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Tommy made a face like “maybe not.” I shook my head, as that just added to the mystery of why Pay was here. He was not one to keep secrets.

“I’ll text my brother. Thanks for bringing him, kid.” I patted Ruger’s neck and she tried to bite me, probably because I didn’t have a treat for her. Tommy backed her up a few steps, then turned her. “Hey, when’s your last day?”

“Friday. That gives me two weeks to get to Texas and get settled.” Tommy made a face. “I tried to tell your mom there didn’t need to be a whole thing, but you know her.”

I smirked and nodded, which Tommy rolled his eyes at. He clicked his tongue and got Ruger moving, and I watched them go, marveling that he would think Jennifer Harrington wouldn’t have a party when he left us. He was one of hers, and in my mom’s mind, that meant he deserved to be celebrated. Even though Mom had had ten children of her own, she couldn’t seem to stop collecting strays.

If she were a dragon, Mom’s hoard would be made up of people.

I headed back inside and straight to my office. Pay had made himself at home on the loveseat I had against one wall, and I joined him there. He wasn’t looking at me, his gaze fixed on the chest that doubled as a coffee table.

“Nick gave me your coffee. I have apple juice,” he said, pointing at the mug I’d abandoned when the alert had gone off.

I picked up the mug and took a healthy drink, my gaze never straying from Payton. He played with his cup, stirring his juice with the straw Nick had included.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked, taking care to sound conversational and not use my demanding voice. I got a bit barky when I needed information, a holdover from my former life. I had to really focus on not slipping into that mindset with Pay.

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, and his bottom lip wobbled for a second before he sucked in a breath. I waited for him to continue but he didn’t seem to know how to. I gave him a few more seconds, then set down my cup and leaned into his space.

I had to breathe and focus, and then made sure my voice was extra gentle when I said, “You know you can tell me anything. But I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on, yeah?”

Pay nodded and finally lifted his gaze to mine. His eyes were so much like his father’s, the man my brother had fallen in love with, and I wondered if the new baby would have them too. They were in the process of finding a surrogate.

“You know my friend Shiloh?” he asked, gaze drilling into me.

I nodded. Of course I did. Payton didn’t have a lot of friends over, but this kid had been over twice since the new school year started in August. He was a bit taller and skinnier than Payton, but just as quiet, and I was glad Pay had someone he got along so well with.

Pay nodded too, mimicking my movement. He took another breath and then, with a voice barely loud enough to hear, said, “I think his mom is bad to him.”

My gut clenched and I had a knee-jerk reaction to yell. Because what the fuck? Fortunately years of training had me tempering that reaction before I let it loose, and I was able to take a breath. Payton would not react well to anger and he didn’t need to see it on me.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, glad it sounded mostly normal. And then I really focused on him, waiting for the answer, knowing Payton would have logic behind it since that’s just how he was.

“He, um, he never has lunch. Or lunch money. And he always says his mom forgot, and Daddy lets me pack extra to share, but all the other kids have food.” He nibbled on his lips for a moment, then, in an even quieter voice he added, “And he always has bruises on his arms and legs. He said it’s ‘cause he bumps into stuff, but I watched him and he doesn’t do that. He’s actually real careful.”

I took that all in and I had to admit, it sounded bad. But was it enough to be considered abuse? I mean, I thought so because no one should treat any kid that way, but the law was another matter. I needed more.

“What else?” I asked gently, knowing he had to have more. He was not bringing this to me on a whim. Payton had gathered evidence and I needed to hear it all.

“Last week,” he started, then stopped. He took a drink of his juice but his hands were shaking so I took it from him. After I set it on the table, I held out an arm and Pay was quick to scoot across the cushion to cuddle up to me. That seemed to be enough so that he could continue. “Last week when he was here after school that day. I spilled my snack because Aria was running around and she bumped me. He got real scared that Mimi was gonna smack me. But we just laughed as we cleaned it up.”

“Right. Mimi would never hit you, and certainly not for an accident,” I agreed as my blood began to boil.

“’Course not.” He gave a single nod. “But then when Mimi was wrangling all the babies, Shiloh whispered to me and asked if my dad was gonna punish me later. He said…he said his mom locks him in his room when he makes messes.” Payton lifted his head and his big watery eyes nearly did me in. “His mom shouldn’t do that.”

“No, she shouldn’t.” I breathed carefully. “Hey, Pay? Do you know Shiloh’s last name?”

“Uh-huh. It’s Bennett.”

Okay. Russell Crossing was not that big and I only knew of one family with that last name. Laura had gone to school with Demi and Emery, and she and Demi had always been at odds. My best guess was it was her, but I’d have to do some digging.

“Have you told your dads or Mimi about this?”

I was betting not. If he’d told Crew and Mal, or my mom, then it would have already been taken care of. But he’d come to me, and that meant something.

He shook his head rapidly, his hair flopping about. “Daddy and Mimi would cry, and Dad would get mad and…what if I’m wrong?”

And that, right there, was the heart of the matter. He was worried about his friend, had been for a while it sounded like, but he didn’t want to cause trouble. He was a sweet kid, one of the best I knew, and he’d worry about this problem from all angles.