Free The Last Target by Christy Barritt Page B

picking up trash, someone lugging a cart of weeds from the garden area. Were any of them agents?
    She couldn’t get rid of the knots that went down her back and across her shoulders. What happens when you’re out of your comfort zone? You grow. That’s what she used to tell herself, at least, and that’s why she had pushed herself to constantly try new adventures. She was going to have to think of this as an adventure, one where she’d come out stronger.
    Right now, she was just praying that she’d come out of it at all, though.
     
    They reached the petting zoo area, and Aidan rushed over to touch one of the goats. Rachel and Jack hung back with some of the other parents who’d come today. Rachel felt more tightly wound than a jack-in-the-box. She was quite sure thatif Jack hadn’t insisted on holding one of her hands, she would be wringing both of them together with anxiety.
    He leaned toward her, his breath brushing her hair. “Are you okay?”
    She nodded, her eyes never leaving her son. “Aside from feeling like I could pass out from anxiety, I’m doing fine.”
    He squeezed her hand. “You’re doing great. Aidan’s having fun. And we have eyes on this entire park. At the first sign of danger, we’ll be on alert and you’ll be whisked away.”
    “What about the kids? Am I putting them in danger by being here?”
    “Apaka won’t hurt the kids. They only want to hurt you.”
    Her gaze remained focused on Aidan. He squealed in delight as a goat gobbled some pellets of food from his hand. She smiled, but only for a moment.
    “He’s a good kid, Rachel. You’ve done a great job with him.”
    Rachel glanced up at Jack in surprise. “Thank you. That means a lot. I worry about him more than I probably should.”
    “I’m sure being a single parent hasn’t been easy.”
    She shook her head, her throat burning. “No, I just do the best with it that I can.” Rachel noticed him staring in the distance. “What?”
    He remained silent a moment before lifting his collar and whispering something into it. Of course he’d worn a wire. It had just been carefully disguised, just like everything else about the day.
    “What?” Rachel repeated.
    “There’s someone acting suspicious over by the Africa exhibit. Denton is keeping an eye on the situation.”
    Rachel tensed. “Maybe I should get Aidan. Leave.” That’s all she wanted to do. Grab her son and get out of here. Her gaze shot through the crowd, looking for signs of danger.
    “Calm down. It could be nothing.”
    “Calm down? That’s easy for you to say.”
    “No, it’s not.” His serious eyes cut through her. “The minute I think you’re in danger, we’re out of here.”
    He paused again, as if listening to someone in his earpiece. Rachel felt like she might come out of her skin as she waited to hear what was going on.
    “It was nothing. Just a photographer setting up a photo op. Everything’s fine.”
    “You say that a lot.”
    “Then we have something in common.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Every time I ask you how you’re doing, you say you’re fine, even when you’re obviously not.”
    She didn’t say anything. Jack was right. She automatically went on autopilot whenever she was asked how she was doing. She kept her real emotions bottled up all too often as she tried to remain in control.
    The only problem right now was that she was in a situation where she had absolutely no control. Her only choice was to rely on God…and Jack Sergeant.

TEN
    J ack had to admit that he kind of liked the feeling of Rachel’s fingers intertwined with his own. And he’d be amiss if he didn’t take some delight in the way she blushed at the mere hint that they were a couple. Something about being side by side with her, strolling through the zoo and keeping an eye on Aidan just felt right.
    She’d made it clear that she never wanted to be with someone with his job description, though. So he didn’t know why he was enjoying himself so much,