Page 7 of His Witness To Protect

Before Mack could respond, her father came bounding out of the passageway.

“Brie!” he called out in a deep, booming voice, pulling her into a big bear hug, her second of the day.

Brie could not remember the last time she’d felt so loved or so welcomed anywhere. She wondered why she’d left home inthe first place. None of the events that had driven her away seemedto matter now, in the arms of her father. She’d always been a daddy’s girl, and it showed.

Smiling with glistening eyes, Brie’s mother came out and joined in the hug.

“Welcome back home, baby,” her father whispered. “Welcome home.”

“Daddy,” Brie cried in a voice choked with tears.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Later that day, in Mack’s car, Brie closed her eyes and ruminated on the day’s events. She could not remember when she had last felt so at peace. Her parents had been warm and welcoming, asking no questions. They knew her enough to know that she’d talk to them when she wanted to. They were just happy to have her at home after such a long time.

Mack had been graceful and charming, answering her parents’ questions politely, charming her father effortlessly, and talking to her father about football and politics. She could tell they liked him.He did better than she expected him to, and it pleased her forreasons she wasn’t willing to admit to herself yet.

He hadn’t yet asked her why she hadn’t told her parents aboutthe attacks, and she was grateful to him for that. She wasn’t willing to explain and dissect her unwillingness to share.

The truth was, she didn’t want to worry them or put them in danger. Knowing her parents, she knew they'd worry themselves into heart attacks if she told them what was going on. The last thing Brie wanted to do right now was to make things worse for anyone around her. She felt guilty enough.

She was thankful her brothers hadn’t been around, both of them away at work in different towns. She’d never been able to keep anything away from them for too long. They always seemed to know when she was hiding something, no matter how hard she tried to hide it from them.

She did not think she was mentally equipped to deal with all the fussing and extra attention that would come from her whole family worrying and obsessing about her safety. They’d never let her out of her sight—something she wanted to avoid as much as possible. She’d spent a large portion of her childhood trying to gain independence from her family.

Being born as the only girl and the last born in the family meant that she got a lot of attention that often bordered onoverprotectiveness. She had to admit that it could get suffocating at times. The last thing she wanted right now was to feel as though she couldn’t breathe.

She glanced at Mack, who had one hand on the steering wheel, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. She wished she knew what he was thinking.

They were on their way to see his dad on the other side of town, and Brie was more than a little bit nervous. She’d never met the man before. She’d only seen him around once or twicewhen he was the town’s sheriff, and Mack had been her classmate. The quiet girl that she’d been, she’d never really had any reason to have any interaction with the police.

She thought it was fitting that Mack would have pursued a career in law enforcement just like his daddy had, even though he’d been a bit of a troublemaker growing up. She figured all boys went through their rebellious phases.

“We should stop over at Tom’s Diner,” Mack said suddenly, startling her. “So, we can grab a bite to eat.”

“Yes, of course,” Brie agreed, suddenly hungry. With all the excitement of the day, she had not realized that she hadn’t eaten. They’d left Brie’s parents with a promise to be back later.

Mack pulled into the diner, constant from their high school days. All the kids had gone there back then. It had beenthe placeto be. All the couples had gone there on dates. Her stomach knotted as she remembered several evenings when she’d come here with Bryan.

Mack pulled to a stop and got out of the car, coming around to her side to hold the door open for her. She smiled inwardly at his display of chivalry, clearly enjoying the treatment. It had been a while since anyone had treated her that way, and she couldn’t shake the nostalgic feeling that she was on a date with her high school sweetheart. Strangely, she didn’t find it unpleasant.

Mack held out his hand to her, and she put her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers. His touch sent shivers down her spine, and she found herself blushing furiously for the second time. The butterflies pooling in the bottom of her stomach were impossible to ignore, and the warmth of his strong hands did things to her in places she’d rather not dwell on.

Holding on to his hands, smiling shyly, she walked with him into the diner and stopped short at the sight of the bar.

There Bryan was, talking animatedly with his bone-thin model wife. She wasn’t actually a model; she just liked to call herself one because she had the body, and she’d appeared on a few minor commercials. Still, this knowledge didn’t stop it from hurting that Bryan had left Brie forher.

Before she could turn back around and go outside, Mack caught sight of Bryan at the same moment he looked over at them.

Bryan smirked slowly and whispered into the ears of his model wife, who also turned around and cocked her head, staring at Brie contemptibly.

It seemed for a minute that the entire diner had gone silent. To Brie, it seemed like everyone could feel the tension in the room and was staring at her. It took all of her willpower to stand her ground and not turn around immediately.

She stared back at them, trying her best not to show herdiscomfort. She decided she wasn’t going to give them thesatisfaction of seeing her shake, no matter how flustered she was.

Sensing her discomfort, Mack’s grip tightened on Brie’s hand, and he squeezed reassuringly. Placing his hand on her waist, he shepherded her out the door gently.

He said nothing as he opened the car and let her in before he drove away from the diner.

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