Page 24 of Jack

“If you’re sure you really want to see it.” Dad releases the file. “I’ll go ahead and tell you. All you’ll find in there are medical records. Lily didn’t know most of it was being recorded. Nina Lowe had eyes on her for months. Every time Lily treated her own injuries, Nina documented it. She took pictures the best she could from a distance. She had a doctor sign off on it every time. Sunday night’s incident is the only one with clear photos and full documentation. Nothing more is in there.”

I nod and place the file on my lap. “She has a black eye.”

“She show you?” Dad asks.

“No.” I clear my throat and shake my head. We all know it’s true.

Dad leans back in his chair. “I’ve spoken with Nina and Lily’s three helpers. Andrew picked her up from the hospital parking garage where she worked with Nina. He delivered her to Gwen in Arizona. Dylan was supposed to meet them in Texas, but he had a family emergency. It was a full day before Shepherd was able to get there.”

Shepherd’s grin fades. All jokes and teasing aside now. “I was the third on the list Gwen called. I left the moment I hung up with her. Gwen needed to get home and was antsy because of the delay. I got there as fast as I could.”

The rest of us nod in understanding. It’s never good to stay more than one night in the same place with an angel. You never know if the abuser found a way to track her and follow them.

Shepherd turns to Dad. “We might want to suggest that our distant female drivers don’t travel alone. It worked out this time, but Gwen has kids. I’d hate to see something happen, and she couldn’t handle it.”

“I’ll reach out to Arizona. Our women are not supposed to travel alone.” Dad taps his fingers on the desk.

This bit of news is unsettling. Dad implemented that rule years ago. It’s rare for a woman to transport the angels. Gwen’s husband should have been with her. And where were their guards? The guards usually go unseen, but at least two other vehicles should have been traveling with them.

Shepherd shifts in his chair to face me again. “There’s no doubt she has a black eye, but she never took the sunglasses off with me. I can’t give you any insights about her. We kept our conversations to random stuff or about the things we saw on the road. She has a kind heart, though. At one stop, she gave her lunch to a homeless man with a dog.” He holds his hand up before I can speak. “Yes. I promise I got her another meal.”

“Jay.” Dad breaks the silence we fell into. “Why don’t you take your cousin to the shop? Show him his job. Get out of here for a while.”

“What?” I slide to the edge of my chair.

“You’re home now. Everybody pulls their weight around here.” Dad nods toward Jay but keeps his eyes on me. “Come Monday, you start working at the garage with Jay.”

“Really?” I glare at Jay. “Nice of you to let me know.”

Jay shrugs. “It was decided five minutes before you barged in the door.”

“Don’t be mad at your cousin.” Dad stands, signaling our meeting is over. “This was my decision. Go to town. Give Lily some breathing room today. If she’s going to break out of her shell, your mom or sisters will be the ones to help her get there.”

There’s no point in arguing with him. Dad has a rule for the younger generation. You either go to school or get a job. Lazy is not allowed around here. Our older guys who’ve put their time in have more leniency. It’s okay. I’ve spent two years without a steady job. Besides, I like working with Jay. We worked at the garage together when we were teens.

Jay gets up and starts walking toward the door. “Come on, cuz. Let’s go make some noise in town.”

Shepherd is right behind him. “I’ll go with you.”

I stand and offer Dad Lily’s unopened file. Like him, I don’t let go when he reaches for it.

“Watch over her?”

Dad nods firmly. “Promise.”

Reluctantly, I follow Jay and Shepherd outside to our bikes in the side parking lot. I don’t want to leave, but Mom’s not going to let me get anywhere near Lily right now.

Shepherd grabs the helmet off the bike between mine and Jay’s. That’s his helmet but not his bike. He brought Lily here last night. I glance around the lot. Sure enough, Shepherd’s Ford pickup is in the corner space.

“Who’s bike did you steal?” I don’t recognize this one.

“Jay loaned it to me.”

Jay laughs as he gets on his bike. “I got it off a college kid who had no clue how to ride. His mom made him sell it before he got killed. He had no problem spending more of his daddy’s money on a fancy sports car. Took me three weeks to get all the parts in to straighten her out. Got a couple of guys interested already.”

Jay’s the best mechanic in Willows Creek. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car, truck, or motorcycle. If it has a motor, Jay can fix it.

“I don’t need a tour of the garage, man.” I doubt Jay’s drastically remodeled his place while I was gone.

---