Page 20 of Hunted

He blinked at her a moment then stared straight ahead again, inching forward in the line of traffic. Obviously, it was a sore spot with him, and she wished she could take the question back, but it was too late now. Finally, he said, “Kandahar. During a rescue mission. I was trying to pull a squad mate out of the line of fire when an IED went off.”

“I’m so sorry.” She reached over and put her hand on his thigh. “That must’ve been horrible.”

Clint gave a sad snort. “Worse for my friend. He didn’t make it.”

“I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”

“It’s okay.” He smiled over at her and her whole world brightened. “It was a long time ago. I’ve had time to make peace with it. Shit happens.”

“Yeah, it does.” Leila swallowed hard as they turned into the lot at the day care at last. “I’m still sorry. I know what it’s like to live with the pain of failure. I sometimes feel like I’ll never be enough, you know? Growing up, I saw my father do awful things to my mother, and I was helpless to prevent any of it. That still bothers me. Then the whole sordid mess of my marriage to Mike. God.” She covered her eyes with her free hand and shook her head. “I wonder sometimes if I’m even fit to be a mother, after what I’ve been through, after the choices I’ve made.”

“Hey, stop thinking like that.” He pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine, then undid his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss her gently. “You’re a great mom. Never, ever doubt that. Thomas is a very lucky little boy to have you in his life.”

She leaned her forehead against his. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for everything you went through in your past, everything that hurt you. But I’m not sorry about last night.”

“Me neither. And I don’t regret my past.” He smiled and kissed her again before pulling away. “It’s what made me who I am today and what brought me to you.”

She wanted to ask exactly what he meant by that, but they weren’t ready for that kind of conversation. So she wiped her eyes and checked her reflection in the mirror on the visor before walking into the reception area of the day care with him.

“Hey, Sarah,” Leila said to the woman working the desk. “We’re here to pick up Thomas.”

The older lady stood, a serious expression on her face. “I tried to call you about twenty minutes ago. Someone else tried to pick up Thomas.”

Leila’s blood froze in her veins, and she glanced over at Clint, who’d stiffened as well. “Who?”

“He wouldn’t give his name. He was a big guy, all tatted up.” The woman led them around the desk and back into the locked, secured play area.

“You didn’t?—”

“Of course, we didn’t let him see your son,” the woman reassured her as she swiped her key card and a tiny red light on the door lock switched to green. “But he did ask for Thomas by name. I thought you should know.”

Bile burned the back of Leila’s throat and her feet seemed stuck in cement. As if sensing the chaos now roiling inside her, Clint stepped into the play area and picked up Thomas.

“Thanks for not letting anyone else in,” he said to the woman, then took Leila’s hand and tugged her back toward the front doors. “Have a good evening.”

Leila followed him back out into the parking lot, her mind whirling and her steps clumsy. Obviously, Mike knew where to find Thomas during the day. What would he do with that information? What if Mike took her son? What if he ran off with him and she never saw Thomas again? What if all of her efforts—the shooting lessons, the moves, the security—wasn’t enough? While Clint got Thomas loaded into his car seat, Leila just stood there, frantic.

“I should go,” she whispered.

“We’re leaving now, honey. Please don’t panic. We’ll talk about this when we get home,” Clint said to her over his shoulder. “Get in the truck.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I mean Thomas and I should go. Leave Vegas. Leave the country and go to Puerto Rico to stay with my mom. It would be best for us. Best for you too. We should’ve left as soon as Mike got out of jail.”

Clint finished with Thomas then walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to meet his gaze. “Stop it. You’re not thinking straight. You need to get in the truck and out of the open. Then we need to get back to my place. We’ll talk about all this there, okay?”

Numb, she got into the truck and buckled into her seat. The ride back to his house passed in a blur of terror and self-recrimination. Funny how such an ordinary day could turn on a dime with one appearance from her ex.

The moment all the color had drained from Leila’s beautiful face back there at the day care, Clint’s gut had twisted. This was bad. Very, very bad. He ushered them inside his house and took Thomas from her shaking hands, hoping to calm them both down. Her nervous panic seemed to be rubbing off on the normally good-natured boy, who was now fussing and crying, his little cheeks flushed and damp with tears. “Sit down for a few minutes. Try to relax,” he told Leila.

“Thomas needs me, I should?—”

“I’ve got him. You’re not in this alone,” he said, hoping to reassure her, before he turned his attention to Thomas. “Hey, hey, hey, big guy.” Clint bounced the little boy in his arms as he carried him to the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Because I’m starving.”

Thomas blinked at him, his long dark lashes glittering with moisture and wailed anew. Perfect. So now Clint wasn’t just a failure at keeping them protected. He was a failure with kids too. With a sigh, he put Thomas in his booster chair and gave him some Goldfish to snack on. The food seemed to help since Thomas stopped crying and started to eat. When Clint was satisfied the kid was content, he set about finding something to make them for dinner. Because of the upset at the day care, they hadn’t stopped to pick anything up as he’d originally planned.

Luckily, there was a package of chicken breasts thawed in the fridge and the makings for a salad. There were even a couple of slices of apple pie left over from his favorite local diner, Irma’s Pie House. While he cleaned and prepared the chicken forgrilling, Clint couldn’t help glancing over at Leila every so often. She was slumped down onto the sofa in the living room and was currently staring at the blank TV screen across from her, her expression troubled and her dark eyes sad.

Thomas and I should go…Leave Las Vegas. Leave the country…

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