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“Not a lot. I don’t want to push her. I was hoping that coming here would give her the comfort and peace she needs.”

Mallory gave a trembling smile. “Serena’s always said that Francine has healing qualities. She said when her brain gets tired sometimes, she just thinks about Francine and feels better.”

That was what he was hoping for. The peace and tranquility of her hometown, surrounded by the people who loved her, would give her the solace and comfort she desperately needed.

Hearing a noise behind him, he looked to see Serena standing at the door. She was still pale, still had a lost look in her eyes, but her shoulders seemed less tense. Or at least that’s what he told himself. He knew he was looking for any positive change he could find.

Going to her, he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Come eat. Your mom’s made your favorites.”

Watching her straighten her shoulders and take in a deep breath as if preparing herself was something he’d never seen her do with her family. Serena was one hundred percent authentic, but he could tell she was about to put on a show to make her mother and father feel better. He didn’t like it…at all.

She hobbled to the kitchen table and sat in the chair Sean pulled out for her. A loving smile on her face, she looked at her parents. “Listen, I know I look rough, but I promise you I’m okay. I’ll heal. Once I get out of this boot, I’ll be back to normal.”

“We’re just so glad you’re home, sweetheart.” Mallory said. “How about some coffee?”

“Sounds wonderful.”

While Mallory poured coffee into a mug and handed it to her daughter, Sean grabbed two plates and started filling them. Serena’s mom was one of the best cooks he’d ever known, and since neither he nor Serena were picky eaters, he filled each plate with a little of everything.

Placing the full plate in front of her, he pretended to not notice that she grimaced slightly at the massive amount of food. Sean put his own plate down, then refilled everyone’s coffee cups before settling down beside Serena. When he picked up his fork and cut into a pancake, he sent her a challenging smile, one they’d shared plenty of times before. How many pancakes would they eat? Her record was five. His was fourteen.

She huffed out a small laugh. “I don’t think I’ll be able to beat my record today.”

He didn’t tell her that since he had watched her eat exactly half a piece of toast and two bites of a muffin since her rescue, he’d be thrilled to see her eat just one pancake. Instead, he said encouragingly, “Give it a try anyway.”

He dug into his breakfast, keeping an eye on Serena’s plate. He felt a slight loosening in his muscles when she started to eat. She wasn’t ravenously devouring her meal, by any means, but she was making an effort. Right now, he counted that as progress.

He noticed that Ed and Mallory were doing the same thing—watching surreptitiously and counting each bite as a win.

They ate quietly for several minutes, everyone concentrating on their meal. When Serena put her fork down, everyone else did, too. Though her plate was still half full, she had managed to consume almost two pancakes and at least a fourth of her scrambled eggs. He’d take it.

She took a sip of coffee and gave her parents the most natural smile he’d seen from her since her rescue. “Was the move from here to the safe location a hard adjustment? The grandparents manage okay? How did the animals handle the move?”

Even though he knew she was putting on a performance for her parents, he knew coming here had been the right thing. If Serena was going to get back to her normal, sunny self, she would find it here in Francine. But at some point, she was going to have to face whatever was haunting her.

As if he knew she was struggling, Hank did what he did best. He sat on the floor beside Serena’s chair and placed his head on top of her uninjured foot. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she leaned down and caressed Hank’s head the entire time she talked with her parents.

Sean knew that animals, especially dogs, had an amazing instinct when it came to understanding human emotions. When Hank had wandered into his life, Sean had thought he was rescuing a dog. Now, seeing the pup with Serena, Sean thought it might be the other way around. Hank might have come into his life for this exact purpose.

Chapter Forty-Three

“We found two of the six houses Smith told you about.”

She was standing on her crutches in the middle of her bedroom. She and Sean had been heading downstairs, but when Sean’s phone had rung with Ash’s ringtone, they’d both stopped what they were doing. She had spent the morning on the back porch, sitting quietly and absorbing the surrounding serenity of her childhood home. The peace had helped tremendously.

But now, with her heart in her throat, she asked Ash, “How many were rescued?”

“Fifteen so far. We’ve got a dozen guards in custody.”

Fifteen more saved—all because of Smith. Serena could only imagine the joy on his face as he realized he was directly responsible for saving so many lives.

“What about the other four houses, Ash?” Sean asked. “Were those the wrong locations?”

“No. And I misspoke. We found all six houses. Only two were occupied. From the camera footage and the reports from our people, they’ve been empty for a while.”

“Any neighbors to interview?”

“No. These places were in desolate areas. One was an abandoned farm. A couple others were in the middle of a thick forest.”