"Silas." Yates Donovan stood up and called out to him.
Silas Grant turned back, the smile not reaching his eyes.
"Is there something else?"
Yates pointed out the window downstairs. "Just a friendly reminder, your parents are here."
"!" Hearing that it was her parents, Mia Grant instinctively started to struggle.
But Silas was too strong, and he gripped her hand tightly. "It's okay, Mia. I'm here."
He pulled her into his arms and, with the same hand he had just used to beat Hayes Hughes, began to gently pat her on the back, soothing her like a child waking from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
"No, no, no!" Mia couldn't remain calm.
Hayes Hughes lived on a low floor. Her parents would be up any second and see her!
"Brother, I don't want... I don't want to go back. If Mom and Dad see me, I... I..."
She was starting to hyperventilate, her words breaking into disjointed fragments, unable to express what she was trying to say.
