I started to laugh but had to stop because of my bruised ribs. “Not exactly. But I need you to help me make these guys disappear, along with their SUV. Will you do that for me?”

   She grinned, reached out, and pinched my cheek like I was a kid. “Always.”

   I rolled my eyes. Sophia chuckled, and the two of us got to work. She pulled a measuring tape out of one of her coverall pockets, using it to figure out the best way to jigsaw the giants’ bodies into the oversized trunk of her convertible. Then the two of us dragged the bodies over to her car and loaded them inside.

   Actually, Sophia did all the heavy lifting with her impressive dwarven strength, and I just supervised, given my aching ribs. While she moved the bodies, I gave her a brief rundown of everything that had happened.

   “Poor family,” she said when I’d finished.

   “Yeah. But at least this guy won’t be bothering them anymore.”

   “Good riddance,” she muttered, and shut the trunk on the dead giants.

   I couldn’t agree more.

   Sophia pulled her car keys out of her pocket, ready to drive the bodies off to parts better left unknown, but I reached out and gently grabbed her arm. There was one more thing I needed her to do.

   “Please don’t tell Gin or Bria about this. Okay?”

   Sophia’s eyebrows shot up, but after a moment, understanding filled her black gaze. “You don’t want them to worry.”

   I grimaced. “No. Not any more than they already have been worrying about me. I’ve put them, you, Jo-Jo, and everyone else through enough the past few weeks. So let’s just keep this between us, okay?”

   Sophia nodded. “Okay.”

   I reached out and hugged her, and she hugged me back even tighter, cracking my back and causing fresh aches and pains to ripple through my body.

   “Ribs . . . bruised ribs . . . remember?” I squeaked out.

   Sophia laughed and dropped her arms. She winked at me, pinched my cheek again, got into her car, and drove away.

   I stood by the curb, rubbing my chest and slowly breathing in and out. That woman did not know her own strength. But that was one of the things I loved about her.

   Now that the bodies were gone, there was only one thing left to do. I trudged up the lawn to the front-porch steps. Isabelle had been sneaking looks at Sophia and me through the windows, and she stepped outside onto the porch with me.

   “The bodies are gone,” I said. “Sophia will come back for Bart’s SUV tomorrow morning at the latest and get rid of it too. Everything’s been taken care of. You and Leo should have some peace and quiet now.”

   “I just checked on him,” she said. “He slept through the whole thing.”

   “That’s good.”

   She nodded. “I want to thank you. For saving me. For saving my son. You were right. Bart would have hurt us both tonight, maybe even killed us.”

   “You don’t have to thank me. It was the least I could do.”

   She snorted. “People always say that, but they very rarely do anything at all.”

   I couldn’t argue with that.

   We stood on the porch, both shifting on our feet, not quite sure what else to say.

   Finally, Isabelle squared her shoulders, raised her chin, and looked me in the eyes. “I’m sorry that I blamed you for my husband’s death. Mr. Mosley told me what happened to you at the bank. How you were tortured during the robbery . . . by your mother.”

   I winced. “Mosley told you what happened? He told you about my mother?”

   “Yes, earlier today, when he was here at the house with the other mourners. I’d heard the rumors, of course, but he took me aside and explained it all to me in private.” Isabelle shook her head. “You didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that. Especially not from your own mother, the person who’s supposed to protect and love you above all else.”

   I couldn’t argue with that either.

   “You’re a good man, Finnegan Lane,” she said in a soft voice. “I hope you find a way to move past all of this.”

   My throat closed up, and tears stung my eyes at her sympathetic tone. I didn’t deserve her understanding, much less her sympathy. And yet here she was, giving it to me anyway. Isabelle Vargas was a good woman and a far better person than I was.

   “Mama? What’s going on?”

   We both looked over to see Leo standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and clutching a stuffed penguin to his chest.

   “Mama’s just chatting with her friend,” Isabelle said. “Go back inside, and I’ll come and tuck you in soon. Okay?”

   “Okay.” Leo yawned and disappeared back into the house.

   Isabelle waited until he was gone, then faced me again. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

   I shook my head. “There’s no need for that. I’m just happy that you and Leo are safe now. You’re a great mom. That little guy is lucky to have you.”

   Isabelle smiled at me for a brief moment before going back into her house.

   I waited until she had shut and locked the front door, then walked to my car. I got in, cranked the engine, and switched on the heat. While I waited for the vehicle to warm up, I looked back over at the house.

   Through the windows, I could see Isabelle picking up Leo and hugging him tight. She snapped off the downstairs lights, and they vanished into the darkness.

   The familiar guilt filled me at the thought that Peter wasn’t with them and that their family wasn’t whole anymore, but the razor-sharp edges of it had softened just a bit. I’d done a lot of things wrong when Deirdre had come to town, but tonight I’d finally done something right.

   “Sleep tight, guys,” I whispered to Isabelle and Leo, even though they couldn’t hear me.