In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(138)

After a single step toward the driver’s door, he paused. “The stove fire is under control?”

Jules grimaced. “Yes. All that’s left is the cleaning.”

“Have it checked before you try to use it again.” The suggestion came out more as an order, but Jules didn’t look offended. She did appear tired and a little sad as she gave him a forced smile that could have meant anything. Theo was pretty sure it wasn’t the response he wanted, though. “Something could’ve been damaged by the fire, and that thing is ancient. You don’t want to mess around with gas. Have your landlord get it checked.”

“Okay!” Jules held up her hands, palms out, in a gesture of surrender. “I’ll have someone look at it.”

Her promise was too vague to satisfy Theo, but there was nothing he could do except call the stove repairman himself. As much as he wanted to do exactly that, he barely knew this family. They’d never accept his help. With a stiff incline of his head to Jules and her siblings, Theo got into the driver’s seat and started the SUV.

As he eased down the driveway, Theo glanced in the rearview mirror at the family that was watching him leave. He’d expected to feel relief at being away from their agitating presence, but he didn’t.

All he felt was hollow.

*

“I like that dog,” Dez said, watching the SUV disappear around the first curve in the driveway.

So had Jules. The dog’s partner was a different story. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, but “like” was such an inadequate word for what she’d felt. His continued visits to the diner had made most of her initial cop-sighting panic fade. If he’d known what she’d done, what she was hiding, then he’d have arrested her already and the kids would be back with Courtney. Her stomach lurched at the thought.

She’d been shocked to see him in her house, all her fears returning in a crashing wave, and she’d had to shove back the instinctual urge to tackle him and yell at her siblings to run. He’d just been concerned about their oven fire, though. And he’d been worried about her. Contented warmth flowed through her at the thought.

“Jules.” The impatient note in Tio’s voice told her that it wasn’t the first time he’d said her name.

She tore her gaze from the spot where she’d last seen the cop who was a little too fascinating—and around a little too often—for her peace of mind. “Sorry, T. What’s up?”

“Can we go to the library?” he asked. “I’d like to see if someone scanned in an owner’s manual for our stove.”

She nibbled on the inside of her lip as she studied him, her mind working.

“Do you not want me to go to the library?” Tio finally prompted when her silence went on too long.

“No.” She shook off her distracted thoughts. “I mean, I’ll take you. I’m just wondering if it’s irresponsible of me to let you work on the stove. Shouldn’t we have a professional…um, oven person look at it? Like Theo said, gas is nothing to fool around with.”

He gave her a look of mixed condescension and long-suffering patience that sat oddly on his fifteen-year-old face. “I’ll be fine, Jules. I know what I’m doing. At least, I will when I get that manual.” He tilted his head toward the SUV meaningfully.

“Okay.” She headed for the house to grab her keys and lock up, calling over her shoulder, “But if you get blown up, I’m going to be annoyed!”

Sam followed her inside, and she gave him an inquiring look.

“Th-Theo?” he repeated, frowning.

Examining her brother’s extra-tense face, unsure of what, exactly, he was asking her, she said, “The cop who was just here.”

“How d-d-do you know him?”

She grabbed the keys and her purse from the kitchen table they’d found at the thrift store. It was a little small for all of them, and the five chairs didn’t exactly match—either the table or each other—but the set had cost a total of seventeen dollars. With their supply of cash dwindling painfully fast, affordability beat out aesthetics. “I wouldn’t say I know him. He’s at the diner every morning, that’s all.”

“B-but you c-c-call h-him Theo?”

She was still confused. “Yes?”

“Why?”

“Uh…because that’s his name? What else should I call him?”

His fists clenched at his sides. “How ab-b-bout Of-f-ficer? Or G-Guy Who C-C-Can Ar-rest You for K-Kidnapping?”

“Sam.” Her voice was soft, and she resisted the urge to squeeze his arm. As tense as he was, the last thing he’d want was to be touched. “It’s okay. He doesn’t know.”

“M-mayb-b-be.” He closed his eyes for a second as his jaw muscles worked, and she knew he was trying to get his stutter under control. “N-not yet. B-b-but he c-c-could f-find out.”

She stared at him helplessly, unable to deny what he’d said. Theo could find out what she’d done, who they were, everything. “If he does, we’ll run.” It was weak, she knew, but it was all she could say to reassure him.

Sam didn’t look at all reassured. “D-d-d-do you l-like him?”

“What?” The word came out a bit screechy, and she winced inwardly as Sam’s frown deepened. “Of course not. That’d be crazy.”