Reid looked at her. “I’m sure you’re sore. A hot shower and another pain pill should help. Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll take JJ out to look around?”
JJ perked right up. “Can we, please?” He bounced in his chair.
“Yeah, Mom.” Reid stuck his bottom lip out, begging, hoping he looked as convincing as JJ.
“Oh, all right. You boys go have fun.”
“Yippee.” JJ thrust a fist in the air. He rushed to get dressed in the bedroom and brought his socks and shoes into the front room. “Will we see bears?”
Reid wasn’t sure how to answer that question. The possibility was there, but the probability was not. “I doubt it.”
JJ must have asked a million more questions while he put his socks and shoes on. Once they stepped onto the porch, he went silent.
Reid watched as JJ walked around a large tree, studying it like a scientist would a discovery. The knot that had formed in Reid’s stomach when he’d seen the bruise on Quinn’s temple loosened. Deep purple marred her porcelain skin. Skin that was soft and warm. Sparks had shot up his arm as he touched her face.
Once Quinn was cleaned up, he’d suggest sending JJ for a bath so they could talk. The quickest way to end this whole thing was to find out what the attackers wanted.
He knew they wanted Quinn and JJ, but the reason wasn’t clear.
“Look, Mr. Reid.” JJ waved him over to the tree where he was crouched.
Reid squatted next to the boy. “What do you have there?” It was a black lizard with yellow lines that started on its head and ran the length of its body, stopping where a blue tail started.
“It’s a blue-tailed skink,” JJ said. “Isn’t it neat?”
“Yes, it is.”
“If it gets into trouble, it can drop its tail.” JJ inched a little closer.
“Wow, that’s cool. You sure know a lot about lizards.”
“Yep. Mom found one in the kitchen and caught it with a cup to take it back outside. Only, it left its tail in the kitchen.”
“I bet that was interesting.” Reid could picture Quinn chasing a lizard around the kitchen.
“It was. But she wouldn’t let me keep the tail.”
A laugh escaped from Reid. JJ sounded like Reid when he was a boy, before he turned his curiosity to mischief and eventually worse. Hopefully, JJ would take a different path. Quinn seemed like the type of mom that cared and would steer him straight. Of course, Reid’s mom had tried, but he’d rebelled.
A twig snapped to his right, and he was on his feet, ready to fight. To his relief, it was Quinn sneaking up on them, not another attack.
“Oh, man. Mr. Reid. You scared him off.” JJ stood and walked around the tree, searching for his friend.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Quinn stuck her hands into her jean pockets. Her hair was pulled back out of her face. The bruise looked worse out in the sunlight. Anger coiled in his stomach.
“It’s okay. Feeling any better?”
She shrugged. “My muscles don’t ache as much, and I don’t smell like an ashtray.”
She sure didn’t. He could smell tropical flowers every time the wind blew past her. He wanted to take a deep breath and take it all in, but he didn’t want to give himself away. Not like she had last night.
“I forgot I had this in my pocket from yesterday.” She handed him the delivery ticket that had been stuck to her door. “Maybe, it’s related?”
“Are you expecting anything?” He looked it over. It was a run-of-the-mill “Sorry we missed you” note.
“Not that I’m aware of. I’ll have to find a time to go get it.” She rubbed her palms on her thighs. “What do we do now?”
“Why don’t you have JJ take a bath? We can talk while he’s busy.” She might not talk as freely if her son could hear what she said.
