Page 103 of Lethal Weakness

“Okay, well put her down as your emergency contact, and I’ll get the rest of the paperwork started.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He hands me the forms, and I fill them all out, leaving the emergency contact blank.

It’s better this way. Being alone in the world means that I’ll never hurt anyone the way my parents’ deaths hurt me.

* * *

“We’re here,” I whisper to Linden. She fell asleep about a half hour ago, and I spent most of that time looking at her reflection in my mirror.

She’s still wearing my hat, and I don’t think I ever want it back.

She sits up, blinking her eyes awake and smiles at Avery. “Sorry, I fell asleep, pretty girl.”

“It’s otay. Mr. Jack was singing songs wiff me.”

“Was he?” Linden asks in amusement.

“Uh…” I jump out of my truck and avoid that admission of truth, and go to Avery’s door. “Listen, I didn’t have a chance to warn her we were coming. So, we’ll go to the door, and then I’ll come back for our bags.”

Linden’s face dulls. “Please, tell me that you’re not hiding a wife behind one of these houses?”

I can’t stop the grin forming. “No. No wife.”

I pluck Avery out of her seat, but one look around at the unfamiliar neighborhood and two-story houses has her clinging to my neck.

Colonial homes shaded by large, old trees, and green manicured lawns that stretch to the street. Old-fashioned lampposts. Not enough traffic to keep kids from riding their bikes down the middle of the road.

“It’s okay. This is a nice place,” I assure her.

Her big green eyes don’t stop scanning her new surroundings as we walk up the path to the front door.

“You should probably knock,” I tell Linden, and she looks at me funny. “I haven’t been here in a long time, and I don’t want to startle her.”

“You’re not that scary looking.” She cuts me a side-eye, but knocks on the big red door.

Avery is glued to me, and I hate to admit that I’m using her as a shield just as much as she’s using me.

The door opens, and a woman a lot older than I remember swings it wide. Her hair is white and clipped back out of her face. But she’s wearing an apron over top of a linen dress that I could pluck out of my memories.

Her curious gaze bounces from Linden to Avery, then to me, and back to Linden before I can speak.

“Hi, Aunt Kay.”

Her eyes ping back to mine before widening, and she gasps. “Jack?”

Her hand flutters over her mouth as she stares at me in shock. Linden is looking between us worriedly.

“I know it’s been a long time, but can we come in?”

She gasps. “Of course, of course.”

She ushers us into the house in a flurry of surprise and fluster, and takes us into the living room that I remember well. “Oh, my boy. You’ve grown a foot since I’ve seen you. I didn’t recognize the giant man on my front porch.”

She grips my hand tightly with both of hers, and mine still dwarfs hers. She seems a lot more fragile than I remember.

“Please, sit down. Is this your wife? She’s beautiful.” She hymns and haws over Linden, and I can see the flush spreading on her cheeks. “And this angel,” she coos over Avery.