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Savannah’s gaze drifted past him to the bags by the wall. “Where go?”

Tanner kept his voice calm and smiled down at her. “We’re going on a trip.”

Savannah sat up, hair sticking up at the back. “Park?”

He nodded because it was easier than telling her the truth. “Yeah. Park and we’re going to see the trees and the birds and maybe some doggies too.”

Savannah’s eyes widened at that. She liked trees and dogs. The few times he’d managed to take her somewhere green she’d run until her legs gave out.

“Doggies,” she repeated, then yawned.

Tanner brushed hair back from her forehead. “You want cereal?”

Savannah nodded, so he went to the cupboard and poured cereal into one of the plastic bowls, adding a small splash of milk from the tiny carton in the fridge.

He carried it back and handed it to her. She ate slowly, still waking up, crumbs sticking to her lip. Tanner watched her eat and kept listening for noise in the hallway.

When Savannah finished, she pushed the bowl toward him. “More.”

“That’s it,” he told her gently. “We’ll get more food later.”

Savannah frowned, then accepted it because she was used to that answer. Tanner wiped her mouth with his thumb and then used the edge of his shirt because he didn’t have any wipes left.

Savannah leaned into him and rested her head against his chest and Tanner held her and let himself close his eyes.

After a few seconds, Tanner put her back on the mattress. “Get dressed. We’re going to go in a minute.”

Savannah crawled to the bag and started pulling things out. “Not that one,” Tanner said, grabbing her hand gently. “This one.”

He took out her leggings and shirt and helped her put them on. He didn’t rush her, but he didn’t let her go too slow either. Time was important now.

When she was dressed, he pulled her coat on and fixed the safety pin at the zipper. He put her shoes on and tied them tight.

Savannah looked up at him. “Where going?”

“Home,” he said before he could stop himself.

Savannah stared for a second, then smiled. “Home.”

The word hit him. Hard. He looked away, grabbed the bags, and checked the room one last time, Tanner made sure he’d left nothing behind. He picked up the small key again and closed his fist around it.

Walking to the door, Tanner hesitated with his hand on the lock. Not because he wanted to stay, but because leaving meant committing to a huge change in their lives and that change scared him even though he wanted it.

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked it, cracked it open, and listened. When he knew the hallway was quiet, he picked up Savannah and stepped out, locking the door behind him. He shifted Savannah on his hip and Savannah pressed her face against his neck. “Home,” she whispered again.

Tanner tightened his grip on her. “Yeah.”

Quickly taking the stairs, Tanner walked outside, and as soon as he hit the sidewalk he walked away. He went to the bus stop and checked the schedule taped to the pole. He’d already looked it up earlier, but he checked again because he needed to be sure.

There was a bus in fifteen minutes. Tanner shifted Savannah higher and held her tight. She was getting heavy now, but he didn’t put her down. They didn’t live in a great area of the city, and he knew he had to keep an eye on their surroundings.

He waited with his back to the wall and his eyes on the street. People moved around them and no one looked twice at them, but then again they rarely did, not in a city. Still, Tanner watched.

When the bus came, he got on quickly, paid in cash, and took a seat near the front. He put the bags by his feet and held Savannah on his lap.

She fell asleep again within minutes, her head against his shoulder. Tanner didn’t sleep. He watched every stop and every person who got on. His phone buzzed again with the same unknown number, and he ignored it.

The bus rattled through the city, then out toward the edge. Tanner stared out of the window, watching the buildings slowly give way to more open spaces. He thought of Robinson again and the knock two days after the funeral, then he thought of Savannah’s small voice saying home.