Page 30 of Complicated Past

Clara gave a head nod of approval.

“What would Grandma Ruby say?” Clara smiled like the Cheshire cat at Kendra before Linc even made it from the area.

“About what?”

“Right.” Clara laughed. “I saw you touch his arm and the way you looked at him. I can’t say I blame you. He’s yummy.”

“You’re married.To my cousin,” Kendra deflected.

“I’m married, not blind. And, if I weren’t married, I’d be finding a way to handcuff him to a?—”

“Ido notneed to hear more.” Kendra held up a hand. “Yes, I like him,” she admitted. “But with this situation, the timing is hardly ideal. We’ll see what happens after he finishes his deployment. So, you don’t need to be saying anything to Grandma Ruby.”

“I won’t. He may get on my nerves by inserting himself into this investigation, but I admire his dedication. And he’s wicked smart.”

“He’s also great with this nephew.” Which was even more appealing than his looks and intelligence. If Bri landed in prison—or worse—would Linc be up to the task of being a full-time caregiver to Jalen.? From everything she’d witnessed, he would, and he’d been quite adamant that he didn’t want Jalen going into foster care or being adopted. What would it mean for his career in the Army? Even though it might appease Grandma Ruby if Linc left the Army, for his sake, and Bri’s and Jalen’s, she hoped they’d get information from Mrs. Feldman that would lead to Bri getting home safely.

“I know Grandma Ruby has her rules, but from what I’ve heard and seen, she’s got a type, and I think it’s moreherbad taste in men than the fact some of them happened to be in the military,” Clara speculated.

“Her type?” A bud of hope sprouted in Kendra’s chest.

“Haven’t you noticed she goes for the anti-heroes in movies? And she reads motorcycle club and mafia romances?”

“So?” Kendra hadn’t thought about it from the perspective of Ruby’s attraction to men.

“You always do look for the best in people. I think it’s your superpower.” Clara laughed. “My job makes me more jaded and notice the not-so-best. It’s like Ruby thinks love can redeem the bad boy—which isn’t usually the case in real life. She once asked me if I could dig up information on some men she once knew.” Innuendo laced Clara’s voice. “She couldn’t find them on Facebook or the internet and thought I might have better luck.”

“Did you?” Kendra’s interest was piqued. She’d only heard stories about Ruby and the three military men in her life.

“I found one. He’d served six months in jail for stabbing someone in a bar fight. Even after I told her that, she wanted to know if I had an address for him.”

“No.”

“I didn’t give it to her, but make sure she doesn’t get involved in some prison ministry writing letters because I can see where that might go.”

The two laughed, and Kendra mulled over Clara’s point that Grandma Ruby had poor judgment in men. While she’d made a mistake with Don, that didn’t mean she was doomed to make the same mistake by dating another man in the military. Maybe Grandma Ruby needed to accept her share of the blame and butt out of other people’s love lives.

There’d beenno way to eavesdrop without them knowing, so Linc kept walking after overhearing Clara mention their Grandma Ruby. It didn’t surprise him that not much got past the detective. And even as an in-law, that Clara knew about Ruby disapproval of military men showed it was serious.

Clara had stated Kendra was a rule follower. That likely meant they’d go on a few dates, and that would be the end, like most of his relationships. He didn’t have a problem being exclusive, but when the where-do-you-see-this-relationship-going question inevitably came up, that was typically the beginning of the end—if nottheend.

Since he didn’t want anyone to feel the sting of rejection he’d experienced over and over, he let them make the call. Sometimes, he sped the end along rather than let things get complicated with too many feelings, leading to wanting things he couldn’t have. If he could offer a woman more than short-term, it would be with someone like Kendra. Except her family wouldn’t be on board for them being together. Since she was aware of that, maybe she was looking for something casual—or wanted to take another step in healing from her assault.

Outside the hospital, dark rain clouds hung low in the sky, fitting his mood. While he doubted anyone would show up for this Malloy guy, Linc still made sure no one was within earshot when he gave an update to Walt, who assured him Jalen was still having a great time. “He needs a sibling or some cousins,” Walt teased.

“I’ll bring that up to Bri when we get her back,” Linc tried to stay positive. Walt was right. It certainly made life better that he and Bri had each other until they were separated. Because of their ages, he hadn’t formed tight bonds with his foster siblings, and they never stayed together long enough to feel like family. Jalen needed a family.

Please let Regina know something useful.

Kendra and Clara flashed guilty smiles when he rejoined them in the waiting room. He didn’t need to ask if they’d been talking about him.

“Is Jalen all right?” Kendra asked.

“Yeah. Plan is for him to stay with the Shulers. That way, I can head to Mexico once we know where Bri is. Have you heard anything from the team searching the house or credit card charges for hotels?” he asked Clara.

“Not yet. And you need to let the authorities handle this or you could both end up in jail—or the hands of the cartel. I do not have the authority to get you out.”

“I know that.” If only his team were here, he’d have backup to avoid both of those possibilities. But he could do this on his own. He could handle Tawnya. Even without a passport, he could get Bri out of Mexico if he had to. He just needed her location.

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