A SINGLE COIN TO HEAL A BROKEN HEART

Thomas ripped through the thorny honeysuckle bushes, ignoring the branches tearing at his forearms. He burst into the alleyway just as Leo tumbled out of the garden hedge, his small hands covered in black dirt, the glazed donut still clutched stubbornly against his ribs.

""Mommy!"" Leo shrieked, breaking his silence as he saw the trembling hand extending from the trunk of the black sedan.

""Leo, stay behind me!"" Thomas barked, but the toddler was already running on unsteady legs toward the vehicle.

Thomas caught up to him in three strides, scooping the boy up with one arm while keeping his eyes locked on the surroundings. The rear trunk lid of the sedan was held down only by a broken bungee cord. Elena had managed to kick the emergency interior release, popping the latch, but she didn't have the strength to lift the heavy metal door completely.

Thomas grabbed the trunk lid and threw it open.

Elena lay curled inside, her wrists bound with thick zip-ties, her dark hair matted with blood from a head wound. Her face was pale, bruised, and smeared with grease, but as the sunlight hit her eyes, she focused on the child in Thomas’s arms.

""Leo..."" she gasped, a ragged, choking sob escaping her lips. ""My baby...""

""I have him, Elena. I have him,"" Thomas said, his voice cracking.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his utility pocketknife, and sliced through the plastic bindings on her wrists and ankles. Elena collapsed forward against him, her body shivering uncontrollably from shock and cold. Leo buried his face into her neck, crying openly now, his small arms wrapping around her with desperate ferocity.

""Donut, Mommy..."" Leo sobbed, pulling the squished pastry from his jacket and pressing it against her bloodied cheek. ""I bought the donut... like you said...""

Elena broke down, kissing the boy's tear-streaked face repeatedly, her tears washing through the dirt on his skin. ""You did so good, baby. You were so brave.""

She looked up at Thomas, her hazel eyes—identical to Leo's—pleading and terrified. ""Julian has a tracker in the car, Thomas. Vance’s men are less than ten minutes out. They’re converging on this street. We can't use our cars. We can't go to the hospital.""