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“Yeah.” I waited for the others to leave, but they didn’t. “Go ahead.”
Travis made a face at his sister, and she gave him a wry look, then he turned to me and went on to ask about what happened at the store. I gave him the details as I saw them.
“Honestly, Travis,” Sue moved to stand next to me, “it was self-defense. That guy was out for blood.”
“That’s what some of the customers said, too. You’re in the clear here, Daniel. I just had to do my part and get your statement. I’ll make sure your description gets passed along. We’ll get them if they come back, but I doubt they will.” He turned his attention to Sue. “Were you hurt?”
“No.” She looked at me, and I suddenly wondered if they’d dated before.
“You sure?” The way he looked at her had my eyes slit.
“Yes, Daniel made sure I was all right.” I felt Sue lean into me, and I wrapped my arm possessively around her waist.
“All right.” He let it go, and I heard a little hiss from Tracy. “If you need anything, here’s my card. I’ll do my best to help where I can.”
“Thanks.” I nodded at him. He held out his card, and when I didn’t take it, he put it on the table and left.
“I’m surprised Travis had the time to come all the way out here.” Mom tucked his card into a drawer. “I know they’re extremely short staffed.”
“He only came because he wanted to see Sue.” Tracy scoffed, and Sue hit her arm.
Called it.
“What? It’s true.” Tracy glanced at me with a grin. “He’s had a crush on her since she got boobs.”
“Classy, Tracy.” Sue flushed pink.
“All right, then,” my father came to her rescue, “let’s focus on moving forward. Now, Ray, why don’t you get showered and changed while Meg prepares one of her home-cooked meals? That’ll fix you right up.”
“I don’t remember the last time I’ve had a real meal.” Ray rubbed his face.
“Well, you’re home now, so follow me and I’ll get you set up.” Dad led the way, and Ray gave me a thankful glance and followed him. I could hear Dad’s voice as they walked down the hall. “You won’t be hungry again, believe me. Now Meg’s got her eye on you.” He chuckled.
“Come on, Tracy, let’s get the rest of the stuff from the truck.” Zack held out a hand to her and they slipped out. I pulled Sue out onto the porch.
“It’s wonderful that your family will take Ray in like that.” Sue looked up at me. “They have so much love.”
“I’m a lucky man to have them, too. They’re the best. I hope I never take them for granted.” I leaned down and kissed her.
“You never would, Daniel. You’re a part of them. Ray’s a lucky man to have you as a friend.” She hugged me.
It took a few days for Ray to settle. He needed time to get the drugs out of his system before he could really get his feet under him. But after a week of hot showers, clean clothes, and a full belly, he was back to the old Ray I knew. We knew he’d need some psychological help, and Dad already had things on track for that.
“Daniel?” my mom called to me from the study. I pried my eyes away from the blueprints of the new weapons barn I was reviewing and went to find her.
“I think you should take this.” She pointed to the phone, and I rushed over to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Daniel?” Ray’s sister sounded frantic. “Is he still with you?
“Yes, he is.”
“I just got back into town, and I thought…” She started to cry. I gave her a moment. “I saw your note. I’m so sorry about lying to you.” She sniffed. “I was just so relieved he was home, and I only wanted to do what he asked. By the time I saw he was slipping, it was too late. I had so much going on. There just wasn’t—”
“It’s honestly okay,” I assured her, “truly. I think what he needs right now is to be here with us. You know, guys who understand what he’s seen. We have some idea of how to pull him back when he gets in a bad way. It isn’t easy, but there’s ways to do it.”
“It’s really not,” she agreed.
