Page 125 of Lethal Weakness

My mouth pops open and then shuts quickly. Thank God, she wants to eat something besides chicken nuggets.

“I think she’ll like it. I used to make it for Jack when he was sick as a boy because it’s not too flavorful, but the broth is hearty in the stomach.”

“Thank you,” I whisper to Kay, holding back a flood of emotions.

I wish Jack was here so I could thank him again for bringing us here. Somehow he knew exactly what we needed when I wasn’t even quite sure.

“You’re worried about him?” Kay asks, sensing where my thoughts have gone.

“Yeah. He’s very good at what he does, but it’s odd to know what he’s out there doing now when I used to be in the dark for so long.”

“When he told me he was going into the Navy, I knew I wouldn’t see much of him after that. He always had such a strong moral purpose in life. He didn’t fall for false agendas. He believed there was good and evil.”

“He told me why they moved to South Dakota…”

She nods solemnly. “I’m glad he could talk to you. I always felt guilt for introducing him to that man.”

“He doesn’t blame you. He feels bad that he might have ruined your relationship with the church.”

“Truthfully, I was willing to forgive them for how they ostracized my family because that was God’s way… That is, if they admitted their fallacy for their treatment in the first place.

“I expected the members of the church to see their errors and seek their own forgiveness, but they never did. They even allowed Deacon Gillum to keep his title and move on to a different church once he healed from his injuries. I was angry. I even wrote to the Pope.”

“Did you get a response?”

“No, but that was probably my fault. I don’t know if I expressed myself in the best light. I was very cynical.”

“I’m glad that he had you and his parents to be angry for him. I don’t know if he would be the same man he is today if you all weren’t there to protect him as a kid.”

“Seeing him protect you girls is the biggest blessing. I know he turned out okay because of how tenderly he loves you two.”

My cheeks get warm at her keen observation. I mean, he just told me that he loves me a day ago, yet somehow Kay picked up on it almost instantly. I’m betting the moment we walked into her house for the first time.

Avery rushes up the front stoop and flings the front door open, making Kay and I gasp.

The front door should be locked. Jack said he wouldn’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.

“Avery!” I sprint inside blindly after her, Kay nearly on my heels.

Please, be home early, Jack. Please…

“I thought you went to your parents,” the voice drips down my spine. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

The man sitting on the steps just behind the front entryway looks more disheveled than I’ve ever seen him. And that is saying a lot.

His forehead is shiny with sweat, and his eyes are bulging and red.

But where his elbows are resting on his knees, there is also a gun swinging from his right hand.

“What do you want, Turner?”

“What do I want?” He scoffs. “No one cares what I want.”

“How did you find us?”

He smiles under dope-filled eyes. “What type of mother lets a toddler carry a purse without checking inside of it? Seems irresponsible to me.”

Avery is standing beside Kay, looking frightfully at her father. They’ve never had much of a relationship, but I can never recall her being so afraid. I’ve always shielded this part of him away from her.