His former partner, Vivian Cole, had never forgiven him for leaving, never accepted losing control over anything that bore his name. The custody battles had been vicious before the twins were even born, and the restraining orders had come only after things turned dangerous. He had thought those chapters were closed.
He stood, his jaw set.
“Show us,” he said. “Please.”
Maren led them through streets Evan had only ever driven past without seeing, areas where buildings leaned into each other like tired old men and sidewalks were more memory than structure. Meredith’s shoes sank into damp ground as she walked, but she never let go of Evan’s hand. The place they reached sat at the edge of an industrial zone, a decaying former shelter with boarded windows and a rusted gate that hung crookedly on its hinges.
“People forget about places like this,” Maren said softly. “That makes it easy to hide.”
Inside, the air smelled of dust and damp fabric. They climbed a narrow staircase that groaned beneath their weight, stopping at a door at the end of a dim hall. From behind it came a faint sound, a whimper that made Meredith gasp.
Maren opened the door slowly.