Debby Giusti - MIA - Missing In Atlanta

“Get out of here.” Jude’s voice was low and dangerous. “And don’t come back again.”

Damian staggered to his feet, rubbing his chin.

Jude snagged his shirt collar and leaned into his bloodied face. “And if you ever touch her again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do.”

“Son of a—” His hand groped along the waistband of his jeans.

“Watch out,” Sarah screamed, seeing the knife he brandished.

In one smooth movement, Jude grabbed Damian’s wrist with his left hand and twisted. His right fist jabbed into the punk’s gut, causing him to double over and drop the knife to the ground.

Jude pulled him up by the collar and shoved him along the sidewalk. “Don’t come back, you understand me?”

Grunting a reply, Damian slithered into the Eldorado.

Bull raced around the corner of the house just as the car disappeared from sight. “Where is that scum bag?”

“Already taken care of.” Jude picked up the knife Damian had dropped and quickly explained what had happened.

Bull pulled out his cell. “I’ll call the cops and let them know. Damian’s caused a lot of problems in the area recently. Word is, he’s trying to expand his turf.”

Danger past, Sarah slumped with relief. If Jude hadn’t arrived when he did—

He was staring at her. She saw concern in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was stern.

“Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “I…I’m fine. Thanks to you.”

The light from the porch caught the set of his square jaw. “Why didn’t you stay inside with the door locked?”

“What?”

“You heard me, Sarah. It was foolish to come outside. Did you think you’d scare him away?”

She bristled. As soon as Damian climbed out of his car, she’d realized her mistake. Not that she wanted to admit she’d been wrong. “I was worried about Brittany’s safety.”

“Yeah, well, locking the door and staying inside would have been a wiser course of action. You put yourself in danger. That’s not smart.”

She tapped her foot with annoyance, wanting to be anywhere but caught in Jude’s reproving glare. She was cold and tired and her emotions were pulled to the breaking point.

Retreat was sometimes the best option.

She did a crisp about-face that would make any first sergeant proud and reached for the doorknob. As she stepped inside, Keesha and Brittany tumbled down the steps followed by the rest of the girls.

“Oh, my goodness. Captain Jude, you’re awesome to go up against Damian,” Brittany squealed as Jude followed Sarah into the foyer. The boys raced upstairs from their basement dorm room and surrounded him, as well.

Pretty obvious no one was going back to bed anytime soon.

“Hot chocolate and cookies,” Bull called over the confusion as he scooted inside. “Keesha, you’re in charge.”

The kids ran to the kitchen, leaving the three adults behind.

Bull touched Sarah’s shoulder. “Jude’s right. You never should have gone outside to confront Damian. I told you before, don’t be messing with street scum like him. If he can’t find Brittany…”

“I’ve already called her aunt. Brittany’s leaving in the morning,” she said.

Bull glanced at Jude.

Sarah looked from one man to the other, tired of defending her actions. She threw her hands up in the air. “I was just trying to protect the kids.”

Jude’s face softened. “Of course you were. But if Damian hears you’ve helped Brittany get out of town, next time he won’t be looking for Brittany. He’ll be looking for you.”

She tried to muster a confidence she didn’t feel. “Damian doesn’t scare me.”

Jude tilted his head and raised his brow. “Now who are you trying to fool?”

Her shoulders drooped ever so slightly. “Probably myself. But I won’t let him hurt the kids.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t hurt you, either.”

A strand of hair fell over her cheek. Jude reached out and tucked it behind her ear.

His touch sent a shiver down Sarah’s spine that had nothing to do with Damian and had everything to do with the man standing in front of her.

She stepped back. “It’s late, Jude, and you still need to find a motel room.” Surely he’d take the hint and say good-night.

“Maybe I’d better stick around in case Damian comes back.” He nodded to Bull. “You mentioned a bunk in the boys’ dorm.”

Bull’s face broke into a wide grin. “It’s got your name on it, my man.” He slapped Jude’s shoulder. “I sure could use the help. Now, why don’t both of us have a plate of lasagna and some of those cookies before the kids eat all of them.”

Sarah watched the two men walk toward the kitchen. The way her heart was pounding, she wasn’t sure who she should worry about more, Damian or Jude?

Light from the hallway scattered across the wall of the boys’ dorm, illuminating the clock in the corner: 0400 hours. Two hours since Jude had crawled into the bunk, yet sleep continued to elude him. Too many questions raced through his mind.

With a sigh he reached into the duffel he’d stashed under the bed, found the photo and raised it into the half-light. Nicole’s eyes stared back at him.

Why had she given him this address? Was it because of Viki?

Hopefully, he’d locate the younger Miss Valentine in the morning. Surely she’d have information he could use to track down Nicole. If the two were even related.

Returning the photo to the duffel, his fingers touched another piece of paper. He knew what the message said before he pulled it into the light.

“Don’t try to find me.”

The e-mail he’d tried to ignore. Could it be part of a silly game Nicole was playing to see if he loved her enough to search for her?

He almost laughed. If she thought he’d back off because of one ridiculous message, she didn’t know the kind of guy he really was.

Or had something else happened?

Tomorrow was a new day. God willing, he’d find her.

God? He shook his head. Sarah must be rubbing off on him.

Finding comfort with the thought, he closed his eyes and settled into a restful sleep.

The next morning Jude followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen and found Sarah standing over the stove, scrambling eggs and flipping pancakes.

“There’s juice in the fridge. Help yourself to the coffee,” she said as he entered. “Cream and sugar’s on the counter.”

She was dressed in a denim skirt, white blouse and red sweater, looking very patriotic and much too energetic for the amount of sleep she must have had. The kids hadn’t gone back to their dorms until late last night.

Now the winter sun was trying to burn through the haze of a new day. One that he hoped would lead him to Nicole.

Jude dropped his duffel by the back door and glanced at his watch. Still early. He might as well accept Sarah’s hospitality for a few more minutes.

He poured a cup of the hot brew and took a sip. “Coffee’s just what I needed.”

“Everyone’s still talking about how you walloped Damian.”

“The good guys won. That’s what the boys like to hear,” Jude said.

“I think what they like is a guy who’s willing to talk to them. Bull said the boys kept you up most of the night.”

“They wanted to know about the army. I told them, if they were willing to work hard and keep their noses clean, Uncle Sam could use them. Might be a step up from what I saw last night.”

Sarah stirred the eggs. “I don’t know much about the military except that anyone who served in the Middle East deserves a good breakfast. Cereal and doughnuts are in the dining room where the kids eat. I thought you might like a heartier meal.”

She piled the eggs and pancakes onto a plate and held it out to him. “Your breakfast, sir.”