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“So you had Tommy bring you here to tell me?”

“You’re a protector, Uncle Bodhi. I see it. And you were a Marine. And….and… I don’t know. It seemed like the right course of action.”

I had to smirk at the phrasing, which was him parroting Carter, I’d bet. My brother Hawk’s boyfriend was a former CFO and for some reason I could not understand, all the kids looked up to him. They could do worse, I supposed.

“Well, it was.” I gave him a squeeze. “I’m going to take care of this. Okay?”

He squinted at me. “How?”

I squinted back but then stuck out my tongue, hoping for a smile. I got that and a small giggle. “Don’t you worry about it. Your part is done. I got this now.”

Payton wanted more details. I knew he did. But he wisely didn’t ask, probably because of the look on my face. Instead he just hugged me and whispered, “Thanks.”

My first stop was at Landry’s Seed and Feed, where I bypassed the lines, ignored the cashier at the help desk when she tried to stop me, and stuck my head into Trip’s office. Shannon. He didn’t like Trip anymore, except from his mom and my brother, Crew, who was one of his oldest friends.

“Bodhi,” Shannon said, eyes going soft. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

I rolled my eyes and he laughed, knowing he was laying it on thick. Not that he wasn’t pretty, because he was, but he wasn’t my type. No one was my type. No one sparked my interest at all. I’d long ago learned to accept that’s who I was.

“Laura Bennett? She got a kid?”

Shannon’s smile fell. “Yeah. A son. About seven or eight, I’d guess. I’ve only seen him in here a couple of times with her but….”

Just as I suspected. Other people had noted things too. I arched a brow for him and he sighed.

“She’s just…. I couldn’t say anything with any real detail. There’s just a vibe, you know? Like he’s scared.”

I nodded. “She live in the same house or somewhere else?”

“Still on Cooper’s Way.” He sat up straighter. “What are you gonna do?”

“See what’s what. Thanks.”

And I didn’t wait for another word before I turned around and left. Shannon wouldn’t say anything to anyone, which is why I went to him. He still had the pulse of everyone in this town, and I knew he’d know.

It started to rain by the time I made it back outside, and as I headed toward my destination, it became a deluge. Which is why I saw red when I pulled into the short drive and saw Shiloh shivering on the porch, getting soaked. I grabbed the big golf umbrella I kept in the back and left the truck running.

“Hey,” I said, just loud enough to be heard over the rain. “You’re Shiloh, right? I’m Payton’s Uncle Bodhi. We met before.”

He looked up at me, utter misery on his expression, and nodded. He wrapped his arms around himself.

“Can I sit?” I asked, pointing to the spot next to him on the uncovered stoop. He didn’t answer, so I took that as a yes, and perched on the stair, not caring that the rain immediately soaked into my jeans. I tilted the umbrella so it covered him too, which did nothing to help with the cold and how wet he already was, but at least kept him from getting wetter.

“How come you’re sitting out here?” I tried for conversational and maybe it worked because he peeked at me and shrugged. “You don’t wanna go inside?”

“Can’t,” he whispered, and if I hadn’t been sitting right there, I wouldn’t have heard it.

“How come?”

No answer. I didn’t expect one. He was conditioned not to speak about it, of that I was sure. Otherwise something would have already been done. Someone would have put things in motion. His teacher, a neighbor, someone.

“So, I know you don’t know me. But you know Payton. You trust him?” I glanced down in time to see the small nod. “Well, he told me you might need help. So, I came right away. And if I promise you that you won’t get in trouble, if I promise you I’m here to help and fix it, will you trust me?”

Silence. Then a half-shrug and another tiny nod.

I blew out a breath. And then, very quietly, I asked, “Shiloh, does your mom hit you?”

He didn’t speak. He just leaned a bit closer, probably drawn by the warmth I was putting off. I wanted to demand answers but knew that would be the absolute wrong thing to do. So I just waited him out. Eventually he pushed up his soaked sleeve to show a hand shaped bruise around his forearm. The anger in my chest became almost too big to contain, but I breathed until I could speak again.