Just a Taste (SAMPLE)

Chapter Three

- THEN -

Five years ago

Dad worked with Uncle Luke for almost eight months when he first began bounty hunting to learn the ropes. Uncle Luke had been friends with Dad since their army days, and had been in my life ever since I could remember. Though he wasn't technically my uncle, I'd never referred to him as anything else.

The first time Dad had ever taken a case without Uncle Luke, Mom and I had both been bundles of nerves. He often came home with bruises – and that was while working with a partner. We worried that he'd be in even more danger working alone. Dad's jokes that his job wasn't nearly as exciting or dangerous as the movies didn't do much to reassure either of us.

"He'll be fine, sweetheart," Mom said, ruffling my hair as she walked past me into the kitchen. She was better than me at hiding her feelings. "He's a tough one, your dad. There's no need to worry."

I tried to believe her. It was hard when she looked so terrible. But that could have been due to the chemotherapy.

For a while after the surgery, she'd been great. The operation had removed all of the cancerous cells in her breast and she hadn't even had to undergo any chemotherapy. A few weeks ago, Mom had returned from a check-up appointment looking shaken. Her latest tests had found cancerous cells – this time in her ovaries. It seemed like it had been one thing after another these past few years. She'd been diagnosed with ovarian cancer at first and beat it. Then a few years later, they'd found malignant cells in her breast that needed to be removed. And now the ovarian cancer had made a return.

She'd started chemotherapy up again last week, and for a few days she'd been fine. The side-effects were beginning to take a toll now.

I was terrified. So was Dad.

He'd been home a lot the past few weeks, and we'd all been spending a lot of time together. It was great, but scary too, as I was all too aware of the reason why Dad felt it was necessary to spend as much time as possible with Mom.

He'd given me a long hug before he left. "I'm coming back," he'd said, exasperated, as Mom and I hovered near the door.

He was beyond grateful for everything Uncle Luke had done for him, but he was ready to work alone. Once a fugitive was returned, the bondsman – who would have loaned the fugitive money for the bail – would share a percentage of the bail money with the bounty hunter. It was more dangerous to work alone, but Dad would be able to claim a higher percentage of the bail instead of splitting it down the middle with Uncle Luke. More money per case meant Dad taking on fewer cases and being home more.

His safety was still a concern.

Axel also came over that morning to keep me company. We'd sprawled on the couch, eating a bowl of microwave popcorn as we watched a movie.

Axel scribbled something on the notebook he always carried with him before he shoved it under my nose.

Your Dad's a badass. If he didn't smile as much as he did, I'd be scared of him. There's no reason for you to worry, you know. He has done this before.

"I know," I muttered. His eyebrows drew in a little as he stared at my mouth. 'I know,' I signed clumsily.

It used to feel weird, having Axel constantly look at my mouth, but I had long grown comfortable with it. My ASL wasn't the best, so he often had to read my lips to communicate with me. It was slow going, learning a whole new language, but I was learning more and more every day. I wanted to talk to Axel in his language.