Sharon Dunn - Thanksgiving Protector

“So he’s still out there.” Still fighting her own agitation and fear, Kylie bounced Mercedes and made soothing noises. No child should be put through that kind of incident. Especially after the trauma of losing her mom.

Austin stepped closer to her. “I think this is personal, Kylie. Someone wants you dead.”

Mercedes stopped crying. Her soft fingers brushed over Kylie’s neck as she grabbed her collar to hold on to. While a thousand conflicting emotions tumbled through Kylie’s mind, the only clear thought was that she wanted to keep Mercedes safe. Mercedes stuck two fingers in her mouth and stared up at Kylie, a look of total trust in her eyes.

“I think you need to put that kid in protective custody so you can do your job and resolve this threat,” Austin said.

Kylie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So I can do my job?” Was that what mattered the most to him?

Austin paced. His hand gestures indicated he was rattled. “Both of you could have died out there.” What was going on with him, anyway? He was Mr. Cool under Fire. She’d never seen him this upset.

“I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” Kylie wrestled with even more doubt. More than anything she wanted to keep Mercedes safe, but the thought of being separated from her nearly broke her in half. She was the one who could best protect her, and the shots had been fired at her, not at the baby. Was the little girl really in danger if she stayed? Mercedes had lost her mother. Turning her over to strangers would only add trauma onto trauma. Her insides twisted from the turmoil she felt. Austin was right though, something bad could have happened to Mercedes.

He combed his fingers through his dark blond hair. “We need to get Garcia, and we need to get whoever shot at you. Chances are, they’re connected.”

“We?” Her jaw tightened. It was clear he was uncomfortable with her new status as a single mother. He just wanted her to be Kylie, unattached, trusted border patrol agent, focused on nothing more than the job. But that wasn’t her anymore. She was a mother now. Didn’t he understand that? This was hard enough. Why couldn’t he support her?

Still agitated, Kylie rose to her feet to get Mercedes’s bottle. She settled into her overstuffed recliner and stared down at Mercedes’s rich brown eyes. Little fingers wrapped around the bottle. The steady rhythm of the baby’s sucking soothed her rankled spirit.

“Putting her somewhere safe until this is over would be the best thing for her.” Austin’s voice was a little softer.

Kylie fumed. The best thing for Mercedes, or the best thing for Austin and his work?

There was a knock on the door and Colt stuck his head in. “The locals caught him. He’s an American. They will turn him over to us for questioning by tomorrow morning.”

Through the open door, Kylie could see Mercedes’s stroller out in the courtyard knocked over on its side. She shuddered at what could have happened...if Austin hadn’t been here. She didn’t appreciate the pressure Austin was putting on her, but he had a point about the danger, and she wanted to do the right thing for Mercedes.

Colt left. Austin closed the door. He turned to face her. “You want to be there for the interrogation, don’t you?”

Kylie felt like Austin was asking her a much bigger question.

Which are you going to be, a mom or a border control agent?

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