Bodyguard For Christmas

He left the room and headed toward his own. Tomorrow night, he’d be tackling the first of their Christmas traditions.

Same time, same event, same location. There’d even be three of them, like before. But instead of Mandy, Jasmine would be with them.

It just wasn’t right.

But they weren’t a family unit, not the three of them. They were a father and son with their bodyguard. He wasn’t even trying to pretend there was anything more.

It still somehow felt all wrong.

Jasmine stood in Hiwassee Valley rec center’s playground, straight-legged jeans disappearing into the tops of her boots and her jacket hiding both her weapon and her Kevlar vest. Liam sat in one of the swings, fists clutching the chains as she pushed him. He was dressed the same as she was, minus the vest and in tennis shoes instead of boots. Heavier coats waited for them in the car. When the sun went down, they’d need them. Right now, the temperature was pleasant.

Colton had called an hour ago with a change of plans. They were still doing supper and the Christmas Art Walk, but he wouldn’t make it home first. So he’d asked her to meet him at five at the Cherokee County Courthouse downtown. Since she was running early, the park offered a fun detour. Maybe it would not only distract Liam for a short time but also wear him out enough to sleep well tonight.

“Would you like to try out the slide?” Though Liam didn’t respond, she brought him to a slow stop and lifted him from the swing.

Colton had apologized for him disturbing her sleep. In actuality, he hadn’t. She’d awoken from a nightmare herself shortly before he’d started screaming. When she’d scooped him up, she’d still been shaking from her own private terrors.

Then something unexpected had happened. As she’d held and soothed him, an odd sense of comfort had woven through her, shattering the images flashing in her mind and calming her spinning thoughts. The whole experience had caught her off guard. She didn’t seek comfort from anyone. She dealt with everything on her own.

As a child, she’d had no choice. Often, she’d been left alone while her mother partied through the night. Or her mother left her with random people for days on end. Most didn’t want to be bothered. Some did, men who tried to do things she didn’t understand but somehow sensed were wrong.

As an adult, keeping herself closed off had been a hard habit to break. She’d even been tight-lipped with the counselors the army had assigned to help her process the horrors she’d seen and adjust to civilian life.

She led Liam to one of the slides, searching the perimeter as she’d been doing since they arrived fifteen minutes ago. Nothing raised any red flags. Several moms and a couple of dads stood or sat on benches. Jasmine had already matched the adults to their charges.

She was just finishing her three-hundred-sixty-degree observation when something over her left shoulder snagged her gaze. A man stood under the pavilion outside the fence, leaning against one of the posts, watching the activity on the playground. Was he one of those creeps who liked to hang out where young children played? Or was he interested in one child in particular?

Liam climbed the stairs, and she moved around to the base of the slide, keeping the man in her peripheral vision. He continued to watch. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

She shifted position, the weight of her weapon in its holster now more pronounced against her hip. She likely wouldn’t have to draw it. If the man represented any kind of threat, he’d be crazy to act in a public place in broad daylight.

When it came time to leave, he hadn’t moved. Liam walked with her to the Suburban without any objection. As she pulled into the courthouse parking lot, her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Colton was finished. Perfect timing. Two or three minutes later, he approached the passenger side, and she lowered the window.

He leaned inside. “Are you okay with taking your vehicle, or shall we transfer the car seat?”

“I can drive. Hop in.”

He directed her through a turn onto Valley River Avenue. The art walk appeared to be in full swing, with every parking space occupied and people roaming the sidewalks. An alleyway between two buildings opened up into a parking area. If Colton hadn’t been with her, she’d have never found it.

When they’d walked back to the front of the building, a sign overhead announced The Daily Grind.

She looked up at Colton. “A coffee shop?”

“And more. Salads, soups and sandwiches. Fast, but good. One of the favorite places around for people to congregate.”

He opened the door, then walked in behind her, carrying Liam. In front of her, a wide hallway separated the Curiosity Shop Bookstore on the right from The Daily Grind on the left. They joined the end of a short line. Above and behind those working the counter, the menu was displayed on boards. She decided on a grilled panini sandwich with hot roast beef and Swiss.

After placing their orders, they found an empty table at the front. Colton positioned Liam in a booster seat and took the chair next to him. Jasmine sat opposite them. Large windows offered a clear view of Valley River Avenue. People strolled by just outside.

Jasmine shifted her attention to Colton. “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Not at the office, but I did put some files in my vehicle before walking over to where you’d parked.”

“Are you always this much of a workaholic?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I’m taking over someone else’s caseload.”

She nodded, even though he hadn’t answered her question. She glanced around the interior space, then looked out the window again. A group of people had stopped to converse, blocking her view of anything beyond.

After they moved on, she scanned the area. The sun had set, and the last rays of light were fading. Her gaze fell on a figure across the street, and she tensed. Shadows hid his face, but the baseball cap, jeans and bulky coat matched the clothing of the man at the playground.

“Is everything okay?”

Colton’s words pulled her attention back inside. For a nonmilitary, nonsecurity guy, he was pretty observant.

She cast a glance back out the window. The guy was gone.

“Everything’s fine.” She wouldn’t alarm him yet. Based on what she’d seen, most of Murphy turned out for this event. The man across the street might not even be the same person. If he was, he hadn’t followed her. She’d been watching too closely.

When they finished eating, Colton looked at his watch. “If we want to make it to the tree lighting, we’ll have to walk fast.”

“I’m up for it if you are.” She stood. “So, what happens at the tree lighting? Other than lighting the tree.”

“There’s children’s music and dance and a kids’ jingle bell walk. Then Santa arrives on a fire truck.”

“Sounds like fun.”

Especially for a kid. She hoped Liam would enjoy it. She would have at that age. If the small town she grew up in had had activities like that, she hadn’t known about them.

Her mother apparently had, at least the adult parties. More than once Jasmine had gotten up in the morning to find that her mother had come in during the night and passed out on the living room floor still wearing a Christmas hat.

When they reached the town square, a good-size crowd was already gathered. Jasmine scanned those standing around, searching for the man she’d seen at the park. Throughout each activity, she continued to look. If he was there, he was staying hidden.

When the last activity ended, Colton shifted his son to his other hip. Liam didn’t participate in the jingle bell walk with the other kids, but his eyes were alert, taking in everything that was going on around him. Maybe next year.

Of course, she wouldn’t be there to witness it.

An unexpected sense of loss settled in her core. She mentally shook herself. Being part of a real family, albeit temporarily, was messing with her. She had no intention of putting down any kind of roots. She loved the transient nature of what she did. The crazy pace helped her stay ahead of the memories.

Unfortunately, the nightmares always managed to catch up with her. No matter what she’d done or where she’d gone, she had never gotten rid of them. After years of fighting, all she’d managed to do was trade childhood terrors for adult-size ones.

As the crowd began to spread out, Colton moved down the sidewalk. “Now for the art walk.”

For some time, they wandered in and out of the shops. Several stores down, a variety of paintings were on display. The artist sat to the side. Jasmine stopped to watch as the woman dipped a brush into one of the globs of paint on her palette, then spread it with sure strokes onto the canvas in front of her.

It looked like a local scene, as did the others around the room. This one was a park with mountains in the background, silhouetted against a striking sunset.

Jasmine stepped away to look at the other paintings more closely. “I’ve always envied artistic people. I never progressed past Paint by Numbers.”

Colton stood next to her. “Mandy painted, watercolor.”

“Your wife.” Colton hadn’t mentioned her name previously, but Gunn had.

“Yeah. She did it as a hobby, but she was good.”

So Liam’s mother wasn’t just loved and needed. She was talented, too. With so many rotten people walking around, why did someone like Mandy Gale have to die? Why did any good people die young? Men and women serving their country, sent home in caskets. What kind of God made those decisions?

When she reached the door, bluegrass music drifted to her from somewhere nearby, probably a local band entertaining the attendees. She stepped out onto the sidewalk, glancing up and down the street.

A man stood about twenty feet away, the glow of a streetlamp spilling over him. The bill of his cap cast his face in shadow, but this time she was sure. It was the man from the park.

She reached for her phone. “Pick up Liam. I want to take your picture.”

When he’d done as she asked, she turned the phone sideways and touched the screen, focusing on the figure to the right. After snapping three pictures, she scrolled through them.

Colton peered over her shoulder. “Usually it’s better to center the subjects you’re taking a picture of. You got Liam, but you cut me in half. I’m glad you’re a better bodyguard than photographer.”

She ignored his teasing criticism and expanded the picture, moving it to the side until a grainy face occupied the center of the screen.

“Do you recognize this man?”

“No, why?” His eyes lit with understanding, then respect. “Who is he?”

She looked back toward the streetlight. As expected, the man was gone.

“I was hoping you could tell me. I took Liam to the park before meeting you. I noticed him standing some distance away, watching the activity on the playground.”

“And you saw him when we were in the Grind.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“I wasn’t sure. He was across the street, in shadow. But when I saw him this time, I knew it was the same guy. Are you sure you’ve never seen him?”

He looked at the picture again. “It’s hard to tell. His face is dark.”

Yeah, the shadows were even more pronounced than what she’d seen. Maybe the authorities could enhance the photos enough to identify him.

She shrank the picture until the man’s full length displayed on the screen. “Could he be one of the guys who tried to take Liam?”

Colton studied the image. “I didn’t see their faces, but this could be the thinner guy.”

She pocketed the phone. Maybe he was one of the kidnappers. Or maybe he was just a Murphy resident who liked to hang out at the park and attend the town’s activities.

But that wasn’t what her gut told her. She’d gotten icky vibes all three times she’d seen him.

When she looked up at Colton, his jaw was tight and his lips were compressed into a thin line. “Are you dead set on finishing the art walk?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Because if there was one thing she’d learned over the years, it was to always listen to her instincts.

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