Shirlee McCoy - The Defender's Duty

“She did not.” But Lacey knew Jenna had. She would have done the same at that age.

“She did. She informed me that there were a lot of people who were a lot worse off than she was and that I should take the money and give it to one of them.”

“Did you?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you found another way to give it to her.”

“I gave it to her boss and asked that it be added to her tips. I found it taped to my front door the next day.”

“Good for Jenna.”

“You think? The way I see it, pride goeth before a fall. Jenna may be on her way to falling hard.”

“If she does, she’ll learn from it.”

“You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

“Everyone falls sometimes, Jude.” Some people just fall harder than others.

“Yeah. That’s something I’m learning.” He grabbed a second piece of pumpkin bread, and Lacey frowned.

“Didn’t your mother teach you to share?”

“She tried.” He grinned, split the piece and handed her half. “Happy now?”

“I’d be happier if you’d given me the whole piece.”

“Didn’t your mother teach you to share?”

“My mother didn’t teach me much of anything.” The words slipped out before she thought them through, and Lacey wished them back immediately.

“You know that comment begs me to ask a dozen questions, right?”

“You can ask. That doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” She met Jude’s gaze, refusing to fidget beneath his scrutiny.

“Understood. So I’ll go ahead and start asking. You don’t get along with your mom?” he asked, as Jenna set a plate of food and a brown paper bag in front of Lacey.

“There you go,” Jenna said. “I’m off shift. If you need anything else, you’ll have to flag down one of the other waitresses.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Lacey dug through her wallet, pulling out her last two twenties. “You can ring up our tab before you go.”

“I’ll have your change for you in a minute.”

“Make it my change and keep it.” Jude nudged Lacey’s money aside and pressed several bills into Jenna’s hand.

She thanked him and hurried away, leaving Lacey with her two twenties still waving in the breeze.

“Here.” Lacey held out the money, frowning when Jude waved it away. “Take the money, Jude. I like to pay my own way.”

“I’m sure you do, but we don’t have time for an argument. Take a look outside. What do you see?”

She looked and shrugged. “The parking lot.”

“Can you see your car?”

“Sure. It’s parked under the streetlight. Why?”

“See the car to its left?”

“Yeah. It’s a black sedan.” Her heart skipped a beat as she said the words, and she leaned closer to the glass. “You don’t think that’s the same car, do you?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

Lacey scooped up the grilled cheese sandwich and shoved it into the carryout bag. “Let’s go.”

He eyed her for a moment, his jaw set, his gaze hot. “We’re not going anywhere. You are staying here. I am going to talk to the driver of that car.”

“I think we’ve been down this road before, and I’m pretty sure we both know where it leads.”

“It leads to you getting fired. Stay put until I get back or forget about having a place of your own for a month.” He stood and limped away, not even giving Lacey a second glance as he crossed the room and headed into the kitchen area.

Probably heading for a back door.

Lacey gave him a one-minute head start and then followed, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end and issuing a warning she couldn’t ignore. Danger. It was somewhere close by again, and there was no way she was going to let Jude walk into it alone. If he fired her, so be it. As a matter of fact, if he fired her, it might be for the best. Jude wasn’t the kind of client she was used to working for. Sure, there’d been other young men, but none of them had seemed quite as vital or alive as Jude. She told herself that it made her uncomfortable because he didn’t seem to need her, and Lacey didn’t want to be where she wasn’t needed. Told herself that, but didn’t quite believe it. Jude was trouble. And not just because someone was trying to kill him. On the other hand, she’d felt absolutely certain moving to Lynchburg was what God wanted her to do.

“So, which is it, Lord? Right or wrong?” She whispered the words as she slipped into the diner’s hot kitchen. A cook glared at her, but she ignored him. Until she knew for sure why God had brought her to Lynchburg, Lacey could only do what she’d been paid to—make sure Jude was okay. Even if that meant putting herself in danger.

Lacey took a deep breath, prayed that whoever was in the car didn’t have a weapon and pushed open the door. The area behind the diner was dark and silent, the shadow of the building hiding her as she stepped into the parking lot. There were no cars there, just empty spaces ready for the breakfast rush. The emptiness should have comforted Lacey. Instead, it reminded her of how alone she was. Maybe waiting inside the diner would have been a better idea, but Lacey wasn’t good at waiting and didn’t believe in leaving others to fight their battles alone. Jude was about to face his enemy. She had every intention of being with him when he did. Heart slamming in her chest, pulse racing, she hurried around the side of the building and headed toward whatever trouble waited.

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