Page 26 of Those Who Are Bound

“Why Elliott?”

Elliott nodded. Somehow, she knew exactly what he meant. “Appreciation. Loyalty.”

The waitress appeared with their food, setting the plates in front of them, assuring them she’d refill their coffee cups as she looked over at Elliott and asked, “You gonna be able to eat all that, honey?”

Elliott looked over at Jonah, and they shared a laugh.She was thrilled that they already had an inside joke over the challenge. She responded, “Yes, ma’am.”

After everything was sorted, Jonah redirected her back to her name. “Your parents named you after someone out of appreciation for what?”

Elliott had scooped up a hearty serving of eggs and was chewing it as she watched him. She held up a finger until she swallowed. Self-consciously wiping a corner of her mouth with her thumb, gaining his sharpened attention there, she answered, “The original Elliott saved my mother in a car wreck. She was five months pregnant with me.”

Jonah’s eyes widened slightly.“Was she hurt badly?”

“From what I understand, yes.” The story had been told over and over her entire life, so she recited it more out of rote than anything else. “It was here, in Kansas City; Mom was driving home from work in an ice storm. She hit a patch of ice, spun out; a pickup truck hit her and knocked her into the ditch, rolling the car a couple of times down an incline.

“The truck driver ended up on the opposite side, against the concrete barrier; he called it in although he was hurt, too, and trapped. The officers on the scene were Officer Tom Polanski and Officer Elliott Beckman. They split up; Officer Polanski went to the truck driver and Officer Beckman to my mom.”

The waitress appeared and refilled their coffees. Elliott automatically reached for the creamer cups to doctor her freshly poured brew.

“My mom was in and out of consciousness, bleeding with a head wound—in shock. The story goes, as he was extracting her, she kept telling him to save her baby. He frantically looked for a baby in the car, but there were no car seats, etcetera.” Elliott shrugged. “He finally got her out, realized that she waspregnant, and told her that her baby would be okay.

“Anyway, in her panic and shock and hysteria, she made him make so many promises, poor guy.” Elliott smiled. “Promises like, ‘if I die, take care of my baby,’ and so on. He kept assuring her that she wasn’t going to die, that he wasn’t going to allow it, that he was getting her to the hospital. He didn’t point out that if she died, I would die with her.

“She clung to him, even when the ambulance arrived; he’d used his own coat to keep her warm and had held on to her. Because they had bonded so quickly, and he wanted to be sure I was okay”—she patted her own belly—“he visited her in the hospital after his shift. Mom swore to her hero that she would name the baby after him.

“Dad was active at the time, and couldn’t get back. Mom was released and put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. It was Becks—Elliott—who came by and took care of her and Gage, practically taking on a family, which was commendable. He’d only been twenty-two at the time.I think it was his first real crisis on the job, and he hadn’t learned yet how to distance himself; he hasn’t collected other families since that I’m aware of.”

“Her guardian angel—and yours.”

Elliott shrugged noncommittally, dismissing the notion. “He probably wanted to ensure his legacy. But I turned out to be a girl. That didn’t matter to my folks—they kept their word. So, here I am, Elliott Kristine.”

“And happy it wasn’t Officer Tom. You don’t look like a Tom.”

Elliott chuckled. “Precisely.”

“Are you still in touch with him? Officer Elliott?”

Her gaze dropped again as she stabbed at her biscuits and gravy. “Yeah. He’s a detective now, in DC.”

Jonah put it together. “The family friend who hung the heavy bag for you.”

Without looking up or pausing in feeding herself, Elliott nodded.

He ventured, “This is more Lucy’s area, but how long has the event space been closed?”

Elliott wondered why he was curious but answered easily, glad he’d moved on. “Only a few months. Donna, the previous planner, moved to Chicago. I tried to give it a go on my own, but it isn’t my thing. Gage was outgoing; he was the charmer. When Gage was around, that space was a non-stop party.”

“Why an event space?”

The question threw her; it was a good one. How many prior service marines opened an event space that catered to weddings and bar mitzvahs? But she answered, “He liked seeing people happy, and he liked being a part of that—and he loved a good party.”Because he’d seen so much horror; he was trying to find his balance.

The question again of how he died was hanging in the air, but thankfully Jonah left it there, not asking. Instead, he indicated to her plate, which was cleared of the eggs and most of the biscuits and gravy. “I’m impressed.”

“I’m not finished,” she said, tackling the country-fried steak.

“I see that.”

She chuckled. She hadn’t smiled or laughed this much in years. It felt good.

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