Under the Marshal's Protection. Kathleen Tailer

      They were a few miles down the road before Jessica spoke again.

      “So you’re a praying man?”

      Dominic nodded. “Yes, I’m a Christian. How about you?”

      Jessica shrugged. “My parents took me to church when I was a kid, and I used to be really strong with my faith. After Michael started having problems, though, I pretty much fell away from it all. I ended up giving up on God since God seemed to have given up on Michael.”

      He took a sip from his drink and looked at her thoughtfully. “How did your parents die?”

      “Car accident. I was nineteen. Michael was twelve. It turned my world upside down.”

      “I bet it did. I’m so sorry,” Dominic said gently, his voice caring. “I know what it’s like to lose a parent. My father died a couple of years ago and I still miss him. I guess I always will.” He took a bite of his sandwich, then another swallow of soda. “Don’t you miss having God in your life?”

      She considered his words for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I haven’t really thought about it in long time. I still pray sometimes, but my heart isn’t always in it.”

      Dominic nodded. “Everyone goes through dry spells. If you ever want to get reconnected, there are some great fellowships here in town.”

      She smiled nervously at his enthusiasm, yet a wave of longing swept over her that took her by surprise. It had been years since she had gone to church on a regular basis, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had cracked open her Bible. She still held on to her beliefs in some small part of her heart, but she hadn’t practiced her faith in years. It had been too hard in the aftermath of losing her parents and watching Michael drift further and further away from her. She’d made up her mind that she wouldn’t need anyone—not even God. But now she was wondering if she’d made the wrong decision. Would some of this mess be easier to bear with faith to see her through?

      “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said softly. She took another sip from her milkshake, surprised that she was even discussing this subject with a virtual stranger. Something about this marshal was approachable and accepting. She usually didn’t feel comfortable talking about her faith with anyone, but for some reason, talking to this man about the subject didn’t make her feel odd. “Let me guess. You’re one of those ‘the glass is half full’ guys, right?”

      Dominic grinned. “How could you tell?”

      She liked his smile. It lit up his entire face and made her feel like everything was going to be okay, even if the opposite was true and everything seemed to be falling to pieces around her. She took another sip, a small peace invading her. “Michael has made some bad choices. Sometimes I get really upset about him and the life he’s chosen, and I feel responsible. What did I do wrong, you know? I tried my best to raise him, but look at him today. He’s a fugitive and, according to you, responsible for putting counterfeit drugs on the market that are hurting people.” She brushed the hair out of her eyes and blinked back tears. “How could he really be involved with something like that? I just don’t know how he could do such a thing.”

      “Your parents taught him right from wrong and gave him a strong foundation. You supported him along the way. At some point, Michael has to take responsibility for the choices he makes, as well as the consequences of his actions. You can’t live his life for him.”

      “Deep down, I know you’re right, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept. I want the people I care about to be successful and happy. I love him too much to see him throw everything away like this.” A silent tear rolled down her cheek, but she wiped it away angrily and resolved not to cry in front of the stranger. The marshal seemed like a nice enough man, but he was clearly interested in finding Michael because of his job, not because he truly cared about him. It was up to her to look out for Michael’s best interests. But how could she do that without talking to Michael first? She wished she could know more about what was really going on and hear his side of the story. She pulled out her cell phone and double-checked that it was on and the batteries were fully charged. She needed to talk to Michael. Then somehow, someway, they were going to make it through this. All she needed now was to figure out how.

      FOUR

      Jessica paced back and forth in the narrow hotel room, thinking that if she stayed in this small space much longer, she was going to go stir crazy. She’d been here for two days already, and the waiting was starting to get to her. A hotel room was a hotel room. There wasn’t much to do except watch TV, and she found little pleasure in television, even if she did have fifty channels to choose from. She had made six desperate calls to Michael in the last twenty-four hours, but so far she still hadn’t heard from him. The fact that he hadn’t responded made her wonder if Michael was even still alive, especially knowing what she did about Coastal and the danger he was in. The fear twisted in her stomach and made it even harder for her to sit still in the small, confining room.

      During her short time in protective custody with the marshals she had met two new deputies. Jake Riley was apparently the technology expert and had all the equipment set up to trace the call if and when Michael finally contacted her. He also seemed to be the leader of the group but let the others do their jobs with very little interference. Dominic and Chris Riggs had been taking turns keeping watch over Jessica and continuing their search for Michael via other means. They had tracked down an address where Michael had lived two months ago in a small suburb of Atlanta, and had local deputies talking to neighbors and trying to discover where he had moved to next. It was tedious work, and Jessica could tell from their discussions that their leads were fading fast. She was definitely their best chance at finding her brother.

      A knock at the door sent Chris to the peephole, and a few seconds later Dominic entered carrying breakfast and a plain brown paper sack. He passed out warm sausage biscuits and coffee, then little packages of sugar and cream to those who wanted them.

      “What, no donuts?” Jessica joked. She was surprised by how glad she was to see him. Although she had only known him a short time, she felt inexplicably safer with him nearby.

      “Funny,” Dominic smiled, then handed the paper sack to Jessica. “I know you’re bored. I got these for you to help pass the time.”

      Jessica opened the sack and was surprised to see a selection of mystery novels by her favorite authors whose books had lined her shelves at home. She was truly touched by his thoughtfulness. There was even a book about drawing technique and a small sketch pad with pencils included in the bag. “I can’t believe you noticed,” she said with a smile. “Thank you so much.”

      “You’re welcome, Ms. Blake.” He grinned at her. “I’ve done this enough to know that it takes more than a TV to pass the time.”

      So he had noticed that, too. “Please call me Jessica.” She grinned back at him and felt herself actually relaxing for the first time since she had come to the hotel.

      Suddenly her cell phone rang, and she jumped, then grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. “I don’t know the number.”

      Dominic gently touched her shoulder. “It’s okay. Answer anyway.” They had already established that several of Jessica’s friends called her cell phone number on occasion. The call could be coming from any one of them.

      Jessica nodded and pushed the answer button on her phone. “Hello?”

      “Jess! Are you all right?”

      Jessica sank down to the bed. The speaker was young and frantic, and it was unmistakably the voice of Michael Blake. She nodded to Dominic who had picked up a headset and was listening to the call. Across the room, Jake started to run the trace.

      “I’m okay, but, Michael, somebody came to my house and tore it apart. Then they called and threatened me. They said you stole some sort of computer disk. Michael, did you do that?”

      “Oh, Jess, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would come back on you.”

      Jessica