Page 121 of Prodigal Son

“Stop it.” He shook her shoulders. “You’re good and kind, and no one is going to punish you.”

A sob racked her body and her face crumbled. “I killed someone.”

“Hush.” He pulled her into his arms. “You were protecting your family.”

“No.” She shook her head, shoving him away and folded her arms over her stomach. “I heard his screams. She was torturing him. Something took over me. I’m a monster!”

“They burnt our home to the ground, Grace. They’re the monsters!”

“And why do you think that is, Cain? That fire was retribution for the one that father started, the one that destroyed their home first and murdered that girl’s aunt. Now her other aunt is dead and she has no one, because of me!”

“Fine, you killed a witch. So what? That does not make this your fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame father.”

“How could he do the things he’s done?”

Cain wished he had an answer. All this time, they believed their father was well and mending his relationship.

“Grace?” Dane stood at the end of the hall, his eyes distraught as he stared at her.

“Stay away, Dane. Please. I don’t want you to see me this way.”

He scowled and closed the distance. “Are you hurt?”

Ignoring the blood, he caught her arm and examined her . Gracie sobbed, her tears a mixture of trauma and humiliation. Cain took a step closer, only to pause when Dane pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

His sister surrendered willingly, and Cain backed out of the hall, figuring Dane had everything under control.

Cain wanted answers, so he fled for the safe house only to halt at the sight of more vehicles on the farm. The fire had been extinguished yet the trucks remained. The hair on the back of his neck rose and he turned slowly, scanning the vehicles once more.

There in the mix was the Channel Six news van. His heart stuttered in his chest and a cold sweat broke over his skin. He searched the crowd.

Firefighters and English neighbors clustered around the smoldering ash that was his home. Before deciding what to do, his feet were moving. The cameras and crew set up a shot just in front of the north field where several of the horses were tied.

The moment he spotted her, he raced forward. “Destiny!”

“Right over here, Mark. Let’s get the horses, but also the wreckage.”

“Destiny!”

“Whoa, hey, buddy, how about some space.” A member of her crew slapped a hand on his chest and Cain scowled at the breakable appendage. “After the report I’ll get you an autograph.”

Cain’s jaw locked as a growl built in his chest.

“Ready when you are, Mark.”

The man’s hand lifted from Cain’s chest. Cain glared as the other man ducked behind a large piece of equipment and angled the camera to face Destiny. Cain wanted to snap both their femurs on principle, just to show who went where on the food chain.

“And three, two…” the camera man pointed at Destiny.

“We have some breaking news coming in,” she said, stealing Cain’s attention and quieting his rage. “Crews from several towns in Lancaster County have been called to a fire at a nearby Amish farm. You can see that the flames have been extinguished but the smoke and damage are still pretty intense. The fire broke out just over an hour ago. The cause is under investigation and so far, no one has been harmed. We will be staying here at the scene as the police arrive and updating you with any additional news.”

She was staying!

She held her ear and nodded. “That’s a wrap.”

“Let’s pack it up,” the security guy yelled.

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