Under the Marshal's Protection. Kathleen Tailer

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СКАЧАТЬ softly. “Believe it or not, Michael started out as a really good kid.”

      “What happened?” He knew a lot of Blake’s background from the file, but it couldn’t hurt to get his sister’s side of things. In fact, he might just learn something important about his quarry.

      “What happened is that my parents both died in a terrible accident and I was left to raise Michael. I did my best to give him a Christian home with Christian values. But somewhere during his high school years, I must have messed it up. Michael got in with the wrong crowd and started changing. At first he was just staying out too late, but one thing led to another, and he barely managed to graduate. He became sullen and defiant, and the older he got, the less he included me in his life. Then a few days after his commencement, he packed up his car and moved away from Tallahassee. I’ve heard very little from him since.”

      “How many times have you seen him since he moved out?”

      Jessica sighed. “Only twice. He would never tell me much about his life or what was going on with him. Now I guess I know why.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then continued. “I wish I’d had some help, you know? Like an uncle or an aunt to go to for help when his life started to get off track.”

      “You don’t have any extended family?” Dominic asked, even though he already knew the answer.

      “No one.” She bit her bottom lip again and looked away. “Look, Michael has had his share of problems, but even when he turned sullen and secretive, I still always knew he had a good and gentle heart buried down deep inside.”

      Dominic didn’t answer her, so she pressed on. “He’s not a bad man, Marshal. You probably hear that all the time, but it’s true. I know it in here.” She tapped her chest for emphasis. “He must have just gotten mixed up in something bad and not known how to get out of it. He would never hurt someone intentionally. It’s just not in him.”

      Dominic still didn’t answer, and when she spoke again, her voice took on a desperate plea. “I don’t think Michael can survive in prison, even if he was involved with the counterfeiting. I’ve seen the news, and Hollywood is filled with horror stories of what goes on behind bars.” She paused for breath. “How long would he have to stay in prison if he gets convicted?”

      “That all depends on the extent of his involvement and what he can testify to in court,” Dominic answered. “It also depends upon what information he has on that disk. It must be valuable or Coastal wouldn’t be going this far to retrieve it.” He glanced at his passenger and noticed the turmoil that was etched into her face. It was obvious that Michael was in way over his head, and all of a sudden, so was she. This went way beyond teaching history and social science to fifth graders. When she had gotten up this morning, it had probably just been a normal Wednesday. Now her whole life was in shambles and she was filled with fear for herself and her brother. He decided a diversion was in order, and he swung through a drive-thru at the first fast-food restaurant he came across.

      “What would you like? Once we get to the safe house, it may be awhile before we can grab something else.”

      She shook her head. “I’m not that hungry. I’m not even sure I can eat anything right now.”

      Dominic nodded, understanding. Her stomach was probably tied up in knots with worry and stress. “Okay, how about just a chocolate milkshake? That will at least keep you from starving.” He gave her a grin, hoping to reassure her. What woman didn’t like chocolate?

      She hesitated but finally nodded, and he ordered the food, then paid and passed her the shake. He watched her carefully as she took her first sip and had to admit that she was handling everything he had told her today with amazing strength. Despite her negative assessment of her parenting skills, by all accounts Jessica had done a great job of taking care of Michael after their parents had died. She was seven years older than her younger brother and had worked hard to meet his needs, keep a job and put herself through school to earn her degree. According to his research, she had been a fifth grade teacher at the local elementary school for a few years, and apparently she raised and trained horses on the side now and then to supplement her income. Everyone spoke highly of her, and even he found himself admiring her and her accomplishments. Her life could not have been easy. He bowed his head and said a short silent prayer, both for the food, and to ask God to help Jessica persevere, then drove away from the restaurant and continued on his way to the safe house.

      They were a few miles down the road before Jessica spoke again.

      “So you’re a praying man?”

      Dominic nodded. “Yes, I’m a Christian. How about you?”

      Jessica shrugged. “My parents took me to church when I was a kid, and I used to be really strong with my faith. After Michael started having problems, though, I pretty much fell away from it all. I ended up giving up on God since God seemed to have given up on Michael.”

      He took a sip from his drink and looked at her thoughtfully. “How did your parents die?”

      “Car accident. I was nineteen. Michael was twelve. It turned my world upside down.”

      “I bet it did. I’m so sorry,” Dominic said gently, his voice caring. “I know what it’s like to lose a parent. My father died a couple of years ago and I still miss him. I guess I always will.” He took a bite of his sandwich, then another swallow of soda. “Don’t you miss having God in your life?”

      She considered his words for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I haven’t really thought about it in long time. I still pray sometimes, but my heart isn’t always in it.”

      Dominic nodded. “Everyone goes through dry spells. If you ever want to get reconnected, there are some great fellowships here in town.”

      She smiled nervously at his enthusiasm, yet a wave of longing swept over her that took her by surprise. It had been years since she had gone to church on a regular basis, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had cracked open her Bible. She still held on to her beliefs in some small part of her heart, but she hadn’t practiced her faith in years. It had been too hard in the aftermath of losing her parents and watching Michael drift further and further away from her. She’d made up her mind that she wouldn’t need anyone—not even God. But now she was wondering if she’d made the wrong decision. Would some of this mess be easier to bear with faith to see her through?

      “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said softly. She took another sip from her milkshake, surprised that she was even discussing this subject with a virtual stranger. Something about this marshal was approachable and accepting. She usually didn’t feel comfortable talking about her faith with anyone, but for some reason, talking to this man about the subject didn’t make her feel odd. “Let me guess. You’re one of those ‘the glass is half full’ guys, right?”

      Dominic grinned. “How could you tell?”

      She liked his smile. It lit up his entire face and made her feel like everything was going to be okay, even if the opposite was true and everything seemed to be falling to pieces around her. She took another sip, a small peace invading her. “Michael has made some bad choices. Sometimes I get really upset about him and the life he’s chosen, and I feel responsible. What did I do wrong, you know? I tried my best to raise him, but look at him today. He’s a fugitive and, according to you, responsible for putting counterfeit drugs on the market that are hurting people.” She brushed the hair out of her eyes and blinked back tears. “How could he really be involved with something like that? I just don’t know how he could do such a thing.”

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