Shielded In The Shadows

“You were not able to prove that at trial.”

“Suzie told me it was him. She just got scared and wouldn’t testify because she didn’t want to be pulverized by the defense attorney.”

“Bill told me that she miscarried because of ill health. She wasn’t eating or sleeping. Was a nervous wreck.”

“Yeah, because he was beating her.”

“He claims he was insanely jealous of her,” Jayden said, hoping he could bring some good to both of their days by putting this one to rest. “He was scaring her, making her life miserable. He was guilty but he wasn’t hitting her.”

He looked Emma right in the eye. Willed her to see the truth.

“That’s not what the facts say.”

Suzie’s testimony. That she wouldn’t give in court. The medical record stated that blunt force trauma had contributed to the miscarriage, but if Suzie had been healthy to begin with, the baby might have survived. The doctor’s opinion was that the trauma was likely the result of another human being.

Likely. Not proved.

Like Suzie’s current injuries.

They could tell from bruise marks, indentations, directionality of blows, that Suzie’s current injuries were human inflicted. There’d been no such clear marks four years before—and he’d proved Bill hadn’t been around Suzie and able to hurt her since his release.

“Bill takes full accountability for the miscarriage, for causing Suzie so much anxiety that she’d lost their baby. His remorse is real. Palpable. This is not an aggressive man,” he told her. “He wants only to do what he can to make her life easier, and if that means staying away from her, that’s what he’ll do. His location app proves it. He’s working his ass off, taking way more hours than he needs to, so that he can send money to her.”

“He’s required to pay alimony.”

“He’s doing it because he wants to. Because he needs to.” And as soon as Bill made more of it, he’d send more to Suzie.

Jayden didn’t like the hesitancy in her gaze as she looked at him, like she was doubting him. Not Bill. “Are you telling me that you aren’t going to keep him on your radar? You’ve decided he’s not a danger?”

“Absolutely not.” He wasn’t just saying that to get back in her good graces. He wouldn’t do such a thing, just in theory, and certainly not to Emma. “I’m fully aware that I’m human and could be wrong. I’ve been wrong. I just want to make sure that, in case we’re wrong, someone is still looking for another abuser.”

“Chantel is all over it. If there’s something else out there, she’ll find it.”

So...why wasn’t she relaxing a bit? Luke’s ex-wife and daughter were in more immediate danger, in Jayden’s opinion, and yet Emma trusted the system to take care of them.

Maybe because they were currently in a secure shelter.

The answer was valid. He acknowledged that as it came to him. He just didn’t think that’s all there was to it.

As a probation officer, he’d gone as far as he could go.

As her possible

future lover, he’d already gone farther than he should.

Jayden had no acceptable reason for pursuing the conversation. But he felt compelled to anyway.

“Suzie Heber...it’s personal, somehow, isn’t it?”

Chapter 11

Emma had no idea why she was still sitting there. As hot as he was, as much as she was turned on by him...she just wasn’t feeling the sex this night.

She was too sick inside to feel wanton. And Jayden was part of the cause. She knew he’d done his job well. That he’d risked his life to get Luke in custody. She couldn’t say that she’d have thought to report evidence of someone napping on the couch in relation to an illegal gun possession. But there it was...

Luke was loose. She’d somehow lost control of something she’d thought a sure win. Not somehow. She knew how. Jayden hadn’t given her the full information and Luke’s judge had found his sister credible.

There was still the parole hearing. At least a preliminary to determine if Luke was going to have his parole revoked for being in the home with a gun.