"She's kinda perfect," I tell Mikael, unable to help my smile. There's no other way to say it, nothing left to explain. Mikael would know what that means.
I do, too. There's nothing wrong with my thinking. For the first time since the incident, my path is completely clear. Claudia is my future.
"Petr!" Katya's breathless cry comes from just outside the graveyard.
I stand quickly, hearing the alarm in her voice.
"Petr! Todd is having a seizure or something!"
I whisper a catch you later to Mikael and hurry out. Katya's in Sawyer's coat and breathing hard from her sprint through the thick snow. She waves for me to hurry and turns away, hurrying back to the house.
Concern flares within me. I beat her back and take the steps up the veranda two at a time then wait for her at the door to the kitchen. "Where is he?" I demand.
"Foyer!"
I picked him up after school today and brought him here before unleashing him to hang out with Riley, the SEAL from my old team, for a bit. I know Riley had plans at five and Todd was supposed to pick out which room upstairs he wanted for his own, since I suspect he and his sister will be here quite often from here on out.
When I reach the foyer, I see Sawyer with the kid. They're seated on the floor, Sawyer's hand on Todd's back and Todd's head between his knees. His breathing is shaky, his face blanched and his body shaking.
"Is he okay?" I ask. I never thought to ask Claudia if Todd had health issues. I kneel beside him and ruffle his hair. He's not in danger now. His eyes are closed, and his breathing is ragged if steady. Sawyer's an expert at calming down someone in the middle of a crisis or meltdown, a skill I suspect comes in handy with my emotional sister.
"He hyperventilated," Sawyer explains. "Probably because of this." He hands me Todd's phone. "He was on his way out the door when he sort of dropped."
I take the phone.
Todd dont go hoem. Go somewhere else. Don't go home. He found us he's here don't go home. The hasty text is from Claudia.
My breath catches for the second time in the past half hour. I can almost feel her panic and terror. Instinctively, I reach for my phone. I'd put it on silent when I went to talk to Baba and Katya. I've got a voicemail from a number I don't recognize.
Standing grimly, I hit play to listen to it.
"Petr! He's here … he says he has Todd. I can't … oh, god I can't do this again. Please help me find Todd." Claudia's hysterical voice cuts off.