King and Maxwell (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 6)

“Really? Because I’m not seeing that.”

She eyed him severely. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He hunched forward. “You barely know this Wingo kid and it’s like he’s suddenly your little brother and all his problems are your problems. How is that reasonable?”

Michelle set her beer down and pointed her gaze out the window.

Sean said, “You want to tell me what’s really going on here, Michelle?”

“You think it’s wrong of me to want to help this kid?”

“I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I’m just saying it’s… it’s a little off.”

She turned to him. “I know what it’s like to be a kid and scared, Sean. Him running through that storm, I saw the terror in his eyes.” She looked off. “And the gun,” she added quietly. “That could have been me running with that gun.”

“It wasn’t you running with that gun, Michelle,” he said firmly.

She didn’t appear to have heard him. “The only thing is he couldn’t fire his. I did.”

“That was a long, long time ago. And you were what, six?”

“Six or sixteen, what does it matter? It happened.”

“You know it’s not that simple,” said Sean.

“It took a whole lot of shrink work and time in a psych hospital and going back to the old homestead to even remember it. And even then I can’t fully understand it. And because I can’t fully understand it, it scares the hell out of me.”

“So you’re relating your experience as a kid to Tyler’s situation now?”

“Maybe I am. Is that wrong?”

“I don’t know if it is or not. But why put yourself through this? It’s too much.”

“I wish I had an answer for you about that. I don’t. Life isn’t nearly as simple or perfect as we would like it to be.”

“Okay.”

Michelle shook her head, as though clearing away perilous thoughts. “Look, you’ve always been there for me. Always. I have no right to involve you in something you don’t want to be part of. It’s not fair.”

“Actually, you have every right. Yeah, I’ve been there for you. But you’ve also been there for me. And saved my life more than a few times.”

Sean finished his beer and drummed the table with his fingers. “I have one more contact who might be able to help us.”

“But you said they’d close ranks on this.”

“My contact doesn’t exactly conform to strict military protocols.”

“Who is it?”

Sean hesitated and then said, “My ex-wife.”

Michelle gaped at him. “Your ex?”

“You knew I was married before.”

“Yeah, but you never talk about her.”

“Well, I don’t like talking about her because there’s a very compelling reason she’s my ex-wife. And I’m not into self-flagellation.”