Page 19 of Sabre’s Guard

“I hope that turns out to be true. However, we just need to stay calm, plan for the worst, and hope for the best. Do you mind if I do a security assessment of your house?”

“Of course not. Anything you could do to help me keep my son safe, I would appreciate.”

We walk through the house together. I inspect all the doors, windows, and even the basement and attic.

“Your front door has a decent deadbolt. That lock on the back door is old as the hills, so it’ll need to be replaced. All the window locks need to be traded out with ones that have alarms. The attic window isn’t designed to be opened. And the basement windows aren’t large enough for an adult to squeeze through.”

“That’s a pretty thorough assessment,” she tells me.

“I’m not finished. Your exterior lighting is abysmal. You’ll need cameras on the front and back doors and strategically placed exterior security cameras covering the property, particularly the driveway.”

“That all sounds expensive, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us safe.”

“Don’t worry about the price. I’ll get you all the equipment at wholesale, and our security firm will install it for free.”

“Are you sure your boss will approve that?”

“He already did. That’s my best professional opinion on what you need. You can take it or leave it.”

“No, if that’s what you think we need, I’m all in,” she states firmly.

“All right, that’s a good call. I also recommend you let the Legion monitor it directly, at least for the next month or two. If there’s been no sign of your ex by then, it might be that he’s decided to move on. With our security firm we have staff in place twenty-four-seven, monitoring our own property and clients’ security feeds. That means if somethin’ trips at three in the morning and you sleep through your alarm, the Legion will respond for you. Me, Talon, or whoever is on call for the night will be up and moving within minutes.”

Linsey is quiet for a few seconds, turning my offer over in her mind. “This sounds too good to be true. Where’s the catch?”

I chuckle. “There ain’t no catch. You’re just getting the friends-and-family discount.”

She slowly nods. “Okay,” she says. “I’m going to take you at your word, Sabre. Now, is there anything else that we’re missing?”

“Yeah, tell me about Noah’s school. What’s his routine like?”

She shrugs. “I drop him off at seven forty-five on my way to work. Aunt Carol picks him up at three.”

“Are pickups and drop-offs at the same time and the same doors every day, or does it vary?”

“Same time, same doors, every day,” she says cautiously. “Why do you ask?”

“Routines are called routines for a reason. They’re predictable and easy to learn from a parked car. If anybody ever comes lookin’ for you and your son, the school run is going to be the soft spot. So, we need to work some extra security in there. Why don’t you let me take over the school run? I can drop Noah off and pick him up for a while. Me, personally. I won’t delegate that to anyone else.”

She blinks up at me as if she can’t believe I made that offer. “You realize that’s ten trips a week. Sabre, that’s not a favor. That’s a commitment.”

“I…I know what it is,” I stammer uncomfortably.

“Are you sure?” She lowers her voice and takes a step closer. “I only ask because once you offer, Noah will jump at the chance, and then he’ll start counting on it. I know how these things go. For you, the first week might be interesting, and you’ll be proud to do a good deed. By the second or third week, it’ll start seeming like a chore you wish you hadn’t signed up for. You’ll get bored or busy or just over it. The thing is, my son has been the one standing at the curb, watching all the other kids get picked up. He’ll depend on you showing up for him.”

“Don’t worry, I’m reliable. I’ll be there, totin’ him back and forth to school on the back of my bike, like clockwork. I won’t let Noah down.”

She stares at me as if she’s trying to tell if she can take me at my word.

“Yeah,” Linsey says. “You’re right about that. How about we try it out and see how it works out for everyone?”

“There are two more things we need to discuss about Noah’s security while at school,” I tell Linsey. “You need to put me on the authorized pickup list. Make it official with the front office. And second, you need to give the school a photograph of Dylan, with written instructions stating that Dylan’s name is not on Noah’s birth certificate and that he has no parental rights. Tell them if Dylan ever shows up on that campus or tries to pick up Noah, they need to call the police first and you or me second.”

Linsey’s hand flies to cover her mouth. Clearly, it never occurred to her that Dylan might simply show up and try to sign Noah out of school. I hate being the one who brought that up to her.

I take a step closer and gently pull her hand down off her face. “You said he doesn’t know about Noah. Hopefully, that’s still true. But what we need to do is assume that he does, and make sure your son is safe, okay?”

She nods, takes a breath, and pulls her mess back together. “You’re right. We’re operating under a different set of circumstances now that Dylan’s out.”