“Not sure. The father is in a coma. We can’t find the aunt, who is usually the one to take care of him. Sounds like mom passed away last year.”
The similarity struck Michael deeply. At least he’d had twenty-five years with Mom. This little guy probably wouldn’t be old enough to have many memories of his mother. Michael sat with Maria and Eddie at the counter, away from the chatter and laughter in the dining room. Eventually, the boy managed to eat a few bites and drink some milk.
But they couldn’t get him to talk at all.
“Has he said anything?” Michael asked his sister.
She shook her head. “Trauma does that. In the meantime, we’ll love on him the best we can and pray for his papa. Right?” She smiled down at the boy and brushed the long brown hair out of his face.
Michael took the boy’s hand. “Do you remember me from the store last night?”
The boy just stared.
“I’m a policeman. And I promise you, we’re doing everything we can to find who hurt your papa. We’re going to keep you safe.”
With tears hovering in both eyes, the boy just nodded.
Michael’s father might not like that he was a cop now, but this was why he couldn’t give up the profession. It was too late for his own mother, but he could make sure this boy stayed safe and got the justice for his father that he deserved.
Dani had never considered herself a conspiracy theorist, but today had her questioning the belief. What else could it be but a conspiracy to make her look like the most incompetent agent ever?
Seriously, God, what’s the deal?
First, her phone had been stuck under a couch cushion at Josh and Lily’s and she hadn’t heard her alarm. Then she’d searched high and low in their kitchen and found no source of caffeine whatsoever. Now her car sputtered a death rattle if she’d ever heard one, stalled, and refused to go.
Dani drifted off to the side of the deserted road, the damp morning air rushing her as soon as she opened the door. The Renegade Mountains watched the spectacle from afar, probably laughing at her too. But there was nothing funny about the plume of smoke coming from her engine block. It matched the thick gray clouds above, hiding the sunlight.
“Come on, Buttercup. It’s my first day. I’m supposed to show up on time. Meet my new team. Show them I’m a capable and trustworthy agent.” At the last word, Dani dropped the hood back down with a little more force than necessary. It wasn’t the scream she wanted to release, but it was better than nothing. This was what the mechanic had warned her about, but like an idiot, she’d pushed it off, thinking she’d have more time to save up the money for the expensive fix. She slumped against the bumper.
So much for making a good first impression.
Dani pulled out her phone. She couldn’t call Josh. He’d been up all night with Archer and was already at work on the other side of town. If she called Lily, she’d have to pack up the kids, and Simon had still been sleeping when Dani left. If she called her mom, she’d only tell Dad and have him come to get her.
Her thumb hovered over her father’s picture in her contacts list. He and Mom were the closest. She might even make it on time if she called now.
But she could already picture the hard look in his eyes.
Why can’t you be more responsible, Danielle?
You should worry about a car being practical, not pretty.
All the things she’d heard growing up sounded a lot like the one thing he’d never said but always implied: Why can’t you be different?
Through the tightness in her throat, she swallowed.
No, if she was going to get to work today, it wouldn’t be her father driving her. Dani ducked into the car as the first fat raindrops started falling.
You gotta be kidding me.
The sky broke loose with a peal of thunder. Rain came down in sheets. There was no way she could walk the mile to the nearest gas station.
She groaned and dropped her head on the steering wheel, only to pop straight back up at the sound of knocking on her window.
“Need a ride?”
She blinked twice.
Michael Martinelli stood outside her car with an umbrella in hand.
