Suzanne Cox - One Man To Protect Them

She leaned forward in the chair. “What can I do? I want to help bring Eric’s murderer to justice. He lived on my property, and I feel responsible.”

Matt swung his feet to the floor. “You’re a private citizen. There’s nothing you can do but answer questions when we ask them and answer honestly. At the moment, we don’t know Eric’s dead, at least not conclusively.”

Jayden stood, fists knotted at her side. “I wouldn’t lie to the police, Matt.”

“I don’t want you to keep anything that could help the investigation to yourself so you can go off on your own private search. I know how you feel about the Militia and I know you’re probably still angry. Don’t try to get rid of it in the name of aiding Walsh’s case.”

She crossed her arms and didn’t even try to deny Matt’s statement. It was too close to the truth. “I want to work with you, not against you.”

Matt came around the desk, closer to her. “I believe that. I also know you’ve got a stubborn streak, have had since you were a kid. I want you to stay safe.”

She nodded and hurried to the door before he could see her watery eyes. “I’ll check back if I think of anything.”

She didn’t wait for Matt’s answer and didn’t slow down until she was behind the wheel of her truck. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a community of people believe taking care of you was their job, even when they thought you’d done a terrible thing.

“THIS BACKPACK IS ALMOST bigger than you. Why don’t you get another one?”

“Because I like this one,” Garrett said.

Jayden tried not to groan. After her meeting with Matt at lunch, Jeffrey had left her in charge at the clinic so he could take care of family business out of town. She hadn’t been thrilled to be left alone this soon. Naturally, after he’d been gone an hour, a farmer called, and she’d had to go help a cow give birth to what was expected to be a prize calf. Thankfully, she’d made the right calls and the cow and new calf were fine. But facing a situation she hadn’t dealt with since vet school had left her too frazzled to fight with Garrett over a backpack.

“Put it on and wear it here in the aisle while I get paper towels. Then you can decide if you still want it.”

She left the two boys and rounded the corner to the next aisle, trying to keep the tiny shopping cart with one bad wheel from veering into the shelves. The errant cart jerked to the right and bumped the hip of a girl with blond curls hanging down her back.

“Sorry.” Jayden whipped the cart on course, trying not to stare, but the profile of the girl tickled a memory for her. She’d know Amy Dubois anywhere. She dug her fingers into the plastic of the eight pack of paper towels and tossed it in her cart. The cart skittered to the side as she tried to push away without looking back.

“I know it’s you, Jayden Miller, even if you don’t say a word to me. I heard you were back, and you haven’t changed a bit.”

Jayden tried not to chew her lip as she turned around. “Hi, Amy.”

The blonde snorted. “I knew you recognized me.”

She caught herself unconsciously wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “You’ve changed—grown up a lot—but I could still see it was you. I didn’t figure you’d have anything to say to me.”

The other girl took a step toward her. “Oh, I’ve got plenty to say to you. But this isn’t the time.”

“Aunt J., your idea worked. After Garrett saw the backpack was gonna bang him in the back of the knees all day, he picked a different one. He—” Elliot’s voice tapered off as he looked between his aunt and the woman in front of her.

Jayden glanced at him and smiled, though her lips felt tight. “That’s good. Run back and stay with him. He shouldn’t be alone in the store.”

Elliot trotted to the end of the aisle then made the corner.

Amy shook her head. “I heard you were raising your sister’s kids. Crazy, huh? Wonder what my brother would have to say about that?”

Jayden had asked herself that question before and still didn’t have an answer. She’d always imagined she and Mark held the same beliefs, but one horrible night had changed everything. Amy, she realized, was waiting for a reply.

“I don’t know. I guess I never knew your brother, at least not like I thought I did.”

“Yeah, and nobody knew you, either. My dad’s not too happy you’re back. No one is. So you better watch yourself and those kids, too. Be sure to stay clear of my family.”

The girl’s hip bumped the shopping cart again as she passed, but Jayden didn’t turn to watch her go. She sagged against the shelf next to her. A thump in the next aisle caught her attention and she left the cart behind in a mad dash to check on the boys. A small pile of backpacks and an entire box of pens lay on the floor. Elliot stood in the middle of the mess, his fists tight and his face cherry-red. Garrett stared at his brother with saucer eyes.

“What’s the matter, Elliot?” She knelt in front of him and could see his nostrils flaring, but he didn’t answer.

“That big, mean man said something to him,” Garrett volunteered.

“What man?”

“He just left.”

She raced to the front of the store and peered through the large windows. In the parking lot, Amy stood by a huge new dual-wheel truck. The man beside her had a grip on her arm and was nearly lifting her off the ground. He released her suddenly and walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle while Amy crawled into the passenger’s seat. Jayden knew the man’s face, but not his name. It didn’t matter. He was Militia. That was enough to know.

Back in the school-supply aisle, Elliot had calmed down and was on his knees gathering pens and placing them back, while his brother stacked the backpacks.

“What did the man say to you, Elliot?”

The boy shook his head.

“You can tell me. It’ll be okay.”

He dropped the last pen in the box before looking up at her. “It doesn’t matter what he said and it won’t ever be okay.”

She knelt and hugged him. “You’re right. It won’t ever be okay for anyone to not be nice to you, because you’re a good person and that’s all that matters. There are people in this world who are simply narrow-minded. Do you know what that means?”

“Yeah, stupid.”

She smiled. “Good enough. Now, what if we go to Ray’s Fish House to eat?”

Elliot brightened. “Really?”

“Yes, is that strange?”

“Mom didn’t like us to eat out during the week, only on special occasions.”

“Well, we’re buying Garrett this backpack, and I think that’s a special occasion, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, a new backpack is super-special.”

“Can I get shrimp and frog legs?” Garrett asked, pulling her toward the front of the store.

Both boys bounced up and down while she paid, and she wondered if they might run to the restaurant rather than wait and ride in the car with her. On her way out the door she glanced at the empty parking spot where the white truck had been. Idiots, all of them, but now that she was here she might get the opportunity to put some Militia members in their place. The idea put a smile on her face.

She was still smiling when she slid into a seat at the family restaurant. She lifted her hand to wave at one of their neighbors then flipped through the menu, trying to decide what she wanted while she and Garrett waited for Elliot to return from the bathroom.

“Look who I found.” Elliot made a running slide into the chair across from her and it wobbled onto two legs.

“Elliot, be careful!” Jayden half rose from her seat.

A hand gripped the boy’s chair to keep it from toppling over. The deep blue eyes of Luke Taylor settled on her, and she felt her skin tingle. She nearly frowned but caught herself. She didn’t want the boys to see her agitation.