Page 31 of Protecting Salvation

Chapter9

“What?”

Thank God Warren was at her back because she wasn’t sure she could remain on her feet with all the surprises and blows that life kept throwing her way. His hands slid to her hips and he widened his stance so she could sink back into his strong body. His palm on her belly steadied her in a way she didn’t know she needed.

“Yeah, three big deliveries.”

“That makes no sense. Do we know who the buyer is yet?” Watchdog was good, so it was likely they did.

“Yes, a man named Trevor Harkness. Do you know the name?”

Peyton shook her head. “No, it’s not familiar. Should I know it?”

Lotus pursed her lips. “Well, this is where it gets tangled up. Trevor Harkness was a friend of your cousin Martin, but it seems they had a falling out and haven’t had any contact in the last eighteen months.”

Peyton wracked her brain as to why a friend of her cousin would have anything to do with this. “But why is he having ammonium nitrate sent to the farm? Last I heard it was being developed and the ground cleared.”

“It was, but the developer had an issue with the planning office. They refused to grant planning because of an ecology report submitted which indicated there were rare species of wildlife found on the land. The person who wrote the report was Hilary Harkness, Trevor’s wife. When the developers sold the land off for a quick sale, Trevor bought it under a shell company.”

Her brain was firing so fast it was making her head spin as she tried to keep up. “So why trash my office? This makes no sense to me.”

“Us either, which is why we’re going to pay Trev a little visit and have a chat. We’re missing something but I’m not sure what yet.”

“So what can I do to help?”

Lotus put her hands in her back pockets and tipped her head. “Just carry on as normal. See patients and be safe. If anything comes up or you remember anything that might help, let us know.”

Lotus was abrasive but she was also kind and loved hard, it was why she had such a hard shell around her heart. She also knew Warren being here and protecting her kept him as safe as he could be with this job.

“Okay. Well, let me know if you need me for anything. I need to take Bertie for a quick walk before I get started.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Warren grabbed the lead and secured a very excited Bertie and the four of them walked out together. Lotus hugged her and Titan gave her a signature head tilt.

It was a nice morning, the sun already warm as the traffic began to build on the road outside her house. Hereford was the main route from Wales to the midlands, and without a bi-pass, all the traffic came through the town, which made it hell in the mornings.

Warren took her hand in his and she looked down at them, his so much bigger, his skin so dark against her own but it felt right. They felt right like two puzzle pieces finally clicking together.

“What’s that smile for?”

She tipped her head up as Bertie sniffed every lamppost or crack in the pavement, his head moving scenting, leg lifting and marking every tree.

“I was just thinking how natural this is between us. Like two pieces of Lego clicking into place.”

She felt silly saying it out loud but she always counselled her patients to be honest and communicate so to do otherwise would be hypocritical.

“I know what you mean. Since my diagnosis, or perhaps before that, I’ve felt adrift like I was floating on a sea with no purpose and no place to call home. Even as a kid I never felt like I quite fit. Mostly I think that was because I wanted different things from my parents, and some of it was because of my situation with my blood type. I felt different. Then I met Jack and Bás and I found a home. My diagnosis shook the foundation I’d built with them. The home that felt safe suddenly felt unstable.”

Peyton squeezed his hand but let him speak, knowing he needed to get his thoughts out there and that she was listening. They reached the bottom of the hill and turned to walk the short loop back up. Bertie could have a proper run later tonight.

“Accepting my life was going to change was hard. I love my life but I saw my diagnosis as the end. Being with you these last few days has made me see it’s not an end, it’s a fork in the road. I can fight or I can roll over, which is what I’ve been doing up until now. Having the people I care about most stepping up and telling me that whatever I need is what they’ll give me, made me feel comforted.”

His eyes found her face as he stopped them at the top of the hill, feet from her house, and turned her to face him. His hand cupped her chin, tilting her head to his and she leaned into his touch. Warren was such a beautiful man, such a gentle giant, and she felt a wave of emotion roll over her. She could love this man until her dying day. He could be everything to her, and it was scary because she could lose him. But life had taught her that nothing was guaranteed and that fear was the thief of joy and she wouldn’t let anything steal the joy this man gave her.

“But having you beside me makes me feel brave, makes me want to fight because you’re right. Nothing has ever felt more right than being with you.”

Her head fell into his chest, where he cupped her nape and kissed the back of her head. Sirens in the distance reached her and her head lifted as three squad cars and a black Ford pulled up with a screech outside her drive.