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When she left them, she peeked in Pierce’s direction again. The two men were still deep in conversation, and Pierce looked angry.
Halston.
She knew who they were, of course. A private military that had been all over the news a few years ago due to some controversial operations overseas. The details were murky, but it hadn’t been good for their reputation.
“When Halston thinks they own you…”
Had Pierce worked for them?
And what was Project Iron Horizon? It sounded more like a crazy internet conspiracy theory than a legitimate operation. But if Gareth knew about it, and Pierce was involved... it had to be real, right?
She shook her head. It wasn’t important, had no bearing on their current situation. She needed to stop overthinking it and focus on keeping everyone safe. Just because Pierce might have worked on some secret military project, it didn’t mean he was suddenly a danger to them.
She trusted him.
Right?
Yes.
She had to.
Eventually, she ran out of ways to distract herself and made her way back to where Dottie and Brooke sat with Michael.
“How is he?” she asked, crouching beside the boy.
“As good as can be expected,” Brooke said, her gaze on Michael soft with affection. She gently brushed a wayward lock of hair from his forehead. “He’s been asking for you.” She made a series of hesitant signs with one hand, spelling out R-H-I-A. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
A pang of guilt shot through her. She’d been so caught up with worrying about Pierce and everyone else that she hadn’t checked on Michael. “Yes, that’s how you sign my name. Or you can do this.” She signed an R and made a wave motion beside her head. “That’s my ASL name sign.”
“What’s a name sign?” Dottie asked.
“They’re given by someone in the deaf community as a kind of nickname, so we don’t always have to spell out a person’s full name. The sign usually has something to do with the person’s personality or something unique about them. Mine is the letter R.” She formed the letter with her hand. “And the sign for wavy hair.” Keeping her fingers in the shape of R, she mimed waves beside her head. “Because I’ve always had a lot of wild, wavy hair, even as a kid.”
Brooke smiled and copied the sign. “Like this?”
Her attempt was awkward but earnest, and Rhiannon nodded. “Just like that.”
Turning her attention back to Michael, she signed,“Hi, Michael.”
The boy’s eyes brightened at the sight of her.“Missed you.”
Her heart clenched.“I missed you, too, buddy. How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy. Hungry.”
“We have to wait for a bit before we can eat, so why don’t you rest some more now? I’ll wake you when it’s time for dinner.”
“Okay. Where’s Pierce?”he asked and scanned the store hopefully.
“Oh, he’s talking to someone right now. He’ll be back soon, okay?”
Michael nodded and settled back down, snuggling in next to her, seeming satisfied with her answer.
“He’s a brave little boy,” Dottie said after a few moments of silence. “Poor thing must be terrified, but he hasn’t cried once. Not since you brought him inside.”
“Yeah, he’s a tough kid,” Rhiannon agreed.
“Do you think his parents are looking for him?” Brooke asked.
