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Everything in me tightened.

Dad continued, “He was where he was supposed to be.”

Ben said, “No.”

One word. Every head in the room turned toward him.

Ben looked at Dad. Then Riot. His face had gone gray. “That’s why I’m here.”

Dad stared at him.

Ben swallowed. “He came to my house last night.”

The room seemed to contract around us.

Dad’s voice came out deadly calm. “Last night when?”

“While Hazel was still at the hospital.”

Dad stared at him. “You’re sure it was Mercer?”

Ben’s face hardened. “I know my brother.”

Riot already had his phone in his hand.

Dad didn’t look at him. “What did he want?”

Ben rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “At first, I thought he came to fuck with me.”

“At first?” Riot asked.

Ben looked at me. “He said, ‘Heard they found her.’”

My skin went cold.

Riot’s expression stayed flat. “That was public by then.”

“I know.” Ben’s jaw worked once. “Then he said, ‘She covered a lot of ground yesterday.’”

Dad went completely still.

Ben looked at him. “I asked him how the hell he knew that.”

“What’d he say?” Dad asked.

Ben’s eyes came back to mine.

“‘I just wanted to see if she still could.’”

Nobody moved.

Ben swallowed. “And then he said, ‘She always could run.’”

Something cold opened beneath my ribs.

Dad’s voice dropped. “Why didn’t you call me last night?”

Ben took that one without looking away. “Because she was at a hospital surrounded by family, cops and doctors. He never said he was going near her. I told myself she was safe for the night and I could tell you face-to-face first thing in the morning.”