Page 57 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets
The officer who’d gone after the shooter drove back into the driveway. Jade climbed out of the SUV, leaving Sasha to comfort Bryce. A very-much-in-denial Bryce.
After the all clear was given, Jade walked over to hear what the officer had to say about his chase. She wondered how she would ever be able to tell Bryce that Mia was his. Because once she did, he’d want to see her on a regular basis. He might not want children, but there was no doubt in her mind that he’d step up and “do the right thing.” And there was no way she’d ever feel comfortable leaving him alone with the child.Herchild.
She shoved aside the thoughts. “What happened? How did the person get close enough to shoot the window?”
Officer Johnson turned. “It was most likely a long range rifle.”
“Had to be,” Bryce said from behind her. She glanced at him. He still looked a little pale, but his set jaw said questions wouldn’t be welcome.
“The shots came from the tree line,” Johnson said.
Jade rubbed her eyes. “I’ll start working on my statement.”
Bryce caught her eye, started to say something, then shook his head. “Yeah, I will too.”
Jade headed to her vehicle, a sick feeling twisting in her belly. Once they found Frank’s killer and whoever was trying kill her, she’d say a final goodbye to Bryce and pray her broken heart could heal yet again.
TWELVE
Bryce paced the lobby of the police station while Sasha sat against the wall and watched him, head swiveling, nose twitching, ears raised. She was on high alert in the new environment, so in tune to him that he couldn’t help dropping onto the bench next to her to place a hand on her head. “It’s all right, girl, you did great. Thank you.”
She licked his hand and seemed to relax a fraction. He’d had a flashback. His first one in over a year. Worse, he’d lied to Jade about it. Not intentionally. The denial had just been the first thing to pop out of his mouth. Probably because he was in absolute shock that he’d had one and didn’t want to admit it to himself, much less someone else. Especially not Jade. He dropped his head into his hands and forced himself to think it.I had a flashback. I had a flashback.
And Jade had witnessed it, and this time he couldn’t disregard the incident as a bad dream.
The fact churned his stomach. He’d thought he was past all that, but everything that had happened in the last few days must have brought it all back to the surface.
Jade was still in the commander’s office, filling him in. Bryce pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the man who’d helped keep him on the right side of sanity.
“What do you want?” Titus growled in that gravelly voice Bryce had missed.
Bryce smiled, most of his tension and anxiety draining away for the moment.
“Nothing you’ve got, old man.” Titus Renfrow. Former Army Ranger turned amputee, turned alcoholic, turned AA mentor, turned counselor. A man who understood exactly what Bryce was going through. He could picture him leaning back on two legs of the old leather straight back chair, daring gravity to do its worst.
“Bryce, my friend,” the voice softened to a low rasp, “really good to hear from you, son.”
“Thanks, good to hear your voice as well.”
“What’s going on?”
“I had a flashback.”
A pause. “Well, at least you admit it.”
“After I lied about it.”
“I see. So, what are you going to do?”
Bryce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell her I lied.”
“Her?”
“Yes. Her.”
“I see. And?”
“And put it behind me so I can move forward, looking to the future and not living in the past.”
