Page 12 of Silent Menace
Heat radiated from the asphaltof the parking lot as Hailey pushed a cart filled with groceries and her daughter to her SUV. Sweat beaded at her temple, and she swiped it away with the back of her hand. She’d parked in the back, intending to get this Saturday chore finished before the temperature skyrocketed, but apparently half of Kincaid had the same idea. It had taken almost twice as long as usual to get through the store and check out.
Jenna was already starting to look flushed by the time they reached the Explorer. Hailey would need to get the groceries loaded in quickly, and she might have to rethink their planned excursion to the Ark. She used her key fob to pop the hatch, then positioned the cart at an angle with the front wheels wedged against the curb so it couldn’t easily roll away and Jenna would be at least somewhat shaded by the liftgate.
Moving as quickly as possible, Hailey began transferring the grocery bags from the cart to the car, placing the perishables together in a large cooler she kept in the trunk for that purpose. When she was nearly finished, one of the bags ripped, and a container of blueberries popped open, spilling across the floorboard. She groaned and leaned over the edge to gather as many of them as she could so they wouldn’t get crushed by heavier items slidingaround on the drive home. When she turned around, she found herself face-to-face—or, more accurately, face-to-chest—with a hulk of a man.
She gasped and tried to backstep, but there wasn’t anywhere to go with the cart and the SUV forming a solid V behind her. Though she’d never actually spoken to him, she recognized the local contractor who had a reputation as a hothead. Before she could say a word, he let loose a stream of curses, catapulting her apprehension to alarm.
“You need to back off, Oscar.” Hailey placed a protective hand on the grocery cart and raised her voice to be heard over his tirade. She tried to look around him to see if anyone was near enough to intervene, but he stood so close he blocked her view as well as any escape.
He leaned in and pointed a thick finger at her. “You should have left town when your no-good husband died.” He threw in a couple more vulgar words for good measure.
“I had nothing to do with any of that. You need to back up. Now.” Somehow, she kept her voice strong and even. She didn’t want to have to scream, but if this guy didn’t back off, she would do whatever it took to keep herself and her daughter safe.
Jenna started to wail, and Hailey cut her eyes toward her. She was staring up at the man, obviously distressed by his demeanor, though she couldn’t hear his words. That was enough to shift some of Hailey’s fear to anger. She drew herself up to her full height and glared at Oscar.
“You’re scaring my daughter. Move. Back.”
His face turned a deeper shade of red. “You think you can steal from this town and then strut around with no consequences? Some of us work for our money, and people like you think you can just take what you want. Well, not on my watch. You—”
Suddenly, he stumbled back from her.
Hailey immediately took the opportunity to move so she couldn’t be trapped again. Before she could decide whether itwould be faster to take off with the cart or try to get Jenna unbuckled and out, she heard a familiar British accent.
“I don’t think you want to do that, mate.”
She spun, keeping her body between Jenna and Oscar. Several feet away from them, the security guard from work squared off with the man, who had his hands raised to fight. Though Peter was smaller than her accuser, he apparently had a lot of strength to have jerked Oscar away like he was a dandelion.
Oscar, who still faced her, wasn’t amused. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“I think it does. You’re scaring a woman and a baby. If you’ve got a problem with the lady, there are better ways to handle it—being a bully’s not it.”
Hailey wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the enraged man’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Instead of answering, he threw a punch.
Peter was ready for it. He dodged the meaty fist and latched on to the man’s extended wrist. The next second, Oscar was lying on his back. Peter repositioned himself to again block access to Hailey and Jenna. He stared down at the man.
“You need to shove off.”
Oscar blinked, and his face returned to a normal hue, or perhaps even a bit pale. He staggered to his feet, shot one last murderous glare toward Hailey, and retreated to a dusty blue pickup the next row over.
They both watched until the truck roared away, then Hailey turned to release Jenna from the cart. Her little girl was still sobbing, and she pulled her close.
“You all right, love?”
She twisted back toward Peter and noted the concern on his face. “We’re okay.” Her legs started trembling, and she sat on the edge of her still-open trunk. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“No worries. What was his problem?”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “Something that I had no control over. I’m glad you intervened when you did.”
“Wish I could have stepped in sooner. I tried calling out, but he was going on so loud, I guess he didn’t hear me.”
She hadn’t either. She glanced at the space the man had vacated. His truck hadn’t been there when she and Jenna crossed the lot a few minutes ago. Had their meeting been a coincidence? Or had he come looking for her?
PETER KNELTin front of the woman and her still-bawling toddler. “Hey, little one. It’s all right now.”
“She can’t hear you.” Hailey tapped the girl’s shoulder, but her daughter just buried her head deeper into her mom’s chest. She shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry, she’s pretty upset. That guy didn’t hurt her, but he scared us both.”
“No apology necessary.” Peter stood. He swayed a bit and grabbed on to the side of the SUV to steady himself.
