Dangerously Mine

Twelve

FIONA

The workday dragged.

I looked at the clock more times than I could count, willing the minutes to move. Luna sending me to the filing room was a small mercy. At least there, my hands had something to do to distract me.

As I sorted through files for the Delaney case, my thoughts slipped where I didn’t want them to.

Flavian Navarro.

His quiet authority. The way he didn’t have to raise his voice to command a room. The way my pulse betrayed me whenever I felt his attention shift in my direction.

Today, CPS would decide if I was a capable mother or a cautionary tale. When this was over, I told myself I would never have to see him again.

That should have felt like relief.

It didn’t.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of paperwork. At four-thirty, I shut down my computer and left. My neighbor had already picked up my son, so I headed straight to her place first.

We walked back together, his small hand tucked into mine.

Inside, I did a quick sweep of the house. Clean and tidy. My grandmother’s standards had shaped me more than I liked to admit. Still, I wished she were here. I hated how alone this felt.

I’d just changed out of my work clothes when the doorbell rang.

Five o’clock.

I called Flavian into the living room and opened the door.

Tiffany Farrow stood there, expression neutral. I led her inside and sat across from her, my pulse loud in my ears.

“Would you like coffee?” I asked.

“No, thank you. Let’s not take up too much of your evening.”

I braced myself.

“The investigation did not find any immediate threat to your son’s safety or well-being.”

Air rushed out of me.

“As a result, no further action will be taken at this time,” she continued. “However, a report exists. I can’t promise this will be the last time we meet. What I can say is that I trust you’ll continue acting in your son’s best interest.”

“ of course, Always,” I said.

She nodded and left.

The door closed, and I leaned against it, the same spot where dread had swallowed me weeks ago. This time, relief flooded in.

“Mommy?”

he stood in the hallway.

I crossed the room and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his hair.

“I’m going to do everything I can so we never have to go through that again i promise .”

“Okay,” he said easily. “Can we watch a movie?”

I laughed softly. “For a little while.”

Later, curled under blankets on the couch, peace finally settled into my bones. My chest didn’t feel tight. My thoughts didn’t race.

Then my phone rang.

Luna.

I answered immediately. “Hey.”

“Sorry to call late,” she said. “We just got a new client. Their legal team fell apart, and they want us to take over. Mr. Hale wants you in early tomorrow. Meeting with the CEO and execs.”

“Me?” I asked. “Why would he want me there?”

“You made an impression at the deposition. The client requested you be there specifically.”

A chill slid down my spine.

“Who’s the client?”

A pause.

“ Navarro Technologies.”