Page 24 of Complicated Past

“Uh-huh. Cans I spend the night,please?” He drew out the word.

“All right. If you need anything, have Mr. Walt call me.” Linc held the phone further away as the boys squealed.

“Guess you said yes,” Walt said.

“I did, but if he changes his mind in the middle of the night, just call me.”

“I don’t see that happening. I wore these kids out. We spent two hours at the park, and I made them do PT and run drills. If he tells you I shot him, it was with a water pistol, and they both shot me back.”

Linc laughed. “I appreciate you, man. See you tomorrow.” He ended the call and started the car. “Guess we’re free to keep searching for a bit. If you’re done, I can always drop you back at the house.”

She sighed lightly. “I’m good for a while longer.”

“Dinner first, or resume our search?”

“Whatever you think is best.” She looked out the car window.

“We’ll eat and then cruise around. That way, it’ll be dusk or dark in case I need to get up close with another vehicle.” He triedto lighten the mood but didn’t get a response. “I’d love some Chinese food.”

“Sounds good.”

What had he said or done wrong to warrant this sudden aloofness? Did she think Jalen was too young for a sleepover? He had memories of being left alone overnight with Bri when she wasn’t much older. Maybe he should have asked Kendra before committing, but he wouldn’t disappoint Jalen by changing his mind now.

After they ate, they canvassed neighborhoods until depleting the adrenaline and caffeine fueling him. “Let’s call it a night.” He’d catch a few hours of sleep and head out again.

TWELVE

Neither she nor Linc said much on the short drive back to Devin’s house. Rising anxiety jumbled her thoughts even though she practiced her controlled breathing, and she tried to visualize and plan what she’d do once they arrived so she’d be in control.

After Linc parked, they retrieved the bags from the trunk. He unlocked the door and flicked on the lights inside. Setting the bags on the kitchen table, he turned to address her before she could escape to the bedroom. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He gave a gruff semi-laugh and cleared his throat. “I’m not buying that. Do you think Jalen’s too young to sleep over or that he’s unsafe there? Because I?—”

“I’m sure he’s just as safe there or even more so. I wish you’d asked me before making the decision.”

His mouth hung open before he said a soft, “Oh.” He closed his eyes, and his lips disappeared as his head bobbed slightly. “With how you pulled away at lunch, I should have realized . . .”

“Realized what?”

“You’re afraid to be here alone with me. Look, you can trust me,” he continued when she didn’t immediately deny it. “Do you know what happened to Bri?”

“She shared her history when I became her case worker so I could get her plugged into the right resources.” His perceptiveness shocked her into answering. Bri might have shared more with her than Linc even knew about.

“I get it. And you should know I’m the last person who’ll take advantage of you having to be holed up with me here. If there were another option to make sure you were safe andfeltsafe, I wouldn’t make you stay here, but . . . You can lock the bedroom door,” he offered lamely.

She nearly snorted at that. After he picked the lock to Bri’s door in under a minute, she knew a bedroom door lock was in no way a deterrent. “I’ll be all right. Please, don’t take it personally. It’s not you. It’s the situation.” And having lost all control, though, his addressing this let her breathe almost normally again.

“Can I ask a question?”

“Why not?” She braced herself for this to get even more uncomfortable.

“Does this have to do with the soldier you had a bad experience with?”

“It does,” she admitted, since he’d probably know if she lied.

Linc’s expression twisted. Veins on his arms popped as his hands clenched into fists. “The son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I hope you reported him for rape, and his ass was kicked out of the Army.”

---