She Polished My Shoes So I Wouldn’t Fire Her Mother

Dante Romano comes home early to find a three-year-old girl secretly polishing his shoes. Her pajamas are stained black. Her hands are shaking. And when he asks what she’s doing, she begs him not to fire her sick mother. Zoe thinks clean shoes will keep a roof over their heads. Dante wants to know who made her believe that. Hannah Williams has spent months keeping her head down in his house, protecting her daughter and avoiding questions that could cost them everything. Now Dante is asking those questions himself—and discovering how much has happened in his name. He can offer protection. He can call a doctor. He can make the people threatening them regret it. Earning Hannah’s trust will be harder. Especially when her little girl starts saving him a seat at breakfast, and Dante begins wanting a place in their lives that no amount of money or power can buy.