Free Southern Lights by Danielle Steel Page A

smart about this. It may just be a prank, but I don’t want to take the chance.” The case she was working on was a reminder of just how dangerous some men were.
    Savannah looked instantly upset. “That’s so embarrassing, Mom. How long do I have to have that?”
    “Let’s see if he writes to you again. It could be till after the trial.” Until she knew if the notes were due to Quentin or not, she wanted Savannah protected and out of harm’s way.
    “That’s three months away!” Savannah shrieked at her. “Maybe even four!” She knew enough about her mother’s work to know that the trial could last a month, and this was going to be a big trial, with thirteen victims, and maybe more by then. “I’d rather stay home from school than look stupid with a cop with me every day.”
    “Well, you can’t stay home from school. So suck it up,” Alexa told her, relieved that Savannah was more upset about the cop than the potential danger. She was still ranting and raving when their doorbell rang five minutes later, and a handsome young boy with dark hair and big brown eyes wearing a baseball cap and jacket stood smiling at them both. He said he was Officer Lewicki, but to just call him Thad. He smiled at Savannah, and she stared at him as Alexa tried not to smile. It was easy to see that Savannah thought he was cute. Who wouldn’t? He looked about sixteen years old, and was probably only a few years older than that, close to Savannah’s age. She had imagined some old geezer in a uniform. Thad Lewicki was anything but that.
    “All set for school?” Alexa asked sweetly, as Savannah put on her coat.
    “Yeah, I guess so,” she said, as Thad picked up her book bag.
    “I thought maybe we could say that I’m your cousin from California, and I’m here for a few months. They’re going to see me every day,” he suggested with a boyish smile.
    “Yeah…okay…” Savannah said as they opened the door to the apartment.
    “I should probably warn you, I suck at history and math. I think it’s some kind of learning disability or something. But I did okay in Spanish, if you need help.”
    “Thanks,” Savannah said, smiling slowly. She glanced over at her mother cautiously, and Alexa nodded.
    “Have a nice day,” she said as the door closed. She called the school to explain the situation to them, and then called Jack. He had done exactly the right thing with Thad.
    “Okay, so how come you never send guys like that for me? The last time I needed protection, you sent me some old warhorse who weighed four hundred pounds. This kid is mighty cute.”
    Jack laughed. “I thought you’d like him. What did Savannah think?”
    “She didn’t have time to tell me, but she had almost forgiven me when she left. He was offering to do her Spanish for her and carrying her bag. He’s her cousin from California. He looks about fourteen years old.”
    “He’s twenty-one, and a really nice kid. He’s the oldest of nine children, and his father, grandfather, and brother are cops too. A nice Polish family from New Jersey. Hell, maybe they’ll get married. She could do worse.” Alexa was laughing at the other end.
    “You have it all figured out. Protection and a son-in-law all wrapped in one. Do you do windows and floors too?”
    “Anytime, ma’am, if that’s what it takes.” He was teasing her, but there was always the faintest hint of flirtation in his voice when he talked to her about anything other than work. But he knew better than to try. She’d have run like hell, and he’d have lost a friend. “Anyway, problem solved.” He was happy to take the worry out of Alexa’s life. She had enough.
    By the time she left for work that day, Alexa was relieved to know that Savannah was well protected. And by the end of the week, Thad was having breakfast with them before the two of them left for school. Savannah said he was a really nice guy. She said he had a girlfriend he’d gone out with since high school, they’d been