Embattled Minds (Military Romance) (Lost And Found Series) Page 16

  “My boss spoke to the judge this morning, before he went to court.”

  Lora exhaled softly. “I guess I have to thank you again.”

  Chad shook his head as he glanced behind him to shift lanes. “We didn’t do this for thanks. We realized we were on the wrong side too late, so we’re trying to amend the situation. That’s why I need to talk to you about a few things.”

  “What things?” her voice was wary, and he had to wonder if she was leery of everything anymore.

  “Well, if you don’t have a place to stay, we’re going to assign a couple of people to keep an eye on you for a while.”

  “The hell you say!”

  Chad glanced at her. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her face was livid.

  He forced his voice to stay calm. “Let me tell you why.”

  She eased back in the seat. “I don’t want more people watching me.”

  “I know you don’t, but what about your daughter? You can’t be with her twenty-four seven. And from what we were told when Derek hired us, he wants his girl back.”

  Lora barked out a laugh. “No, he doesn’t want her. His mother does. She’s the one driving him.”

  Chad thought she was right. Mrs. Malone had come to the original interview, and had supplied several of the ‘facts’ about Lora’s unsuitability as a parent. “Well, regardless of who wants him, your child is definitely at risk.”

  She was quiet for a long time. Chad could feel the anger radiating off of her, but it couldn’t be helped. The girl had to be protected.

  “How long do you think you’ll have to watch us?”

  Chad sighed, flicking the turn signal to the right. “Honestly, I don’t know. He has to go to court for this assault, and hopefully he’ll get time for it. But his mother may continue to pursue guardianship. I think the best thing you can do is exactly what you’ve been doing; keeping your nose clean and providing a safe environment for Mercedes. Unless you have a boatload of money hidden away that you can tap to completely disappear, you’re kind of stuck where you are, dealing with things as they come.”

  Lora knew everything he was telling her was correct, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. Chad watched her literally bite her tongue not to argue.

  “Do you think he’ll get time for this?” She waved a hand at her face and casted wrist.

  The investigator shrugged, swinging the wheel with one hand. “If we have anything to say about it he will.”

  He tossed a her rogue-ish grin, startling her with his charm. If she’d been any other woman, he would have appealed to her.

  Lora stared out the window. Her face throbbed, but she knew she wasn’t going to use the pain killers in her purse. She’d taken them because it was more expedient that arguing with the doctor. Derek was known to show up at inopportune times, p.o. or not, and she couldn’t risk Mercedes’s safety for her comfort.

  The thought of having people follow her deliberately, with her knowledge, sickened her. It defeated everything she had worked for to get away from Derek. During their marriage, she had endured bodyguards everywhere, watching them do everything. Derek was used to it; he’d grown up that way. But to Lora it had been humiliating. None of them had ever stepped in when Derek had beaten her, and their sly glances afterwards told her they would do the same if they ever got the chance.

  Growing up, she’d been taught to be independent. And now, the thought of giving up that independence was abhorrent to her. But she would do it. For the sake of her child, she would do it.

  “Okay. We’ll accept your help. For now.”

  The investigator, Chad, nodded, as though he had known what her answer would be. “We’ll try to be as unobtrusive as possible, but if anything seems out of the ordinary we will make ourselves know, so you may want to say something to Mercedes. I don’t know what you’ve told her about your situation, but you may want to think about having a little talk with her. She’s going to ask questions anyway when she sees you.”

  Lora sighed at the thought of explaining everything to Mercedes. She was already protective of her. She’d started to show signs of anxiety, not eating correctly and coming into her room at night. Lora knew she fed off of her worries, which made her guilt all the heavier to bear. It was a vicious cycle.

  Look for Embattled Home Late 2013!