” She Took the Bullet — The Motorcycle Clan Took Over the Fight………” The satisfying ding of a convenience store. A little girl reaching for a popsicle. And then everything gone to hell.

“Mommy!”

Emma spun around. “What? What’s wrong?”

Lily stood in the doorway, wild curls exploding from yesterday’s braids, gap-tooth grin splitting her face. “I found my other shoe! The sock monster didn’t eat it.”

Emma’s heart unclenched. “There’s no sock monster, Lily.”

“That’s what he wants you to think.” Lily padded into the kitchen holding up a beaten-up sneaker like a trophy. “He lives under my bed and he eats socks, but sometimes he gets confused and eats shoes, too. Is that right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But I tricked him. I put my shoe in my pillowcase. He’s scared of pillowcases.”

“Why?”

“Because pillows give you good dreams and monsters hate good dreams. Everybody knows that. Mommy.” Emma looked at her daughter, this wild, wonderful, ridiculous kid in her too-small butterfly shirt and felt her chest crack open.

“You’re something else. You know that?”

“I know.” Lily climbed onto a kitchen chair, sneaker still clutched in her fist. “So, can we… can we what?”

“Get ice cream. Maya said the store has the rainbow kind now with sprinkles inside.”

Ice cream. Four dollars she didn’t have. “Maybe later, baby.”