ask.”
Something in me went colder than anger.
“You can ask,” I said.
Lily looked at me with solemn little eyes. “May I please have juice?”
“Yes, Lily. You may.”
Only then did she accept it with both hands.
Owen asked too, though his voice barely rose above the noise of the terminal.
My men looked away.
Officer Daniels took a slow breath.
I had spent my life surrounded by powerful people who mistook fear for respect. I had used silence as a weapon, reputation as armor, wealth as leverage. I understood control. I understood obedience.
But there is a kind of obedience that does not come from discipline.
It comes from being made small.
And these children had been made very small.
Daniels received another message over her radio. Her eyes shifted, not with surprise, but confirmation.
“They’ve located Mrs. Bennett,” she said. “Aircraft was held before departure. She’ll
