Page 68 of Reckoning

Chief Watts eyes widened. “Dang it, Tate. Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir, and don’t let the driver get away. Pretty sure the FBI has been looking for him.”

“Yes, well, I’ll certainly check this out,” Watts said, still hesitant to fully believe.

“Is it okay if I meet the ambulance at the hospital and stay with the little boy until you figure things out?” Tate asked.

“We can put a cop on his room. He’ll be safe,” Watts said.

“But he’ll still be scared, and while everybody is going to be a stranger to him, he won’t be scared of me,” Tate said.

Watts frowned. “Whatever, but stay out of the way when he’s being treated.”

Tate glared. “You don’t have to tell me how to act. I’m a full-grown man, but I was scared as hell when I thought I was going to bleed out during the storm. I will be sitting with that kid until somebody he knows walks in the door. Understood?” Then he walked away without waiting for an answer.

“Shit. Tate Bandy is scary. That’s all I got to say,” Watts muttered.

But Tate was already in the car and heading for the hospital. When the ambulance arrived, he was waiting in ER, and when they took the boy back to a room for treatment, Tate was with him.

Doctor Joe immediately recognized Tate. “Well, hello, Tate. Is my new patient a friend of yours?”

“We recently met, but right now, I’m all he’s got,” Tate said. “He’s not talking, but his name is Trevor Stennett. He’s on a missing person report out of Shreveport. Chief Watts will be verifying that fact and notifying his parents ASAP.”

Doctor Joe grinned. “Got it. Okay, Trevor. That’s your name, right?”

The little boy’s forehead was bleeding, and he had a bruise forming on the side of his face, but the big guy with the soft voice felt safe.

“Randy says I can’t have that name anymore,” Trevor whispered.

“Randy is going straight to hell,” Tate muttered. “And you’re going home to your mom and dad, okay?”

Tears pooled in Trevor’s eyes. “Okay.”

Tate nodded. “Don’t be scared, buddy. This is Doctor Joe, and he’s the best doctor ever. Just relax and let him do his thing. He’s pretty magic for making things stop bleeding.”

Doctor Joe grinned. “Magic like you wouldn’t believe,” he said.

“Can the big guy stay with me?” Trevor asked.

Doctor Joe nodded. “The big guy’s name is Tate,” he said, and then he and his nurse began their examination. Later, a portable X-ray was wheeled in to make sure there were no broken ribs or a skull fracture, and after the head wound was cleaned, the area was deadened and stitched. And all the while, Tate sat in a chair beside the little boy’s bed, holding his hand, just like Briar sat with him after the storm.

* * *

The second Briar heard sirens, she sent Tate a text, but when he didn’t answer, she called. When he still didn’t answer, she headed out the door afoot and started running toward his house.

Micah was in the living room with Lilith when he glanced out the front window and saw a young girl running toward the house.

“Some girl is coming up your driveway,” he said.

“It’s Briar. She probably heard the sirens and panicked. She’s Tate’s girl…the one he rescued during the tornado.”

At that moment, Briar burst into the house and ran straight to Lilith. “Where’s Tate? Is he okay?”

Lilith reached for her hand. “He’s good, darlin’. He had a vision of a car wreck west of town. He said the child in the car does not belong to the driver. Maybe a kidnapped child? We’ll find out later.”

Briar took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay. Sorry for barging in.”

Lilith hugged her. “You never barge, and I want you to meet Tate’s cousin from Tennessee. Briar, this is Micah Bandy. Micah, this is Briar Lowe. Tate’s other half.”