Page 20 of Shielding Maya

Marni nodded.

"Did you take your dad's cell phone back home?"

"Yes."

"And, does your dad have it with him today?"

"No."

"Okay." Maya thought a moment. She didn't want to go back on her word and tell Marni's parents, but she sure did need to see that cell phone.

Maya stood and heaved out a deep breath. She looked at the area where the senator had hidden, kicked at the grass around the area hoping to find the recording, then turned to Marni.

"So, I have a little bit of a problem. I don't want to tell your parents about the phone, but I do need to see the phone. Did the senator tell you about anything else?"

Marni's bottom lip quivered, but Maya kneeled down close to her again and hugged her. Marni let Maya hug her and reached her little arm out and hugged Maya back.

"Okay. So, let me ask you this. Can I tell Jasiah? Maybe he has a way to help."

"Will he tell my parents?"

"Not if I ask him to keep the secret first. What do you think of that?"

Marni waited for a while then her head slowly nodded. Maya's heart broke for this little girl. She'd seen a man murdered. Stolen her father's phone for him to use. And...

"Marni, did you tell your parents that you saw Senator Jackson get shot?"

Marni shook her little head.

13

Jasiah left his parents' home. His stomach was twisted, and his mind whirled with all this new news. The anger that threatened to bubble to the surface at not knowing about his father's diagnosis, and the fact they'd held that information from him never seemed to make it to the surface. Did it matter? Would it have changed anything? Only that he knew there wasn't anything doctors could do for his father, and the anger Jasiah felt about his father not seeking help.

But, all the other events that had taken place since the night Craig died, would have happened anyway. Maybe the timing would have been different, but the events would be the same.

He strode across the common area, his eyes landing on Maya's Jeep still parked where it had been all morning. He looked toward Zara's cabin, decided against knocking on her door. That wouldn't do any good for her or him. Adam Jacobs wasn't a man to test. Their past skirmishes had left them both aware the other wouldn't be taken down easily. But, an uneasy truce had been in place for years.

Inhaling a lung full of air, he turned toward the road and stomped down toward where he'd seen Marni and Maya talking earlier.

He focused on his breathing, slow and steady. He'd process this information tonight when he was alone.

He heard their footsteps on the floor of the woods before he saw them. Slowing his pace he waited until they appeared in the clearing near the edge of the woods. Several steps away from where he stood, they stepped onto the road. Maya smiled at him when she saw him.

He closed the distance between them. His eyes landed on Maya's hair. Leaves, dried brush and something that looked like a smashed berry hung from her hair.

He reached forward and pulled a couple of the offending fauna off her hair and dropped them to the ground. She chuckled. "The brush is thick in spots."

He grinned then looked at Marni. "Marni doesn't have stuff hanging from her hair."

Maya looked down at Marni and grinned. "Marni is smaller than me, and knows her way around the woods."

Marni grinned and his heart filled for her. Marni's life was less than it could be. He knew her father spent little time with her and her mother, well, that was an issue they'd spat about over and over.

Turning his gaze back to Maya he took in her eyes. The dark brown sparkled with life. Her skin was perfect. Smooth and clear. Her lips were full and he had an urge to touch them to see how soft they were.

Maya stared back at him and his heart thudded. Marni broke the trance he'd fallen into.

"You guys are gross. Mama said it isn't polite to stare."

---