Silent Protector. Barbara Phinney

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СКАЧАТЬ His blue eyes, flecked with white, matched the water beyond the trees perfectly.

      There was more than just this feeling of security here. In his eyes, she could so easily see an inner strength, a complete and utter belief that he was doing the right thing.

      Everything a Christian woman might want in a man.

      No. She wasn’t going down that path. She’d already seen what he was really like. Pastor or not, he was also a federal agent, and his only reason for wanting Charlie here was to extract a statement from him. This whole scenario was far too much of a strain on Charlie’s emotional health. The poor boy had just suffered a terrible loss. She wouldn’t gamble with his emotions because she had some misguided attraction to this man.

      He shot her a serious look before testing and assembling his gun, the kind of look the strong, silent type offered.

      But, oh, to have even an ounce of such confidence, such inner strength. Charlie would benefit so much from that in her.

      “We need to learn to release our children so they can learn from others,” he finally said, all the while working on his gun. “And we need to step up to bat to do our part when others release their children.”

      She struggled to snap out of her admiration. “Yes, I agree. Ask not what your country can do for you. I get it. But this is not Charlie’s community. Here, he’s just a lonely little boy who needs his loved ones.”

      “He needs a community. Especially if the people who are raising him aren’t where others are. Spiritually speaking, that is.”

      She dropped her arms to her sides and stiffened. What did he just say? Well, enough was enough. She’d accept the fact that Ian was once a U.S. Marshal who’d taken on this one last assignment. And she’d accept the fact he’d come here to start a church and implement a new antipoverty program and that he obviously felt he could do both, all with admirable confidence.

      But she wouldn’t accept a man she’d just met telling her that she was spiritually immature and needed to release her nephew to others so that he could grow in faith. That was stepping over the line.

      “I’ve heard enough,” she announced. “You haven’t convinced me that Charlie is better off here. All you want is his statement and to train him to present it in such a way that you’ll get your killer. Well, nowadays there’s enough forensic science to convict the killer, and that’s usually more convincing than anything else is. Let the police use that to find whoever killed his father, not Charlie.”

      “I’m only thinking of his safety.”

      “No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be quoting pat sayings and psychobabble. I’m thinking of his emotional health because that’s just as important as his safety.” She gave a frustrated sigh. “And you say you want him physically safe? Do you know anything about him? His health? What if he needs a particular medication? Has he ever had any vaccinations? What about his schooling? I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that Jerry wasn’t big on public schooling. And has Charlie even been wearing a hat in the sun?”

      She’d fired off the barrage of questions without taking a breath. Finally, drawing in air, she noticed Ian’s passive expression and wondered if it was just a trained act against people who confronted him. “All you want is an airtight case against a killer who may have a good lawyer.”

      He wet his lips, and she found herself watching the action closely. Good grief, why was she so physically aware of him?

      “First up,” he finally said, “you’re right, I don’t know about his health.”

      He lowered his eyes, deep in thought. His mouth twisted ever so slightly as he worked his jaw. Again, she felt the tug of his good looks. Forget that. For all she knew, this was part and parcel of some well-schooled passiveness he’d taught himself. A subtle charm saved only for women—to get what he wanted.

      “Secondly,” he continued, “he owns a hat but has lost it three times in two days. Each time, Elsie or I have gone in search of it. But this time we’re making Charlie look for it. Elsie thinks he’s hiding it.”

      She shook her head and cut in, “Regardless, you’ve brought him to one of the hottest parts of the country and he’s not used to the heat. You know nothing about him or his health! Is that wise? Or good for him?”

      “While you’d take him back up north now, right back into the very heart of the danger. You don’t know what kind of people you’re dealing with. Nor do you realize that your coming here may have compromised Charlie’s safety.”

      “I knew my brother-in-law a lot longer than any of the police. I knew what he was in to and how he manipulated people. He was planning to extort money from me using Charlie, and I knew he was selling drugs and would love to make a quick million dollars. I can keep Charlie safe from people like him. Besides, I found Charlie using simple logic. What’s stopping others from doing the same?”

      “Only if they talked to Charlie. Or followed you. It’s that I’m afraid of. Thankfully, Charlie only used the phone once.” Ian then pursed his lips, stopping his words as though something else had occurred to him. With a heavy sigh, he stood and pushed the chair into the desk.

      Behind him, the door to the clinic opened slowly. Hearing it, Ian shoved Liz behind him. His hand reached behind his back to free up his weapon.

      He had his gun out before Charlie could completely enter into the room. The boy’s eyes went wide and he scurried behind Monica, who was coming in right behind him carrying a tray of snacks. She jumped when she saw the gun, and the glasses rattled together.

      Immediately, Ian slipped the weapon out of sight.

      Stricken, Charlie raced over to Liz. As well intentioned as Ian MacNeal wanted to seem, and as incredibly engaging as he might appear, with his position of pastor and his outward care for Charlie, there was no way, Liz decided, that she was going to get herself mixed up with him. He was exactly what Charlie didn’t need in his life—another man with a gun. Charlie didn’t need the extra stress.

      And nor did she need a man who could so easily move from compassionate Christian to cold-blooded bodyguard in a blink of an eye.

      Her sister had been fooled by Jerry, who’d gone from charmer to drug dealer that quickly. Those kind of chameleon men only hurt women like her who trusted people.

      The sooner she and Charlie left the island, the better. Except getting past Ian, the man with a gun, wasn’t going to be easy.

      FOUR

      Ten minutes later, after he called his supervisor and detailed what had happened, Ian called the local police to say an ambulance wasn’t needed. Liz listened as he stated briefly that she’d been sideswiped by a car that roared up out of nowhere, just at the start of the causeway. Nothing more, she noted, saying as little as possible.

      Within an hour, the police arrived, and together with the two officers, they returned to the causeway to stare into the murky water of the blocked-off strait.

      “Why were you coming over this causeway, when you said you noticed that it was under construction?” the bigger officer asked Liz.

      “The concrete blocks were at the side. There was only one sign that said Construction Ahead. It didn’t say that the road was closed.”

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