Free Explosive Alliance by Susan Sleeman Page B

Same kind of thing happened. Then I spent time with my uncle. I was a piece of work.” He shook his head again. “A real piece. They all decided I’d do better in the foster care system to get counseling none of them could afford.”
    She heard the pain in his voice. Who wouldn’t be hurt if their family passed them off to strangers? She was honestly surprised he’d opened up enough to tell her all of that.
    â€œI get it,” she assured him. “At least part of it. My mom died when I was fourteen. I wasn’t sent to foster care, but I can relate to the acting-out part.” She smiled at him. Maybe to cheer him up. Maybe to thank him for sharing. Maybe because, when she forgot for a moment that she shouldn’t trust him, she actually liked being with him. “Did foster care work out for you?”
    â€œNah. By that time, I’d gotten it into my head that I didn’t deserve a family. Got into more trouble. Things escalated until a judge gave me a choice—the military or prison.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Cash,” she said sincerely. “That must have been hard.”
    He shrugged. “Worked out okay. The army set me right. I’m thankful I chose it.”
    â€œAfter how you described yourself, I’d have thought you would have suffocated under army discipline.”
    â€œI did at first.” He smiled, a big genuine one that said he wasn’t at all sad about that experience. “Ended real fast, though, and I finally found a place I belonged.”
    â€œAnd yet you’re no longer in the army.”
    He clenched his jaw and focused on the road before glancing back at her. “That’s a story for another day.”
    She’d obviously hit another sore spot. One he wasn’t willing to discuss. Not that she deserved for him to open up. Not after hiding her own past.
    Still, it hurt. Deep inside. Reminded her of the way her father and Toby had treated her. She’d learned a hard lesson from them. When she’d dug deep enough, she found a terrible, earth-shattering secret. She’d had enough of people lying to her to last a lifetime. She wouldn’t risk believing in another person, only to have the same consequences take her down again.

NINE
    C ash stood outside Krista’s classroom. He’d spent the morning dividing his attention between watching for potential threats and enjoying the sight of Krista with her preschoolers. She was animated and joyful, her face lighting up around the children.
    He could now understand the point made by the preschool director earlier in the day. Krista had offered to take a leave of absence if her situation would cause a problem for the center. But Peggy said the children would be devastated if Krista suddenly disappeared. Cash knew nothing about children, but apparently, preschoolers needed routine and consistency in their lives and Krista leaving unexpectedly would throw them for a loop. Peggy added, since Cash was a sworn deputy and had obviously cleared a criminal background investigation, having him in the building combined with their already strong security protocol would keep the children safe.
    He checked his watch. Near noon and time for Skyler to arrive with the sketch artist. The secured building meant he would have to let Skyler in using an access code. He signaled to Krista that he was leaving. She smiled up from where she and the children sat in a circle. The smile lit her face, a radiance coming from inside that no one could fake. She loved her job and these children. He imagined being the recipient of such affection from a woman and his heart came alive for the first time in aeons.
    Shocked at his reaction, he headed outside. Giving in to his emotions when he needed to keep his focus on protecting Krista was the last thing either of them needed.
    The drizzle had stopped and clouds had split to let the sun shine through. Skyler stepped from her car to join their sketch