Bringing Benjy Home (Security Ops) by Kylie Brant Page A

been acting oddly all day, but that wasn’t important, either. Right now his mind was grappling with the startling coincidence she’d stumbled on in this room. The room was next door to the one from which the phone call had been made last night to complain of a child’s crying.
    His gaze swung back to the drawer and the pillow inside it. More than likely the room’s previous occupants had used it to bed down a pet they were traveling with. It would make a snug pallet for a medium-sized dog.
    But it would also be the perfect size for an eighteen-month old boy.
     
    “I’ll have two double cheeseburgers with everything,” Jaida said, snapping her menu shut. “And bring me an order of fries, a Coke and a chocolate shake.”
    The waitress scribbled down the order in her indecipherable shorthand. “Someone going to be joining you, hon?” she asked. The tag pinned to her pink uniform proclaimed her name as Elaine.
    “Not if I’m lucky,” Jaida answered obliquely. She refused to look out the window of the restaurant, to see if Trey had followed her from the motel across the street. She needed time alone to regroup after the emotional turmoil she’d experienced in the motel room. And it was much too soon for her to face Trey’s contempt and mistrust again. First she needed time to shore up defenses that had crumbled badly in the past few minutes.
    “Could I have the shake right away?” she asked the waitress.
    The woman tucked her pad and pencil in the pocket of her apron, which was a snug fit around her ample middle. “Sure thing, hon,” she agreed good-naturedly. “If I was a little bitty thing like you, I’d have myself two.” She winked and headed around the counter.
    The hammering in Jaida’s temples showed no signs of abating, and she opened her purse and took out her pain medication. Swallowing a tablet, she placed the prescription bottle back in her bag just as the graying waitress returned with her shake.
    “Here you go. Hope you enjoy.” Elaine hovered until Jaida sipped from the glass and proclaimed it delicious. Beaming, the waitress said, “Old-fashioned malts and shakes are my specialty. Those young girls that work here,” she snorted and jerked her head in the direction of a teenager who was wiping off the counter. “You just can’t teach them a thing—they don’ want to learn. Whichever way is easiest, that’s the way they want to do things. But you just can’t rush a good shake.”
    Jaida smiled at the woman’s loquaciousness. “Do you own this place?”
    Elaine’s stomach shook with her laughter. “Heavens no dear, but I guess you can say I spend a lot of time running it. Jake, he’s the owner. Doesn’t show up much these days, except to clean out the cash drawer. As long as he doesn’t bother me, we get along just fine.” The woman’s eyes narrowed in concern as Jaida rubbed her temples. “Headache?” she asked sympathetically.
    “I’ve taken something for it. It’ll be gone soon.” Even as she spoke the words, Jaida knew they were overly optimistic. Her limbs still felt heavy with a deep, pervading cold, and her shiver wasn’t in response to the diner’s air-conditioning.
    The waitress clucked knowingly and bustled back to the kitchen to check on Jaida’s order. A short time later she was back, bearing plates of steaming food. “There, now. You eat up. Nothing like a hot meal to chase a headache away.” She watched approvingly as Jaida picked up one of the cheeseburgers and bit into it. Then her gaze went to the door, and her face went still.
    Jaida didn’t need Elaine’s reaction to know who had just walked into the diner. The tingle at the base of her scalp was enough to tell her that Trey had come looking for her. The waitress scurried back behind the counter, and Trey slid his big body into the seat cross from Jaida.
    He nodded toward the assortment of dishes in front of her. “You shouldn’t have ordered for me.”
    “I didn’t,” she informed him