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She texted back. Can I trust him with Gabby's heart?
Eliana immediately answered Keegan on his phone. "My cat is coughing up a hairball. I need to deal with cat puke." She hung up, leaving Keegan staring at his phone.
"Cat puke?" he echoed.
Sofia put her arm around Gabby. "She's calling you back from her secure phone line. She always makes up funny excuses in case anyone is tapping her phone."
Keegan stared at her. "He's that dangerous?"
Before she had time to answer, his phone rang again. He answered it immediately on speaker phone. "Keegan here."
"What the hell is going on?" Eliana asked. "Sofia? Are you all right? Let me talk to her."
Sofia took Keegan's phone. "Hi." She hadn't spoken to Eliana in fifteen years, ever since they'd gone underground. "So, yeah, Keegan is Gabby's biological dad. It's complicated, but it's all out in the open now."
Gabby's cheeks turned red. "I'm sorry, Mom—"
Sofia put her arm around her daughter and hugged her. "It's all good, sweetie. But we're with Keegan now, and we're fine."
"He's a good man," Eliana said. "I've known him and his family for a very long time. You can trust him one hundred percent."
Sofia knew Eliana was answering the question she'd asked—trust him with Gabby's heart. Keegan would stay by her daughter. Forever. No matter what. Relief filled her, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed. Eliana's sole professional focus was protecting women from men, usually husbands, boyfriends, and lovers. She would never, ever tell Sofia that Keegan was safe unless she was willing to stake her life on it. "Okay. Thanks." She meant it. She and Gabby exchanged glances, and she saw the relief on her daughter's face, relief reflected in her own heart.
She realized how badly she wanted to stop pushing Keegan away. To give him a chance. To give them a chance. With Eliana's backing, suddenly she felt like maybe she could at least keep the door open. See what happened.
Hope leapt through her. Did she really have a chance for the kind of love that she'd only dreamed of?
"Do you need anything?" Eliana asked her. "How are you and Gabby doing?"
"We're great. Happy. Well. Thank you for making it possible."
"I'm so glad to hear that, and of course, you are welcome." Eliana paused. "Are you out from hiding?"
"No. We just wanted to see Keegan."
"All right." Eliana paused. "Keegan, I love you, but your family is too public. Sofia, my recommendation is that you and Gabby stay away from all of them. It's too risky. One photograph online could be enough."
Sofia felt like Eliana had just reached out and yanked all the hope right out of her body, the fresh, new hope that she'd barely had time to process. "But if we're careful—"
"Paparazzi follow the Harts everywhere. Are you outside right now? If so, someone probably posted a picture of him talking to you."
Sofia thought of the video that had briefly streamed, and from the look of concern on Keegan's face, she knew he was remembering it as well. Gabby looked around and edged closer to Sofia.
"You've made it too far to make a risky choice now," Eliana said. "You need to get away from him as soon as you can. No offense, Keegan. If you want to stay in touch with each other, get some untraceable phones. But there's no way to stay invisible around him or his family."
Keegan swore under his breath. "Eliana, we can keep them safe. We're the Harts, remember? We have resources—"
"And make Gabby and Sofia dependent on your protection? They're free right now, Keegan. You'll never understand the gift that freedom is, until you've had it taken away. If you keep them, you will take away their freedom."
Sofia felt her heart closing down, and it hurt so much more now that it had been opened. I can't go through this again.
"What if we find him?" Keegan asked. "Make him a deal?" His tone made it clear what kind of a deal he would be offering.
"He's not the type of man you can threaten," Eliana said. "It would simply fire him up. The moment he found out Sofia was still alive and had a protector, he'd work ten times as hard to find her. For men like that, it's not about logic. It's about power and pride. Sofia, you and Gabby need to leave now. Go."
Gabby leaned into her, gripping Sofia's arm desperately. "Mom?"
Sofia looked desperately at Keegan, but even as she did, she knew it was stupid to look to him for help, not if it meant losing her freedom. Gabby's freedom. Their safety.
