Page 54 of Lucky Strike

“Mkay,” he mumbles.

Peeling him off the cushions, I sit him in my lap and give him a solid hug. “I know we’ve had an icky few days, but we’re gonna change all that, okay? Maybe we can have a Grand Adventure.”

Liam sniffles. “Where?”

“How about the aquarium? We can see the fish.”

“I love fish,” he says, sliding off my lap.

“Cool. Where ya going?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Yeah? What’re you gonna eat?” I tease.

“Waffles,” he says, shrugging.

“Oh, okay. Make sure you give Nola a hug while you’re in there. Maybe tell her you’re sorry.”

I realize, as we get ready, that this will be our first time leaving the house since Conlan told me the truth. I used to take Liam around the city on the T and even the bus because while having a personal driver is great, so is being self-sufficient. Liam loved it.

But now I see things through a different lens. I don’t want to be that exposed, not with all of the uncertainty swirling around Conlan and his guys. After messaging Christoph for a ride, I let Terry and Mitch know the plan. They follow us to Liam's jiu jitsu class, staying in their car until we’re done.

I’m anxious as we drive to the aquarium, wondering if we’re being watched. I’m being paranoid, I know, but seriously—what would happen if we were? Christoph, Mitch, and Terry tell Conlan everything, so if leaving the house today was a bad idea, we’d still be home ... but still. I glance at Terry and Mitch in the car behind us. Those two freaked me out in the very beginning, but now I’m glad they've got our backs.

But we have a great time at the aquarium. We spend hours admiring the sharks, sea turtles, and colorful fish. Liam’s favorite is the Touch Tank, where he gets to touch hermit crabs and starfish. I try to get him to pet the stingray, but it’s a bit much for him, so I do it myself. He’s very impressed with me after that.

Liam’s in a great mood by the time we get home, back to his usual, bubbly self. We have a late lunch and then hang out on the patio, where Liam splashes around his kiddie pool, pretending to be a shark. I never contact Conlan, but today I take a picture of Liam and text it. I get that he’s busy and that this is a precarious time, but he’s missing out. They both are.

He FaceTimes right away, chatting with Liam for nearly half an hour. My heart hurts at the way that little boy’s face lights up. He’s more excited to see his dad than he was to see the animals at the aquarium.

But by bedtime, when it’s apparent Conlan won’t be home again, Liam’s chipper mood has deflated. I give him a bath and read to him, offering an extra story, but he turns me down. Sensing his sadness, I scoot down and wrap my arms around him.

“Bria?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“I miss my dad.”

“I know you do,” I say, pulling the blankets up around us. “But he’s working really hard to take care of you. He’ll be home soon.”

He nods but doesn’t say anything. We lie like that for a while, him curled up into me as I stroke his hair. Eventually, his breathing evens out and I know he’s fallen asleep.

The next day,I take him to the planetarium at Boston’s Museum of Science. It’s almost as much of a hit as the aquarium was, and for the rest of the day, our conversations and play times are peppered with stuff about the stars.

That night, I read Liam a book about constellations I downloaded from the library’s website. He wraps himself around me, listening intently until he drifts off. Climbing carefully from his bed, I pull his blanket up to his chin and sneak out.

Hours later, I’m jolted awake as Conlan shakes me, panicked. “Where’s Liam?”

“What?” Confused, I push him away and look around. The clock beside my bed reads four thirteen. “He should be in bed?—”

“He’s not!” He steps back, raking his hands through his hair. “He’s not. I just looked.”

Fear prickles over my skin like a rash. Scrambling out of bed, I follow Conlan down the hall into Liam’s room. The bed is empty, the sheets a jumbled mess. “His blanket is gone, too,” I note, checking under the bed. “Did you look in his closet?”

“I looked everywhere,” he says, voice fading as he leaves the room.

Downstairs we race from room to room, checking potential hiding spots while yelling Liam’s name. Eventually, I join Conlan in the kitchen, my heart pounding. We stand still for a moment in stunned silence, listening to the deafening sound of our own breathing.

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