A strange cough of a laugh escaped him and he felt his face warm all the way to his temples. “I don’t think I did anything you should thank me for.” He dropped his chin toward his chest. “I should have called ahead and asked.”
She put her hand on his forearm and gave him a series of little pats, probably trying to reassure him. “It’s something we’re working on. We hope… I don’t know what we hope besides finding a way to help her… move on? Is that the right way to say it?”
“I… I lost my father, ma’am. He was on duty at the time, but he didn’t know he’d walked into an armed robbery at a store. He… his badge was what made the shooter target him. I can’t imagine if I had been your granddaughter’s age and been there at the scene.
“It was bad enough that I was an adult when it happened.”
She nodded and then shook her head. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s always a possibility when we go out on the clock and in uniform. There’s no misunderstanding that working for law enforcement is an inherently dangerous profession. I can’t imagine what Ciela experienced. I wish I could take that memory away from her.”
She nodded and gently lowered her hand from his arm. “You’re very kind.”
He winced a little. His forehead tightening and the skin above his nose between his brows pinched tight. Kind is not the word that people would use to describe him.
He’d heard many other words.
Cold.
Hard.
Unyielding.
He was civil on the job until he’d reached the end of his patience.
He’d never gone over the line.
NEVER.
But he wasn’t a man swayed by a sob story or shameless begging.
“I… I should go. I don’t want to cause her any more… I don’t want to upset her anymore.”
He shook his head. He wasn’t usually so tongue-tied.
“Thank you, Ranger.”
“No need to thank me, ma’am. I am sorry for making her cry.”
She smiled at him, her eyes warm and grateful. “Patricia,” she nodded. “My name is Patricia.”
He stepped back and away from her and crossed to his F-150 that he’d parked at the curb.
Less than a half an hour later,Duval was standing on West’s porch, wondering if he should have called first.
Or if he should contact West at all.
He wasn’t on shift.
This was family time.
Standing there, he lifted his hand up to knock on the door twice and hadn’t managed to actually connect with the wood.
He was a moment away from just turning around and leaving when the front door locks opened and then the door.
Tracy stood there with a soft smile on her face. “Come on in.”
He hesitated at the door, turning his head to the side. “Maybe, I should wait-”
