Linda Warren - A Texas Child

“I don’t want to get anything dirty.”

“I’m going to bed. You figure it out.” She left him with his dilemma. One would think he’d never been in a nice place before, but she knew that wasn’t true. The apartment they’d shared wasn’t as upscale as this, but it was still pretty nice. Actually, she couldn’t recall him ever commenting on their decor. He was just being cantankerous now because he didn’t want to be here.

As she made her way up the stairs, he hollered, “Where’s the bathroom?”

“You’re an investigator so it shouldn’t be that hard to find.”

“Funny. Okay. I found it. I just didn’t know if there was one downstairs.”

Memories, like photos from a favorite album, floated around her. Myra, have you seen my shoes? Myra, are my keys in the kitchen? Myra, where are my socks? For a man who could locate murderers, robbers, cheating husbands and missing children, he was hopeless at keeping track of his own stuff. Levi was a conundrum.

She didn’t bother to close her door. There was no need, because she knew he wouldn’t set foot in her bedroom. She crawled beneath her white sheets and relaxed even though she didn’t know what tomorrow was going to bring. That was okay. Levi would be with her and he would protect her and keep her safe. He might not admit it, but it was the reason he was here. She went to sleep with that thought on her mind.

* * *

LEVI ATE TWO TV dinners, two yogurts, an apple and a couple of protein bars he found in a drawer before he finished off the ice cream. Then he went back to the sofa and spread the sheet over it. He laid the blanket at the end in case he needed it. Sitting down, he reached for his phone.

It was almost eleven and he was sure Valerie was asleep. She had to be at the hospital at five, so she always went to bed early. Since she was upset at his sudden decision to take this case, he wanted to talk to her. Not wanting to wake her, he sent a text.

I’m sorry you’re upset. I do take a lot of dangerous cases. I just never realized that bothered you. We’ll talk when I get back. Love, L.

He went back to his iPad and worked until after twelve. By then, he had an idea of what to do. He removed his clothes, flipped off the light and stretched out on the sheet, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts bounced like Ping-Pong balls across his mind. For a man who was never indecisive, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had in his life. He would’ve sworn when Myra left his barn this morning he’d never take this case.

He’d made it all the way to Willow Creek before he’d known he had to go back. He’d talked to Pop, which was like an exercise in practicing patience. As usual, Pop didn’t see a problem. Stu’s grandson had been taken and Levi needed to rescue him. It was so simple in his mind, but Pop tended to believe that Levi was ten feet tall and bulletproof.

Usually Valerie was very understanding about his work. But today, her understanding didn’t stretch to him spending time with an old love. He flipped onto his side, knowing he could control the situation, but that was hard to explain to Valerie. This was just a case and he would treat it like all the rest. There was no need for his emotions to get involved.

He closed his eyes and let the world drift away. He needed rest to cope with tomorrow. As sleep tugged at him, he saw Valerie’s beautiful face and his body relaxed. The image was quickly replaced by Myra’s darker features, and blood pounded through his veins in remembered passion. He hated that he couldn’t control his reaction. He hated that he couldn’t completely erase her from his mind.

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