be fine. I need to go home and get some things, though.”
“I’ll take you.”
Sonya stood. “It’s not necessary.”
“Maybe not, but I want to.”
She tilted her head, and her ragged ponytail flopped onto her left shoulder. She studied him for so long, he almost started to squirm. “Okay.”
Her quiet acquiescence stirred his heart. And his mind. Was her innocent little-ole-me an act? Or was Erica right and she was the real deal? He decided he’d have to keep his distance until he figured it out.
* * *
Sonya sat in Missy’s living area and debated whether or not they were close enough friends for her to share her heart. She noted the Bible on the end table and the plaque on the wall that stated, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Neither one of those necessarily meant Missy practiced what she displayed, but chances were she wouldn’t have the items if she didn’t.
“What is it?” Missy handed Sonya a mug of steaming coffee flavored with vanilla.
Sonya blew on it, then took a sip. She smiled. “My mother always said one little puff isn’t going to make one bit of difference in the temperature.”
Missy laughed. “Well, she’s right.”
“I know but I do it anyway.”
Missy sat in the recliner and curled her legs beneath her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
The television played in the background on mute. Fox News carried the latest about the shooting, and Sonya shook her head. “I’m all right. Still shaken up, of course. The whole thing is surreal and I’ll probably have nightmares for weeks, but I’m just grateful to be alive.” She took another sip of the steaming brew. “How is the woman who was brought in?”
“Still alive when I left an hour ago, but critical.”
Sonya leaned her head against the back of the couch. “I don’t understand people who can do that kind of thing,” she whispered.
“I don’t, either, and I don’t want to.” Missy paused. “So who was the good-looking guy who followed you here?”
Sonya felt the flush creep up into her cheeks. “That’s Brandon.”
“And? You haven’t talked about him at work.”
That wasn’t her style, but she didn’t say that. “I hired him to look into something I found going through my mother’s things after she died.”
“What’d you find?” Missy turned serious, her brow creasing.
So Sonya spilled her story. Missy stared wide-eyed, her flavored coffee forgotten. Sonya finished with “The shooting happened just across from Brandon’s office with Finding the Lost. He heard the shots and came running.”
“That’s just crazy. And this Heather Bradley was kidnapped twenty-eight years ago?”
“Yes.”
“And Brandon works for this company.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me more about Brandon. You blushed when I asked you about him.”
Sonya groaned and gave a half laugh. “I can’t figure Brandon out. On the one hand, he’s kind, concerned and obviously very good at his job. On the other, he comes across aloof and—suspicious.” She’d been aware of his intense scrutiny while she’d been on the phone with Missy, but had pretended not to notice. He’d walked her back to the park and waited while she’d retrieved her car. Very serious, very businesslike. “I don’t know.” And she didn’t. Which meant it was time to change the subject. “I think I’ll grab some sleep. What time is your shift tomorrow?”
“Seven A to Seven P.” Meaning seven in the morning to seven at night. “What about you?”
“The same, but I’ll have to go home and change before I go in.”
“I have some clothes and scrubs you can use if you want to borrow them.”
She almost took her friend up on the offer. Instead, she said, “I’ll just go home early in the morning and get ready. My house is on the way to the hospital, so it’s no big deal. And besides, I have to feed Chaucer.”
Chaucer, her cat, independent and aloof until it was time to eat, but she’d filled his bowls before her run earlier and he would be physically fine for the next few hours. His temperament would leave a lot to be desired, but she’d deal with that later.
Missy shrugged and yawned. “Okay. Well, if you need anything, feel free to ask or browse.”
Sonya smiled. “Thanks. Shampoo and conditioner are all I need for now.”
“All right. See you in the morning.”
Sonya sat on the couch for a few minutes after Missy padded down the hallway to her bedroom. She stared at the clock on the mantel and listened to it tick.
Each click of the second hand felt like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Now that she was alone, the thought that she could have died today ate at her. “I don’t know why You left me here, Lord, but I thank You for that,” she whispered. She knew she’d die one day, and she was ready for when it happened. Meaning she knew she’d go to heaven, but until that time, she wanted her life to count, to mean something.
She saw death on a daily basis, but coming face-to-face with the fact that a bullet could have so easily taken her out made her shudder.
And made her all the more determined to find out what had happened to little Heather Bradley. To find out if Brandon’s hunch was right and she was Heather. Because if she was, her entire life had been a lie.
* * *
From his deck, Brandon sat in the darkness, ignoring the humidity that caused sweat to bead across his forehead. He stared at the half-moon and allowed his mind to process the day. At two in the morning, he sipped a soda, a rare drink for him, but one he enjoyed on occasion.
Living in the middle of downtown had its advantages, one of which was proximity to both of his offices. When Jordan Gray had looked him up after his last tour in Iraq, at loose ends and grieving the death of his brother, who’d recently died of an overdose, Brandon had offered him the spare bedroom.
And now Jordan was getting married to Katie Randall this summer. A June wedding Katie admitted she’d dreamed of since she was a little girl, but never really thought would happen. They’d bought a small house about fifteen minutes away and Katie was moving in tomorrow.
After the wedding, Jordan would join her, and Brandon would be left alone. He could afford the payment, but had to admit he’d be a little lonely. Not that things would be much different than they were now. Jordan spent every spare minute with Katie, coming home only to sleep and shower.
First Erica and Max had
