.”

“But you know who did.” It wasn’t a question. She had to know.

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Disbelief flooded me. “Excuse me?”

“You have perfect hearing, Drew. You don’t need me to repeat that, do you?” she asked.

Dumbfounded, I continued to stare at her. “Do you have any idea of what’s at stake here?”

She lowered her eyes and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, “I do.”

I ran my hands through my hair. “Help me to understand, then, because the consequences for you could be beyond my control. I’ll do what I can to protect you, but, Shay, there’s only so much influence that I have.”

“I understand.”

“I need more. We can’t leave it like this. You can tell me.”

She closed her eyes as if struggling within herself. “I promised I wouldn’t.”

Unbelievable.

“We all make mistakes,” she told me. “This person is sorry and intends to make it right. I promised I would keep this knowledge to myself until they could do that. It makes me feel good knowing you believe I wouldn’t steal from the church. Thank you for your trust.”