No Less Days by Amanda G. Stevens

Author:Amanda G. Stevens [Stevens, Amanda G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781683225539
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Published: 2018-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

Tiana’s boots rustled the dry grass behind him. She halted a foot back then inched closer.

“Oh, Lord,” she said. David drew her back from the sight, and she didn’t resist. “He’s dead.”

“Yes.”

“He’s dead. There’s … a … dead person …”

Her legs buckled, and David caught her against his chest. “Easy now. Try to breathe easy.”

“I can smell him. Is he dead? Are you sure he’s dead?”

Her alto was rising fast. David gripped her shoulders and held her at arm’s length, ready to catch her, but her legs remained firm this time. “Tiana. Look at me.”

Her gaze dragged from the brush pile to David’s face. Her breathing was even, but her pupils were dilated. She was straddling the line between stress and shock. David cupped her face between his gloved hands.

“You’re safe. You’re all right. You need to take deep breaths and stay calm. Can you do that?”

“He died.”

“That’s right.”

“Somebody killed him? Why would somebody kill him?”

He shook his head, thoughts grappling. He could let the store employees find this themselves. Disturb the brush enough to be sure they did. Land them in counseling for months. A sour option.

He could make an anonymous call, but that was more likely to arouse suspicion than if he identified himself and talked straight to the cops.

The man was dead. Appropriate dealings with him could wait a few minutes, or however long Tiana needed to recover. She was shaking now, staring at the branches. “I feel sick.”

With an arm around her shoulders, he supported her to the edge of the clearing, but she didn’t throw up. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his back.

“I’m trying to stay calm.”

“You’re doing fine. Keep breathing through your mouth. If your vision gets spotty or your hands start tingling, tell me.”

“David.”

“Right here.”

“What happened to him?”

“I don’t know.”

He held her a long minute, until she stopped shaking. Until she leaned her head on his shoulder and looked toward the body again, this time with a firmness to her mouth, her eyes no longer too wide. She was blinking at normal intervals again. David cupped her shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was small.

“Don’t be.”

“You’re fine. You’re not overreacting at all.”

He drew her close. “It’s not overreacting. You’ve just seen death.”

“I was with my grandma in the hospital. When they turned off the machines.”

“It’s not the same, Tiana. Violent death isn’t natural. It’s supposed to sicken us.”

“But you …”

“I’m too well acquainted with it. Your reaction is the wholesome one.”

“What do we do for him now?”

The quaver in her voice kept his arm around her a moment longer. “He’ll be turned over to the authorities.”

“Do you think he tried to threaten someone else, but the person saw the gun wasn’t loaded and attacked him?”

“No.”

The reply came from instinct, but he was sure of it the moment it left his mouth. Perhaps there had been a mistake, a mugging gone bad. Tait out here meditating on Thor, a thug or two prowling away from the streetlights and the walkways, spotting the man and deciding to take his wallet, only he put up a fight …

It could have happened.

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