Page 32 of The Book of Wrath

“Get out, you have no right to come in here and start a fight with one of my employees,” Melissa got between me and Rebecca, pushing me along. “Get back to work Megan. As for you, this library is open to the public, but we have rules and standards. You cannot just come in here and start yelling and making baseless accusations. Either leave of your own accord or I will call the police and have you removed from the premises.”

I walk off and turn the corner at the front desk, watching Rebecca glower at Melissa was priceless. Melissa is a no-nonsense person, and her husband happens to be none other than Max’s Captain. She wouldn’t hesitate to call him in here to get her out. They head my way, Melissa walking between Rebecca and where I was standing.

“This isn’t over bitch, I will find my son,” Rebecca spits in my direction. The sliding doors open as Max walks into the library, passing a fuming Rebecca. Melissa nodded at Max as she followed Rebecca out of the library. I’m pretty sure if she could ban her from the library for being a nuisance she would.

“Good evening beautiful, I know I’m early. I wanted to see what you wanted to do for dinner,” Max says, leaning over the counter to give me a kiss like he always does.

“My appetite is nonexistent,” I groan. If he had come in here minutes before the she devil, I would’ve begged to go to the hibachi restaurant. Now, I just want to go home and curl up in a ball. She used to be sweet, used to be nice. Unless it came to someone telling her about her son. Ryan could do nothing wrong in her eyes. Spoiled shit.

“Ignore her. People like her are always trying to bring others down and blame others for their problems. That horrible boy is probably out running the streets and mommy just can’t find him,” Melissa scoffs as she heads to her office.

Max looks at me, something akin to worry flashes in his eyes. “What was that about?”

“Rebecca Paxley. She came in here asking when Ryan was like I, of all people, have seen him. She said he was at my house a month ago, she said he called her saying I had just gotten home. I never saw him the few times I was there,” I sigh, scanning a barcode and putting the book on the cart to go back out onto the shelves.

“If he was at your house, your neighbor would’ve called the cops. He wanted to call the damn cops on me the morning after I passed out at your place for the first time,” Max said as he leaned against the counter.

“He means well. Billy has just seen some shit and doesn’t trust anyone. He’s a veteran, not sure what war though, he doesn’t talk about it. I don’t blame him, so I don’t ask,” I continue to scan books, thanks to my encounter with the walking dead, I have to rush to get things done before closing time.

Melissa has been really good to me since I came back. She threatened Max about coming and bothering me until her husband came in and gave his seal of approval. Rick was a nice guy, he seemed to care a lot about his officers. I’m thankful that Max has him to watch over him.

“That explains the crotchety ass attitude. Do you know what division?” He asks, with interest. I have one more stack of books to scan in and then I can be done for the night. They could be refiled in the morning.

“I think he was Army. I’m not sure. Like I said, he doesn’t offer the information, and I don’t ask. All I know is he is someone who if the world was ending, I’d go with him,” I chuckle as I scan the last book.

“What about me?” Max asks, pretending to be wounded by my words. I place the last book on the cart and sign out of my computer, clocking out for the evening.

“You know I will trust you to save my life. You’re what two for two now?” I tease him, but I know that it bothers him that he’s even had to save my life once. I lean over the desk and kiss him on the cheek before heading to Melissa’s office. “Hey, I’m done for the evening. Do you need anything before I head out? All the doors at the back of the building are locked and secured.”

“Rick will be coming through the door any minute now to double and triple check all the locks and to make sure I am safe. I called him after Mrs. Paxley was here. He told me not to let you leave until he got here. I told him Max was here, but he insisted,” Melissa griped as she grabbed her bag and coat from the closet behind her desk.

“I get that, Max is super protective and doesn’t let me leave here without an escort. If I come in with Ally and we carpool, Tony is usually waiting to escort us to our car afterward. It’s annoying being surrounded by alpha males, but I’ll take the peace of mind. My nightmares have been coming less frequently since I started staying at Max’s,” I look over my shoulder at Max goofing around the indie book spotlight table. He is trying to get into my world, he knows I love to read and that I love to dive into books. I’m pretty sure they become my whole identity until I’m done with the series.

“I’m glad he is treating you well. If not I would tell Rick and he would take care of him,” she chuckles as we leave her office. She locks the door with her keys and tucks them into her hand, three keys face out between her fingers. One good punch with her keys like that and any assailant will be on the ground scraped up good.

“Remind me never to scare you outside at night, or any time of day for that matter,” I laugh as I grab my things from the locker outside her office door.

“I’m married to a police captain, if I didn’t know how to defend myself he would be disappointed in me dear,” Melissa closed out the last computer as Rick came through the front doors. “Perfect timing, were all ready to lock up and go home.” She gave him a kiss as he pulled her into a hug. Max came over to stand next to me, draping an arm around my shoulder and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“I heard Rebecca Paxley came in and got in your face,” Rick said, looking past where Max and I stood. “She called and made a complaint with the department saying you did something to her son. The judge, however, said that if Ryan was on your property and someone did something to him, it’s not on you.”

“Why would anyone think it was on her or that something happened to him? Whose to say he didn’t get drunk and do something stupid,” Max chimes in as we all head for the front door.

“His mother is a paranoid woman and thinks someone is going to take her son away from her permanently. Megan I wouldn’t blame you if you did do something,” Rick states, guarding Melissa’s back as she locks up the door.

“I haven’t heard from Ryan. She’s saying he was at my house, but I’ve basically been living at Max’s house for the last month. I don’t know what she wants from me, nor do I care,” I whine. “I just want this man out of my life!”

“We get that more than you might think,” Rick says, entwining his fingers into Melissa’s. It was a sweet gesture. Max grabbed my large canvas bag from my arm and slung it over his shoulder. It just had books and some self-defense weapons. I never left the house without my taser and my knife anymore. “People call saying their kids haven’t returned home and the last known place their kids said they would be, wasn’t the place they actually went. It’s common.”

“You’re saying he wasn’t at my place?” I ask as we head toward our cars.

“I’m saying, his ankle monitor still places him at his uncles. His mother was told this, yet she still says he is missing. Which leads me to believe a few things. One he tampered with the monitor and is walking around without it, which means she knows he doesn’t have it on since she’s doubling down on his story. Two, he is at the uncles house and just doesn’t want to answer the phone. Or my instinct could be wrong, and he may have been stalking you. Which if that’s the case and his mother knew he was there and didn’t report it, makes her liable as well.” He listed off a few things that I already had an idea on. Ryan wasn’t stupid, he knew how to get out of trouble the illegal way just as much as his parents could pay for the trouble to vanish the legal way.

“There was a figure before Sandra’s attack that was pounding on my door one night. I haven’t thought about it since it only happened once, but what if that was him?!” I startle, panic slowly creeping back into my heart.

“Did you make a report?” Rick asks as he opens the door for Melissa, trying to usher her into the car.

“She didn’t, I did. I was on the phone with her when it happened, I chased whoever it was off. They hopped into a car and took off. I put everything in a report that night,” Max offers, opening the car door for me as well.

---