Page 5 of Sour Layer

“You’d know if you ever came to Sunday dinners,” Milly retorted as Clark pushed the elevator button to the third floor. The elevator doors slid open, and Milly stepped inside with him. “Tell me why you’re here, or I’ll tell Mom what really happened with you and Dexter.”

Clark jabbed the button until the doors slid closed and it began to move.

“You’ll know soon enough.” The elevator dinged when it arrived on the third floor. He frowned at Milly as she followed him out of the lift and down the hall toward the nurse’s station. Dexter was wearing his scrubs like he’d just come out of surgery and was behind the desk discussing a chart as they approached.

Dexter glanced up. A look of confusion clouded his eyes. Clark had seen that look several times in his life. The last time had been when he confronted this Bennett about knocking up his baby sister.

“What is he doing here?” Dexter asked Milly instead of addressing Clark.

“Official business is all he’d tell me,” Milly said.

“You can’t arrest me for marrying your sister, no matter how many times you try,” Dexter said, handing off the chart and rounding the desk.

“We need to talk someplace in private,” Clark said, lifting a brow in challenge.

Dexter kissed Milly and took her by the hand, leading her down the hall toward his office.

Clark clenched his fists, fighting the urge to hit the SOB again. For an entire year Dexter had been dating Milly behind his back. An entire year and neither of them had said a damn word until he’d gotten her pregnant.

Dexter led them all into his office and shut the door. He didn’t sit. Smart guy. Last time he’d been cornered when he told Clark that he and Milly had run off and gotten married.

A picture of the happy couple was framed on Dexter’s desk right next to the picture of Milly holding Charlotte swaddled in a pink blanket when she’d been born. Charlotte and Milly were the only things that mattered. They were the reason Clark had driven the distance to see his one-time best friend.

“What’s this about?”

“We had a tourist today.”

“And?” Dexter’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed, but he kept his arms loose by his sides like he had in high school whenever someone was ready to fight.

“She shares your last name. She’s in town looking for Maxine Bennett’s descendants. I’m here as a courtesy because my sister married your sorry ass and the last thing I want is for Milly and Charlotte to get in the middle of your family-feud drama.”

“Shit,” Dexter said as he ran a hand through his hair. “What’s her ability, do you know?”

Clark unzipped his jacket and pulled out the article from his pocket. It was the only article on the internet that he could find on the woman. “This is all the weirdness that I’ve found on Mercy Bennett so far.”

She’d survived a lightning strike. He handed it to Dexter.

“From the looks of that, she can manipulate the weather.”

Milly took the article and scanned it. “Or she’s just very lucky and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Milly held the paper up. “We need to give her the benefit of the doubt. We don’t know that theotherBennetts are still holding a grudge. It’s been decades, right?” Milly asked, hopefully.

“I’ll lead her astray. There are half a million people with the last name Bennett. Once she sees that those in town died out, she’ll leave.”

“I hope you’re right,” Milly said.

“But if she finds you and your brothers, then you’ll keep my sister and my niece safe, right?”

“Of course, Clark. Milly is my wife. No one comes before her and Charlotte. Ever. Not even you.”

“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said to me in years.” Clark opened the door and paused. “I’ll run her off. You warn your brothers she’s here just in case, but don’t come to town. You hear me. I’ll show her the graves and send her on her way.”

“What if someone in town tells her the truth?” Milly asked, holding her hand to her chest as if to stop her heart from escaping.

“Everyone in town knows better. They know what they’ll lose, and trust me, the last thing they’ll ever do is run off the only healer in town. They’ll keep the secret, just like they have for centuries.”

Clark walked out without a backward glance. If Dexter screwed this up, Clark just might have a reason to shoot the bastard this time.

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