Page 109 of Lethal Weakness

“She has me wrapped around her little finger.” I smile easily, and Aunt Kay joins me at the kitchen table to touch my cheek.

“I’m so glad you found your family,” she says softly. “And I can’t wait to go Christmas shopping,” she says a lot louder. “Shopping for a little girl,” she hoots, clapping her hands.

“We can repaint your room, make it a girly room. And I can buy her whatever toys she likes. Missy down at the community center is going to beg to start working on a customized blanket.”

“Whoa, whoa. You’ve got to slow down.”

She thumps her towel off her shoulder in a huff. “Why?”

“You can’t talk to Missy down at the community center about all of this yet. Linden and Avery aren’t here on vacation. Linden’s ex and his family hurt her. They tried taking Avery from her, and not in a legal, upstanding way. They might still try to come after them. That’s why we’re here.”

“You’re not going to let a thing happen to those girls… Are you?”

“No, I’m not.” Something on my face must startle her because she leans back in her chair.

“What exactly do you plan to do, Jack?”

“What I do now is outside the realm of normal laws, but I hunt really bad people for a living, Aunt Kay. They deserve it, I promise; they do. And I’m going to kill every single person who has hurt Linden and Avery.” There’s no point in sugar coating it. Kay will either accept the man I am now, or she won’t, but it’s better to find out now before she gets too attached to us being here.

She wrings her hands, but she doesn’t look like she’s afraid of what I said. “I know you wouldn’t do anything unless it was for the greater good. Your parents raised you knowing right from wrong even when you were still in diapers.”

“I miss them.”

“Me too. I think about them all the time. They would have loved to see the man you became.”

“It’s weird, but I have the urge to introduce them to Linden. It doesn’t make sense because they’ve been gone so long, but it seems wrong that she’ll never get to know them.”

“Even if they aren’t here, they’re watching over you. They would have loved Linden and Avery like their own.”

I nod in agreement. “She deserves that, you know? Having people see how amazing she is. She’s been done wrong by so many people who should have taken care of her.”

“Did her ex leave the bruises on her face?”

“Not this time, but his family is powerful, and they were doing bad things… Linden found out, and they were going to kill her.”

Aunt Kay gasps. “Lord, protect her.”

I’ll protect her.

“I was collecting intel on their illegal business and just so happened to fall for my neighbor, who also happened to be their former daughter-in-law.”

“That is divine intervention, dear.”

Aunt Kay has always been a believer in God. She was raised Catholic like most everyone around here is, but she didn’t mention if she’s been attending church during our talks this evening.

I haven’t been since I was a little boy.

A creaking floorboard sounds from behind me, but it doesn’t faze me. “You can come in here,” I say over my shoulder.

The swinging door to the kitchen opens, and a bashful-looking Linden limps through it.

“How long were you eavesdropping?” Kay asks cheekily, but I clocked her the moment she came down the stairs into the living room a few minutes ago.

“Too long not to be filled with shame.”

I pull out a chair and pat it for her. “It’s okay. No secrets anymore, remember?”

She nods. “Avery went searching for the cat.”