Protecting What's Mine(112)

The idea wasn’t terrible. In fact, it was kind of exciting.

“We saw how much happier Ellen is with just a couple of lifestyle changes. What if we all made some changes?” Beth asked. “What if all our lives improved?”

“This is a really interesting proposal,” Mack said. “I’m going to think about it for a bit, if that’s okay?”

There were a few smug smiles in the room, and Mack knew that they knew they’d hooked her.





Later, on her way home with a belly full of carrot sticks and baked spring rolls, she dialed Linc.

“Dreamy. Are you on your way home?” His voice pooled like warm honey in her belly. Apparently, her delicious boyfriend wasn’t the only one with excessive sexual needs.

“I am. What do you think of hosting a monthly health and wellness screening at the fire department?” Mack asked him. “Maybe blood pressure and cholesterol checks, flu shots? Throw in some first aid training? We could do it by donation and have the proceeds benefit the fire department.”

“What kind of Ladies’ Night did you go to, Dreamy?”

“One with a PowerPoint and a lot of really convincing ladies.”





55





The mid-November morning air was a refreshing shock to her system as Mack sucked in a lungful. She’d gotten the all-clear from her doctor earlier in the week, and the second thing she thought of when she woke up was lacing up her running shoes.

The first thing was how much she missed waking up with Linc’s arm locked around her waist. She’d slept at her place when he pulled B shift. And it made her think about their living arrangements.

As comfortable as she was in his refurbished gas station dude den, she realized they were going to have to make some decisions. Her rental was too small for a family. And Linc’s place wasn’t much bigger. There were no real bedrooms. Just a sleeping loft.

Now, her feet drummed the pavement in a steady beat next to Aldo’s and Harper’s, and she felt free.

“Is that some kind of bionic leg?” she gasped as they crested a hill on a sleepy residential street. Aldo took pity on her and slowed to a stop.

“It is. It has magic powers,” Harper insisted, drawing in a breath.

“Maybe cut yourself a little break. You’ve been out of commission for two months,” he suggested.

“I’m just saying I’ve got two good legs. I should be kicking your ass.”

“Woman, please.” Aldo snorted.

“It’s Moretta Power.” Harper sighed, rolling her eyes. “He’s superhuman.”

Even at a slow jog, Mack felt a bit superhuman herself. Her physical aches and pains were fading. More importantly, her heart was healing.

They got to the lake where Aldo and Harper peeled off for a trail run. Mack headed back toward home, slowing her pace through quiet neighborhoods.

She wondered what kind of house she and Linc would end up in. Neither of them was the farmhouse with a garden type. And a beigey townhouse that looked just like its neighbors didn’t fit either.

She’d figure it out. They’d figure it out. She adjusted the thought with a little thrill. She’d told Linc everything, and he’d still stood for her. He still loved her. He still wanted her. The miracle of it hadn’t lost its shine yet.

Mack turned onto another street. One mile to go, and she felt warm and loose in the early morning cold.

She felt a tingle between her shoulder blades. A little niggling of warning. Danger.

Carefully, she plucked the earbuds from her ears and made a show of stopping to stretch her calves at the curb. She didn’t see anyone. There weren’t any suspicious cars. No masked criminals looking to cause harm. But still, she felt the familiar tingle.

Was it the other Kersh? Things had been quiet on that front since the vandalism.

She’d check in with the sheriff when she got home. Just to be sure.

She wasn’t in peak physical condition. Not after weeks in an air cast and her most recent bruises and scrapes. But she would never be an easy mark.

Her internal warning system formed out of necessity when she was a child. She learned when her mother was safe to approach and when it was smarter to stay hidden in her room. As she got older, it evolved. It warned her of sketchy guys in dirty bars, and it had signaled a red alert seconds before the chopper carrying her and a patient experienced engine failure, forcing an emergency landing in the desert.

Protocol. Training. Those were what made her a survivor instead of a victim.

She couldn’t be in real danger. Not here in the midst of families waking up, getting ready for school and work. She wasn’t in a war zone anymore. Her life didn’t have to be a delicate balance of life, death, and adrenaline.

She jogged casually toward the tiny park half a block from the middle school. Trees and playground equipment meant cover. A place to hide and observe.

She’d nearly made it to the cedar-chipped playground when she heard a whistle.

“There’s my girl!”

Mack whirled around and bent at the waist in relief as Linc, in jogging pants and a long sleeve tee, grinned at her.

“What are you doing here?”

He held up his watch. “Got off a couple minutes early and thought I’d catch up with my girl.”

“Hi,” she said when he picked her up off her feet and spun her around.