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Second Chances

A sequel to Hope For The Future
By Ladybug


Chapter 11

The next morning, Ardeth left his men after giving them their orders for the morning. He’d brought a dozen men with him, and he put all of them to work. Four of them guarded the house, two in front, two in back. The rest were sent out into Cairo to try and glean any information that might cross their paths.

Ardeth entered the O’Connell home through the back door, looking as if he were ready for battle. He was completely dressed in his robes, turban perched on his head, ammunition belts slung across his chest, and his scimitar sheathed at his side. His features were thunderous looking, his dark eyes hard and intense. The tattoos that appeared across each cheekbone only added to the dangerous look that he portrayed. He walked down a long hallway that opened into a large foyer. To the right led into the kitchen, to the left was another shorter hallway that would lead to the library and the front of the house.

Hearing voices from down the hallway, Ardeth followed the familiar passageway to the closed library and started to rap on it when he heard Rick’s voice on the other side.

“I don’t care, Evelyn, you stay out of their business, you hear me?” Rick commanded, sounding a bit exasperated.

“Rick, the tension is so thick you can slice it with a butter knife,” Evelyn answered tersely. “You know that I love Ardeth dearly, but he is being a complete ass where your sister is concerned, and his attack on you last night was completely uncalled for.”

Ardeth stiffened when he heard the topic of conversation. His jaw tightened until it started to ache. How dare they talk about his and Emma’s private life like it was an open book for everyone to see?

“Again, it’s none of our affair. Ardeth and Emma need to work out their own problems,” Rick answered, sticking to his guns. His jaw still ached a little from Ardeth’s attack, but he should have known better than to say the things he had. “Emma knew the kind of man Ardeth was when she married him. He’s proud and comes from a completely different culture than what we are used to. You of all people should understand that, Evy.”

Evelyn sighed, knowing that Rick was pointing out her own heritage and knowledge of Egypt and the ways of the desert. “Yes, yes, I know, but that still doesn’t excuse him from treating her like a diseased cow. She was only trying to save their marriage for godsakes, Rick, can’t he see that? It’s not like she was trying to start a revolution within the tribe or anything.”

“I know, Evy,” Rick said soothingly, trying to calm his wife down. He was upset about this turn of events too. It was bad enough that he was worried sick about their missing son, but now this bull between Ardeth and Emma was enough to send any sane man screaming. But the one thing Rick had learned about his brother-in-law was not to push. So no matter how badly he wanted to pound some sense into that crazy, stubborn Arab’s head, he would keep his mouth shut from now on.

Ardeth, still standing outside the closed library door, listening, was about to enter when a commotion at the front door drew his attention. His right hand immediately drew out his scimitar as he cautiously moved to the front of the house. Emma nearly bowled him over as she came barreling down the steps from the second floor. Regaining his balance, he wrapped his left arm around her to keep her from falling on her face.

She looked wildly up at him and was getting ready to speak when Ardeth shook his head and released her, bring his finger up to her lips to silence her. “You wait here until I’ve checked it out,” he commanded, then turned away from her, not waiting for a reply, expecting her to obey him without question.

Ardeth moved forward, his scimitar raised and at the ready. The scene that he came upon nearly made him laugh out loud. One of his warriors was struggling with a small boy, and it looked like the boy was winning.

“Let me go!” the boy yelled out in Arabic. “I was just to deliver the message. I know nothing!”

“Ouch!” the Med-jai warrior yelled as the boy kicked him in the shin. “Why you little bas . . .”

“Kaaf (enough),” Ardeth commanded, stepping into the large entryway as he put his scimitar back in its sheath. “Release him, Rashad,” he told the warrior in Arabic.

The boy was immediately released, and he turned to face his savior only to pale at the sight of Ardeth. Everyone in Cairo knew who the Med-jai Chieftain was, including the 10-year-old boy who cowered in front of him.

“Oh for goodness sakes, Ardeth, you’re scaring the poor defenseless boy to death.” Emma pushed past him to slowly approach the boy.

“Me?” Ardeth asked in surprise. Obviously Emma had missed the hulking Rashad as he struggled with the so-called “poor defenseless boy.” “I thought I told you to wait?” he asked, already knowing it had been a senseless thing to do. She never obeyed him anyways.

“What’s going on?” Rick asked, appearing behind Ardeth.

“Rashad caught this boy, that’s all I know at this point,” Ardeth answered, moving forward to question the warrior. He returned a moment later with a piece of paper in hand. “Rashad said the boy was carrying this. It is a message from the kidnappers,” Ardeth informed Rick.

Rick took the paper and read the note. It was brief and basically said to deliver the amulet half in exchange for the boys. There were some directions on when and where to bring the amulet, and that was it.

“We can’t turn over the amulet,” Rick stated unnecessarily. “We have to find the boys before tomorrow afternoon.”

Ardeth nodded in agreement, and they both turned and looked at the boy who had delivered the message. Emma was fussing over him, and he was eating up the attention. Rashad waited patiently for his orders. Ardeth caught his attention and indicated with a slight nod that he was to return to his post. Rashad nodded his understanding, then turned and left.

“What is your name?” Emma asked the boy in Arabic as she squatted down before him. He was a cute boy; she guessed he was around 9 or 10 years old.

“Rabi,” the boy answered. His black hair hung down in his eyes, and his face was as dirty as his clothes. They were torn and were too big for him.

“When was the last time you ate, Rabi?” Emma asked, her heart going out to the boy who was most likely homeless.

Rabi started to answer, then paled as he saw Ardeth and Rick approach. “We need to speak to the boy, habibti,” Ardeth spoke as he came up beside Emma.

Emma frowned as she saw the boy begin to shake from fright. She stood up and turned to glare at Ardeth. “He is scared to death of you, Ardeth. I will feed him first.”

“Emma,” Ardeth growled, “he may know where our son is!”

“And you won’t get any answers from him if you are scaring him to death!” Emma snapped. “You can question him after I have fed him!”

Emma turned when she felt hands tugging her skirt. She had changed into a long skirt and blouse, as was her custom when she came to Cairo for an extended stay. Especially now that she was not going back to the desert, she didn’t see any point in the robes. She looked down at the boy who was clutching at her skirt. His eyes were wide with fright as he stared at the thunderous look on the Med-jai Chieftain’s face.

“Do not fear my husband, Rabi,” Emma told him in Arabic. “He would never hurt a child. Come, I’ll get you some food and we will talk, hmmm?”

The boy allowed himself to be steered away from the others as Emma led him off to the kitchen. Evy brushed past Rick and followed after her. Ardeth was furious with Emma, and started to go after her when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Let her feed the boy, Ardeth,” Rick suggested. “There is no harm in it.”

Ardeth turned a stony look on Rick and growled, “Don’t tell me how to handle my wife!”

Rick started to open his mouth then thought better of it. No, he told himself, you did that last night and he punched you remember? Just let it lie! “Why don’t we go to the library and discuss our options,” Rick suggested calmly.

They stood there staring each other down. Rick could see the struggle in his brother-in-law’s eyes. The struggle of a proud warrior whose life seemed to be falling apart. Common sense seemed to win out and Ardeth nodded. “You are right, we must plan,” he said softly.

Rick turned around and headed back down the hall to the library. Ardeth started to follow, but hesitated, feeling as if someone was watching him. He stopped and turned back. Emma was standing at the front entrance into the kitchen, watching him with a sad look on her face. Their gazes met, and they both seemed to realized that to get their son back, they would have to work together, not against each other.

“I’ll bring him to you in a moment,” Emma told him quietly. Ardeth nodded, his eyes softening for a moment, but he said nothing as he turned and headed to the library.

The boy was not a wealth of information, but he did give them some clues as to where to start looking, and he was able to give them a description of the man who had hired him to deliver the message. When he finally left the O’Connell home, he wasn’t quite as frightened of Ardeth as he had been when he arrived. He adored Emma and Evelyn, he had a full belly, and the promise of money if he were to get them any information about the whereabouts of Alex and Joseph.

“Rick,” Evelyn said later after Rabi had left, “you realize that Rabi described one of the men that I saw take the boys? The one with the scar?”

Rick nodded. “Yes, I recognized the description from the one you gave me,” he answered as he turned to Ardeth. “So what do you think?”

Ardeth, who was standing near a window and looking out, answered without turning. “I think we should go have a look at the alley and the surrounding area where the boy claims the man met with him.”

Rick nodded, his thoughts in line with Ardeth’s. “Okay, let me go get my guns and we will go.” Rick grabbed Evelyn’s arm on his way out. “Come on, dearest.”

“Oh,” Evelyn squeaked as she was forced to follow Rick. She glanced back over her shoulder at Emma who was sitting on the couch, watching Ardeth at the window. Her heart went out to her sister-in-law. The door closed quietly behind them.

“I think it would be best if you had little contact with Yusuf after he is found,” Ardeth announced suddenly, quietly. “It would make the separation easier for you both.”

Emma stiffened. He wouldn’t even turn and look at her, the bastard! How could he just so coldly announce that, as if she had never meant anything to him? Tears formed in her eyes as she got up and crossed the room. Ardeth continued to look out the window, his heart breaking, his pride keeping him from giving in. He felt something bump against his shoulder and he turned to find Emma standing there with a sword pointed directly at his face. He blinked in surprise as he sucked in his breath sharply and backed up, hitting the wall behind him.

“I have already lost one child. Do you hate me so much that you would take my only other one away from me, too?”

“Put the sword down, habibti,” he whispered softly, his eyes never wavering from Emma’s. “We can talk about this.”

“Talk?” Emma laughed through her tears. “We never talk anymore,” she nearly growled. “You command!”

Ardeth knew better than to test her. Emma was good with a sword, and quick. Rick had taught her well, and he had improved on her skill throughout the years, wanting her to be able to protect herself. He watched her closely, waiting for a weak moment so he could get the sword away from her.

“Emma, killing me will not accomplish anything.”

“Oh for godsakes, Ardeth!” she cried out as she dropped the point of the sword and tossed it at his feet. “I don’t want to kill you,” she sobbed. “I just want my husband back! I want my son back!” Not waiting for a response, she spun around and ran from the room, leaving Ardeth standing there and fighting against the urge to go after her. Allah help him, for he wanted her back too! In frustrated anger, he picked up the sword and with a loud yell, he sent the sword flying through the air. It embedded itself against the wall with a loud **thud** just as Rick opened the door next to it.

“Whoa!” he yelped as he ducked back and then cracked the door open again to peer in. He didn’t see Emma anywhere, and with a sigh of relief, he opened the door further and looked questioningly at the angry looking Med-jai Chieftain. “Um, ready?” he asked. He saw the hilt of the sword protruding from the wall several feet from the door where he stood and silently shook his head. “Listen, I know you don’t like prying, but I just wanted to say, if you ever want to talk,” Rick met Ardeth’s hard stare, “I’ll listen.”

Ardeth nodded. “Let’s go,” he answered gruffly, but silently thanked his brother-in-law for not asking what had happened, and followed Rick from the room.

Several hours later, Ardeth and Rick exited an empty building located near the alleyway where Rabi had said the man with the scar had first approached him to deliver the message. They had looked over the alley and the buildings surrounding the area thoroughly and had found nothing.

“Well, damn it!” Rick said in frustration. “That was all for nothing. They could have Alex and Joseph anywhere in the city. More than likely they aren’t even here, but out there in the bloody desert!”

“No,” Ardeth answered simply. He too was frustrated at not finding the boys, but he also knew that they were somewhere in Cairo. It was just a matter of where. “If they were taken into the Sahara, I would know what rock they were hidden under two seconds later.”

Somehow Rick didn’t doubt that one bit. Ardeth had an uncanny way of knowing things when it came to the desert. “So then they are here somewhere, but where?”

“That, al zameel, I’m afraid I do not know,” Ardeth answered.

Just then a familiar face came running up to them. “Sayadi,” Rabi addressed Ardeth, a bit out of breath.

“Take it easy, Rabi,” Ardeth answered in Arabic as he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Catch your breath and then tell us.”

The boy nodded as he took several deep breaths. He’d run all the way from the other side of the city to find Rick and Ardeth. “The two boys you are looking for, Sayadi,” Rabi began.

Ardeth immediately squatted down to the boys level. “You know where they are, Rabi?”

“Aiwa, Sayadi.” He nodded his head quickly.

Ardeth looked up at Rick. “He’s found them!” Looking back down to the boy, he said, “Take us there, quickly!”

“Aiwa, Sayadi!” Rabi answered and turned to lead them to where Alex and Joseph were.

They ended up near the boat docks. Rabi pointed to a large building and whispered something to Ardeth in Arabic.

“Are you sure, Rabi?” Ardeth asked.

“Aiwa, Sayadi,” Rabi answered. “I saw them myself after overhearing some drunks talking about it. I made certain that it was the two you spoke of before coming to get you. I knew you would not appreciate being led on a wild goose chase.”

Ardeth gave him a kind smile. “You have done well, Rabi. Go back to the house and tell Emma what is happening. Tell her I said to take care of you as we had promised.”

“Aiwa, Sayadi!”

“Assalaamo Aleykum, al ibney (peace be upon you, my son),” Ardeth said as the boy scooted off to return to the O’Connell house. Ardeth turned to Rick. “Rabi says the boys are in that building over there.” He pointed towards the large building Rabi had pointed to moments before.

“Okay, let’s go,” Rick answered, pulling his guns from their holsters under each arm. Ardeth drew out his scimitar from its sheath and nodded to Rick that he was ready. Rick grinned as they started towards the building. “Kind of like old times, huh buddy?”

Ardeth raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “What is it about old times you westerners so enjoy reliving?”

Rick laughed softly. “Never mind, let’s go get our kids!” Ardeth nodded and smiled to himself. He appreciated Rick’s effort to stay out of his and Emma’s problems and was glad that Rick didn’t seem to be holding any grudges against him because of Emma. He wasn’t sure anymore what he was planning to do, but right now he needed to concentrate on getting his son out of that building alive and in one piece.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 12

Rick lead the way as Ardeth kept watch at their back, both completely trusting the other with their lives. They approached the building cautiously. Rick had both his guns in his hands ready and cocked, while Ardeth had his faithful scimitar in hand, his black robes swirling around his feet as he moved quickly but quietly behind Rick.

Rick led them to the side of the building, thinking they would be less noticed than out front. He approached a closed door and reached out to test it to see if it was locked. It wasn’t. There was a dirty window next to it, and Rick turned back towards Ardeth and silently signaled with his hands by pointing to his eyes and then to the window that he was going to take a peek. Ardeth nodded his understanding and waited, keeping his gaze constantly moving around the area.

Rising up on his tiptoes, Rick peered inside the building through the window. He had to rub some the dirt off beforehand, but he could see well enough to know that the room where the door opened into was empty. Rick frowned; something didn’t seem right. It seemed to him that if the kidnappers were holding Alex and Joseph hostage here that there would be guards. So far nothing seemed out of place, and that bothered Rick. He stepped away from the window and moved next to Ardeth.

“Something isn’t right. Why aren’t there any guards?” he asked quietly. “I don’t like this.”

“They are probably inside,” Ardeth suggested, but he was feeling uneasy too. Had Rabi sent them into a trap? “They would draw too much unwanted attention if they posted guards in the alley.”

“Maybe,” Rick answered as he turned back towards the door. “Only one way to find out.” He opened the door quietly and peered in.

Ardeth followed Rick into the empty dark room in silence. His thoughts were in turmoil as he struggled to keep them on the matter at hand, but they kept slipping back to the library, and he kept seeing Emma in his mind, pointing the sword at his face. She had caught him so completely off guard that he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He had never answered her question, either. Did he hate her so much that he would take Yusuf away from her? His eyes moved around the room, adjusting to the dim lighting. No, he decided, he didn’t hate Emma. Far from it, he adored her. So why then was he so upset with her sending Yusuf to London with Rick? Hadn’t he, himself desired to have the wall between them taken away? For the first time since discovering what Emma had done, Ardeth allowed himself to really look inside himself and see what he had become. Was he really so caught up in the traditions of the tribe that he would sacrifice his own wife like that? Had he become so distant, hard and callous that he would strip her of her dignity and banish her from her home? The look in her eyes when she’d held the point of that sword to his face had nearly broke his heart. He had put that look there. He had harassed her and bullied her until she had snapped. Could he blame her if she hated him now?

Ardeth followed Rick silently into another empty room. Both men moved cautiously, their eyes checking around every corner, every place where someone might be hiding, waiting to jump them. You would never know by looking at him, the turmoil that Ardeth was suffering through. Maybe he should confide in Rick. Maybe he needed to break the mold his people had created and evolve with the rest of the world. Maybe he needed to humble himself before his wife and beg her to forgive him, if she would. Ardeth sighed within himself as he followed Rick towards another door.

“Wait, I think I hear something over here,” Rick whispered and motioned with his hand for Ardeth to follow.

Ardeth followed swiftly, his scimitar at the ready. He moved next to Rick, and they heard muffled voices through a thinly made wall. Rick squinted and put his ear to the wall, trying to hear what was being said. Ardeth stood next to him, facing him and doing the same.

“Al zameel,” Ardeth called to Rick in a whisper. Might as well talk to Rick now; it was as good a time as any, and besides, after they rescued the boys, there might not be time later.

“Yeah?” Rick answered absently. He was still concentrating on trying to hear what was being said, but not having any luck. They would need to move on through the other door and see if there was a better position to listen from. “Come on,” he instructed before Ardeth could say anything further and moved across the room towards a closed door.

“Rick,” Ardeth said again, following after Rick, “do you think I have alienated Emma so much that she wouldn’t forgive me?”

Rick froze just as his hand wrapped around the doorknob. He turned with a frown on his face, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Well, I was just wondering,” Ardeth answered, unsure of himself. Maybe Rick hadn’t really meant what he said when he offered to listen if he needed to talk.

“Ardeth, ol’ buddy,” Rick began, a bit exasperated. Damn, he could pick the craziest times to unload. “We are about to go into a battle here.”

“I know that!” Ardeth growled. “Never mind!”

Rick shook his head, turned back to the door, and slowly opened it, peering into a long hallway. He saw several men who appeared to be on guard, standing with swords in front of a closed door. “I think we may have found our elusive guards.”

Ardeth nodded when Rick told him how many guards were in the hall. Three. No problem, they could easily handle three. Ardeth tried to force his wayward thoughts back to the rescue at hand, but they kept returning to Emma and the sword.

“What do you think? Should we try and draw them in here?” Rick asked quietly.

“Sounds good,” Ardeth answered, then, “Do you think she hates me?”

Rick’s head snapped around. “Who?”

“Emma,” Ardeth answered, a bit annoyed that Rick wasn’t keeping up with his train of thought.

“Oh for godsakes, Ardeth,” Rick began, but his attention was drawn back to the hallway. They had been heard, and the three guards were hurrying towards the room where they were. “Show time,” Rick said, shutting the door and moving into position to fight. He put his guns away, not wanting to draw attention with the noise they would make.

Ardeth tossed him one of his spare swords that he had strapped to his back, and they both waited. The door burst open and the three men came barging inside. Ardeth kicked the door shut behind them when they moved into the room, and the three men spun around in unison to find Rick and Ardeth standing there, swords ready. One of the men’s eyes widened when he saw the Med-jai Chieftain. He dropped his sword and immediately went to his knees before Ardeth and began chatting wildly in Arabic.

“What the hell is that all about?” Rick asked, giving his brother-in-law a curious look.

The other two men stood still as statues as they let the other one plead their case. Ardeth spoke commandingly in Arabic, his voice hard and authoritative. After a few moments of conversing with the men, Ardeth barked an order to them, and the three men nearly ran each other over trying to exit the building, leaving their swords behind. Ardeth glanced over at Rick, who was staring at him with a look on his face that said, “This ought to be good!”

“They are thieves and were promised much gold if they guarded the two boys. They did not know one of the boys was my son,” Ardeth explained.

“So they know of you?”

Ardeth nodded. “The one said if he had known, he would never have taken the job. Not many are foolish enough to mess with the Med-jai.”

“Especially their leader, huh?”

Ardeth nodded again. “Yes, especially me,” he answered with a cynical smile. “He told me that the boys are in the room they were guarding, but that there are at least ten other guards in there.”

Rick handed Ardeth back the smaller sword. “No problem,” he answered as he brought out his pistols again and cocked the hammers back. “Let’s go!”

They left the room and moved cautiously down the narrow hall. Rick’s thoughts focused on the task ahead. The door where the three men had been standing led to the room where Rick and Ardeth had heard the muffled voices. Rick’s mind worked quickly on how they could pull this off. Somehow, he and Ardeth had to get in that room and kill the ten guards without the boys getting hurt.

“You never answered my question,” Ardeth whispered from behind him.

“What question?” Rick frowned as his concentration was interrupted.

Ardeth sighed. “Do you think Emma hates me?”

Rick stopped, causing Ardeth to bump into him. He reached for the doorknob and turned it. He couldn’t believe that Ardeth was choosing now to talk about his feelings for Emma! Sometimes he really had to wonder at his brother-in-law’s sanity, but he had to admit, he was glad to hear that Ardeth seemed to be changing his tune now, even if it was bad timing. “I don’t really think it’s a good time for this, buddy,” Rick commented as he shoved the door open and charged in with his pistols raised. Ardeth lunged in behind him with his scimitar sweeping out and catching a guard just to his right as Rick went to the left.

“DAD!” “ABU!” The boys cried out in unison as all hell broke loose.

“Alex!” Rick called out as he began firing his pistol, dropping the guards as they came towards him. “Get down, Joseph too!” The boys obeyed instantly, scrambling off the small cot where they sat and crawling underneath it.

Ardeth clashed swords with two guards, his scimitar in one hand, the smaller sword in the other. He parried their attacks easily but still had not dispensed with them by the time Rick moved up beside him. His ammunition gone, he caught the smaller sword that Ardeth tossed him and took over fighting one of the two guards left.

“Why not?” Ardeth asked suddenly with a grunt as he easily took over the dominant lead in the sword fight between him and the guard.

“Why not what?” Rick answered as he blocked a potentially deadly blow.

“Why isn’t this a good time?”

Rick nearly choked as he gave his brother-in-law an incredulous look. “You’re shittin’ me, right?” He ducked as the guard swung his blade towards his head.

Ardeth glanced over at Rick as he blocked the attacking sword. He was merely playing with the man; he could finish him easily. “You said I could talk to you if I wanted,” Ardeth reminded Rick.

“NOW? You want to talk now?”

Ardeth shrugged. Finally bored with the fight, he arced his scimitar up and caught the guard across the stomach, ripping him open. The guard cried out, clutching at his bloodied stomach, and stumbled forward. “Why not now? It’s as good a time as any.” He blinked as the guard fell to the floor dead.

Ardeth turned to Rick who was still fighting the last guard. “Oh for Christsakes, Ardeth,” Rick grunted. “No, she doesn’t hate you, but you got your work cut out for you,” Rick added as he saw an opening and jabbed the sword forward, running the guard through the chest. The guard grunted in surprise and fell to the floor dead. “I don’t envy the road you have ahead of you if you are planning to work this out with her.” Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them. Ardeth nodded as he turned towards the cot where the two boys hid underneath.

“Yusuf,” Ardeth called out. The boy scrambled out from underneath the cot and was in his father’s arms moments later. Ardeth held him tight, then checked him over, asking him questions like, “Are you ok?” “Did they hurt you?” Rick was busy examining his own son and asking his own questions.

“Something is not right, al zameel,” Ardeth finally said after a few moments. “This was all too easy.”

Rick looked over at him and nodded. “Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing,” he answered. “Let’s get the boys out of here and see what they know.”

Ardeth nodded and led them back the way they had come in and soon found themselves standing in the alleyway again. Rick had a worried look on his face, and Ardeth nodded his understanding. He felt it too. Something was wrong; they had been set up somehow, but neither one could figure out what that set up was.

“Alex,” Rick said as he turned to his son and squatted down until he was eyelevel with him. “Did you see or hear anything that might tell us who is behind this?”

“No, Dad, we were kept locked in that room the whole time. They didn’t even put guards in the room until today,” Alex answered.

“You mean the ten men who were in the room with you hadn’t been there up until today?”

Alex nodded. “Just the three guys outside the door was all.”

“We were set up,” Ardeth finally voiced his thoughts.

Rick shook his head. “Yeah, but it wasn’t a trap for us,” he began.

“But it was made to look like it was,” Ardeth finished, picking up on Rick’s line of thinking.

Suddenly Rick and Ardeth’s eyes met in horror as they both realized at the same time who the trap had been for. “The women!” they both shouted.

Grabbing both Alex and Yusuf by the hand, they hurried as fast as they could back to the O’Connell home, hoping that they weren’t too late.

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Second Chances - Chapters 13-14