Badge of Honor (The Town of Pearl 9)

“How about we just wait and see what happens?” she replied.

He shook his head. “How about you meet me in town this afternoon for lunch? Francine’s restaurant, or the Main Street Inn? Your choice. My treat.”

She smiled at him. “I haven’t gone into town yet. I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

“Why not?” he asked, his gut kicking in, telling him this woman was hiding something or maybe hiding from someone. He didn’t want to engage any of the possibilities going through his mind.

“Harper, don’t push me,” she said, raising her voice, and stepped away.

“I need to go. When I see you, I see you. Please respect my privacy.” She headed down the hill and toward the woods again. He wanted to stop her, to follow her, to investigate where she went and what she was hiding, but he didn’t want to lose the ounce of hope that she would meet him or make an effort to be in the same place tomorrow that she was today. He wasn’t sure what to do, but being involved with the different jobs he assisted with recently, he had a feeling she was in some kind of trouble. Perhaps it was time to talk with Galvin and his team?

Chapter 7

“How was your run?” Mary asked Lauren as Lauren came down from her shower. She sat down on the couch in Mary’s home office and curled her legs under her butt as she sat.

“It was okay.”

“Just okay?” Mary asked, scrunching up her eyebrows and immediately filled with concern for Lauren. “Were you in pain again, like last week?” Mary asked her.

“No, nothing like that,” Lauren replied then looked out toward the window.

“What do you mean then?”

Lauren didn’t answer right away.

“Can you tell me more about the people who live in Pearl? I mean, the relationships they have?”

Mary smiled. “You mean the ménage relationships?” she asked, joining her by the couch.

Mary took a seat and Lauren turned toward her. “Are there a lot of military men and women living around here?”

“There sure are. There are lots of people from all walks of life. But I must say that the majority are retired military or law enforcement and first responders. That’s really what makes Pearl such a safe place to live. It’s where I hope you, May, and your sisters will come to live and maybe set up shop,” she said and winked.

Lauren smiled. “I hope someday it would be safe enough for me to see Aunt May and my sisters again. It seems impossible right now. Not with what may or may not be happening in New York. I wish there was someone to contact. Someone that I could safely call while hiding out. Like Jonathan Mathews, my commander.”

“Don’t worry about New York. Those men can’t find you here and they won’t find your sisters or May. My friends are taking good care of them.”

“Who exactly are these friends of yours, Mary? Why can’t I contact my commander? I don’t even know if Frankie is dead or alive.”

“From my understanding, Frankie is still alive. But he was in bad shape.”

“My God. He was shot so many times. I swear I didn’t think he would live through something like that. He’s always been a tough son of a gun,” Lauren said, her eyes filled with emotion. “Your friends seems to have a lot of connections. Who exactly are they?”

“Let’s just say my family ties extend in different directions. Your family is safe. You’re safe here. I’ve already talked with the sheriff and so have my friends.”

“The sheriff? Why? He could leak information. He could be bought out or something,” Lauren stated and stood up.

She was so distrusting and Mary understood that. She smiled. “Not a man like Wyatt Cantrell. He’s the heart of this town. His family established the town many generations ago. He has experience in dealing with the types of men who are after you. He also has a lot of friends. Men, military and law enforcement, that would protect you and keep watch so the bad guys can’t get close.”

“Protect me? Why would they? Who are these men?”

“Lauren, when I explained that Pearl was a special town, I meant it. By you being here. By stepping foot in this town and now under my roof as a citizen and woman of Pearl, you have the protection and support of all the men. Women are very special here.”

Lauren gulped. “I can take care of myself.”

“You don’t need to handle this alone. You’ve got backup.”

“You mean because of the ménage thing? These men protect the women because men can share a woman here?”