Page 2 of Her Redeemed Protector

The boy dives behind me, clutching at my legs.

“Are these the men who took you?” I whisper to the boy.

“Uh-uh,” he replies, shaking his head.

I realize my gun might terrify the poor boy—maybe the two men staring at me know that, too. Damn, they look calm. I holster my Glock, never taking my eyes off them, and keep my body between them and the boy.

“Barry, are you okay there, buddy?” the first man says, trying to see past me to check on the boy. “I’m Sam. Your mother sent me.”

I feel movement behind me. The boy, Barry, is clearly torn about whether to go to him. But he decides to stay with me.

The man adds, “We’re working with the police. You’ll be safe with us.”

Meanwhile, his partner, a younger guy, is already on the phone, his eyes flicking between us. He’s giving a quick, concise report, and the word ‘captain’ catches my ear. These guys aren’t just anyone. They’re military, or at least ex-military, like me.

“My name is Huxley Cometti. I found the boy dartingacross the road and stopped to help. I’m headed to start my job at Wings Security. Call them if you need to verify,” I explain to the first man.

The distant wail of a siren pierces the tense silence. The younger man, identifiable by his lighter complexion and composed demeanor, finishes his call with ‘the captain,’ whom I now believe is part of the Helena PD. He immediately dials another number and puts the call on speaker. Turning to the boy with compassionate eyes, he says, “Barry, it’s your mom.”

A frantic voice bursts through the speaker. “Barry? Barry, honey, is that you?”

“Mom?” Barry’s eyes light up. He creeps sideways, eager to reach the phone and hear her voice more clearly.

I release my protective grip, allowing Barry to go and answer the phone. The younger man steps forward and scoops the boy into his arms just as the first of the police and paramedics arrive.

The man who’s been talking to me extends his arm, offering a handshake. “Thanks for saving him,” he says sincerely. “My name’s Sam Kelleher.”

I grasp his hand, shaking it. “Huxley Cometti,” I respond.

“And that’s my partner, Mark Connor,” Sam adds, nodding toward the other man. Mark is busy comforting Barry. His broad shoulders are slightly hunched as he leans close to the boy, murmuring to him. Barry slowly nods after each sentence, gradually loosening his grip on the big man. After one final, decisive nod from Barry, Mark hands the boy over to the paramedics and begins briefing the police on the situation.

Sam adds, “He and I are Red Mark, a company specializing in rescuing missing children.”

“The boy said he’d been kept in a house just over that hill.” I point to the other side of the road.

“The Powell County Sheriff is on it. I’m sure those bastards are already in custody,” Sam replies. “You said you were on your way to work?”

“First day, private security in Helena,” I reveal, studying him. It takes a SEAL to know one, and for a few seconds, we share a knowing glance.

“Private security, huh? Your calling?” he asks nonchalantly.

“Pays the bills, keeps me out of trouble, and comes with a free jacket,” I quip, eyeing Barry, still snug in my company uniform and gripping the zipper tightly.

Mark joins us, his expression calm but alert. “Everything okay here?”

“Yeah,” Sam replies. “This is Huxley Cometti.”

“Mark Connor,” he nods, shaking my hand firmly. “Barry seemed to trust you.”

“I was the only one here,” I reply.

“Still. He trusted you,” Mark says, his tone appreciative. “And that trust saved your skin. If we hadn’t noticed it, you’d have been toast the moment you pulled your Glock on us.”

Sam looks at me. “So you work for Wings Security, didn’t you say? Feels like a waste of talent to join a company supplying personnel to banks and shops. You’re more than that. You were military, weren’t you?” The question finally comes out, direct and probing.

“Naval Special Warfare, Group One,” I respond, watching his reaction. He knows exactly what that means.

“Make that two of us,” he replies, a hint of pride in his voice. He’s older than me, and even though he came from the same NSW Group, I’m guessing he deployed to the Middle East during the peak of the Afghanistan conflict. My experience, on the other hand, was in Central and South America.

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