Page 108 of Recipe for Rivals

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“No, but I’m hoping it will be.” He looked like he wanted to say more. We wove through the crowds together and funneled outside. The football field was still crawling with people. Desi called Travis’s phone, but it still took a while to find him. Once we did, Dusty offered his hand. “How’s it going, man?”

Travis shook it. His red hair looked vibrant under the floodlights. “Good.”

They seemed a little stiff.

Desi noticed the same thing. She raised her sleek blonde eyebrows. “You in trouble, Dusty?”

“No, not me.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and glancedaround, satisfied we were far enough away from other people to talk freely. “One of my boys. I think he’s getting knocked around at home.”

Travis’s face darkened, his mouth tightening. “Do you have proof?”

“Besides bruises? I don’t know. I want to know what my options are, mostly. The dad just got out of jail.”

“Does the kid live with his mom? The parents divorced?”

“Mom’s long gone. Kid lives with the grandma. They put a restraining order on the dad a few years ago. Is that enough to take him in?”

Travis folded his arms over his chest, planting his feet. “It is, if they renewed it. When was it filed?”

Dusty’s face fell. “No idea.”

“Who’s the kid?”

There was only a slight hesitation before Dusty said, “Brody McAllister.”

Travis nodded. “They renewed. The dad’s out of jail, then? I know Patty was in the courthouse late last year making sure it was still valid.”

So she was worried she would need the restraining order, then. That made my stomach sick. I wanted to find that boy, pull him into my arms, and give him the longest hug. “What can we do?” I asked.

Dusty looked sharply at me. “You aren’t going near them. The man is violent.”

I didn’t want to jump into an altercation, but I wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing.

“Can you come with me now?” Dusty asked Travis. “If we take him by surprise, you can catch him breaking the restraining order.”

“I’d better call Hank. We need someone on duty. But yeah, I’ll come.” He looked at his wife. “You okay if I take off, babe?”

“Of course,” Desi said without hesitation.

Dusty looked at me with the same question.

“I’ll stay in the truck,” I promised. “But let me come.” I cared about Brody too, and I couldn’t just sit here and wait.

He hesitated. “Okay. Let’s go.”

We went straight for Dusty’s big black truck, but Travis took a detour and met us there. I climbed in the back seat, and the men took the front, discussing their options. Travis made a phone call and spoke to someone about the situation for a minute. Dusty watched me in the rearview mirror, his eyebrows pulling together.

“We can’t go in guns blazing,” Travis said, putting his phone away. “The guy just got out, so he won’t go back in easily.”

I was guessing he meant jail.

“How long can you put him away for this time?” Dusty asked.

“If we can prove abuse, this just became a felony,” Travis said. He let out a breath. “Not my favorite part of the job.”

“Can Brody stay with his grandma?” I asked.

---