Page 59 of Devoured By the Forbidden Mountain Man

The restraint told me how much she disliked every word.

I continued because making her drag the rest out of me would have been crueler.

“If the warrant is still active when Gavin walks into the Lantern House, and his completed bail-jumping conduct gives me a lawful basis to act, I may have to take him into custody. Not as a bail agent reclaiming an old bond. As a private person making a brief felony arrest. I would call law enforcement immediately and hand him over as soon as officers arrived. I would not hold him for North Fork or turn it into a recovery.”

The color had drained slightly from Georgia’s face.

She stood and walked to the window.

Outside, afternoon had already begun sliding toward the early darkness of late October. The pines beyond the property moved against a sky thickening with another line of clouds.

I stayed where I was.

Georgia braced one hand on the sill.

“I knew he wasn’t coming back to nothing.”

Her voice was calm, but there was effort in it.

“I know he ran. I know seven years don’t vanish because the reason was better than everybody thought.”

She turned.

“I just spent half the day trying to get him home. Now I’m supposed to picture you putting him in custody when he gets here.”

I didn’t tell her not to picture it.

“I’m telling you now because if it happens tomorrow, I don’t ever want you wondering whether I knew and chose not to warn you.”

That reached her.

Her expression changed, anger and hurt still present but directed where they belonged instead of at a surprise I could have prevented.

“Would you have told Gavin first if I wasn’t here?”

“No. I don’t know yet what tomorrow will require. If I have to act, I’ll tell him exactly why before I do.”

Georgia left the window and came closer, though she didn’t sit again.

“I don’t want you protecting me the way he did.”

“I won’t.”

She looked directly at me.

“That means if you have to do something tomorrow, you tell me. You don’t decide I’m too emotional because he’s my brother. You don’t shut me out because it’s your job.”

“I understand.”

The answer was true, but it needed more.

I stood.

“If I have to act, I’ll tell Gavin why. I’ll keep it as private as I can. I won’t use more restraint than I need, and law enforcement gets called immediately. You stay part of what happens because you’re already part of it. I’m not going to decide otherwise for you.”

Georgia absorbed that slowly. “I may hate you for a little while anyway.”

“I can handle that, though I agree the timing is terrible.”