Page 17 of Evidence of Truth

Initially, he was vehement in his objections to Sam. Not that protecting women and children wasn’t important. He had hoped for the big, paid security details. She’d listened to him and then told him to suck it up and get the job done.

Humph. In retrospect, Sam was right. At some point, all the employees at KnightGuard had helped women and men in abusive situations. Although most of the time they were hustling people out and not running into exes.

He felt good knowing that he aided Mary and her kids and wished KnightGuard or some other agency could have stepped in and helped his family—wishful thinking. However, he knew his mother would never have asked for help. He needed to put the nightmare behind him. He tried, but occasionally, memories would rear their ugly heads, reminding Killian from where he came.

Mary was silent in the car in the hour it took them to get to the shelter. The kids slept all the way. Killian couldn’t help wondering what Mary ever saw in that loser, but he sure wasn’t asking. For that matter, why did his mother ever marry his father? If she had a crystal ball and could see the future, would she have? Especially if she could see the abuse? Gah. He wasn’t going there. Too many years had passed to still be thinking about such things. Everything worked out well for him and his sister. Killian just wished he could have brought some happiness and safety into his mother’s life.

Finally, they reached Black Pointe. He took a left off the main road onto Magnolia Street. The shelter was an older three-story brick building in a well-worn neighborhood. Killian wasn’t sure how many women lived there, but he was glad there was room for one more family.

Killian pulled into the driveway and waited for the electric gates to open. Security was tight here, as it should be. The shelter didn’t advertise, but sometimes the abusive partners got lucky and found it, hence the electric gate.

He’d heard that Joe’s wife, Claire, had inherited a substantial sum from her abusive dead husband, which she put to good use by establishing a nonprofit to help families get out of unpleasant situations and still paid his salary. The nonprofit had also paid for the extra security at the shelter.

After parking, he and Mary got out. Penny Chapman, the shelter’s director, was waiting at the back door and walked over to them. She leaned in to hug Killian, gagged and pulled back quickly.

“Um, I’m giving you a mental hug,” she said, an amused expression on her face.

“Duly noted,” replied Killian.

Penny introduced herself to Mary and helped gather the children from the back seat. The woman was nothing but warm and welcoming. Mary’s features relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Killian, we’re all set here if you need to leave,” said Penny. “I’m going to get Mary and the kids settled in their room.”

Mary walked over to him, stood a respectable distance away, and smiled. “Thank you so much for helping us. I couldn’t have done it without you and KnightGuard Security.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help,” Killian replied. “You’re in excellent hands here.” He looked at Penny and the building. “Maybe I’ll see you again. KnightGuard Security gives self-defense lessons here once a week.”

Killian got the garbage bag from the truck and placed it by the back door, then watched Mary and the kids walk into the shelter.

The family was safe, and he hoped that all good things would come their way. It took courage to leave an abusive situation, especially if you didn’t have any money, a job or a car. He was in awe of all the women and men who took that step.

He left the shelter and drove to KnightGuard Security to talk to Sam. The scars from his childhood lingered at the back of his mind, but today, he made a difference in someone’s life, giving him a sense of accomplishment. It didn’t change his mind about marrying or having kids, but if he could help someone’s kids know they were safe, it worked for him. Besides, he wasn’t taking any chances that his bad genes would be passed on.

At KnightGuard Security, Killian stopped by Sam’s office.

She looked up at him. “Well?”

“You were right. It felt good to help Mary and her kids.”

Sam leaned back in her chair. “Yup. We sometimes don’t realize the impact we have on another person’s life. It’s the little things in life that are important—food, shelter, safety. Thank you for going.”

Killian gave her a half salute and walked to his cubicle to complete the paperwork. He hoped he’d never to have to help in another abusive situation. It brought back too many terrible memories, but realistically, he knew situations like this would continue to rise. If he could give someone back their life and dignity, he’d do it again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lightning flashed. Then thunder rumbled. A couple of kids screamed, so Anne closed the blinds. Just as well. It was a dark, dreary day, and the rain had just started falling.

The kids were antsy. They wanted to play outside. Anne raised her brows and sighed. It was going to be a looong day. Now she was just trying to get their attention to learn letters.

Silas and a couple of other boys were sitting at one of the small wooden tables.

He had a pencil in his hand and was practicing his name on a piece of paper. Anne smiled when she saw his lips moving as he wrote each letter.

He was making friends and appeared happy at school.

However, she wasn’t sure how happy he was at Cheryl’s home, since he always looked apprehensive when it was time to leave. Anne hadn’t seen the woman since she dropped Silas off the first day. Every day, her girls came to pick Silas up and then walk him home. The girls seemed nice enough but acted as if picking up Silas was a bother. Thankfully, they only lived a couple of blocks from the school.

Anne’s thoughts drifted back to the creepy tree-hugging stalker. She thought she saw him once again but wasn’t sure if it was the same person or another man. He appeared shorter than the first man and only stared at the kids playing before walking past.

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