The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,4
been tough. Carl told me about that fugitive arrest that went south.”
Jonas attempted to shrug off her concern as he dug into the food, but if he closed his eyes, he could still replay every moment of that day.
“Any lingering physical effects?” Glenda asked.
“I have some limited nerve damage in my arm from the bullet, but therapy has helped.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And on a lighter note, what about your move here?” she asked. “Feeling settled at all?”
“I’m almost unpacked. Carl gave me a couple days before I start working. This move has been a long time in coming, but for one reason or another has never seemed right until now.”
“I know I’ve been working for years to get you to return,” Michaels said.
“So has my mother.”
Glenda filled up his half-empty orange juice glass. “Where are you living?”
“For now in a studio apartment that my mom owns not too far from here. She’s been renting it out for years and it happened to come up vacant just when I needed a place. I’m planning to live there until I can decide if I want to rent or buy, and in the meantime, I’ll give it a fresh coat of paint and a few upgrades.”
Glenda’s brow rose. “Still not ready to buy a house and settle down?”
“I’d like to say this is my last move, but time will tell,” he said.
Flexibility had allowed him to focus on a career that took him from the courthouse to training fugitive task forces across the country. He loved the constant change in scenery, and the rush of adrenaline that kept him on his toes.
“Have you been out to visit your mother since you’ve been back?”
Jonas stabbed another bite of fish and sauce. “I’m planning to head to Bellevue to see her over the weekend.”
“It’s hard to believe it’s been almost three decades since your father and I were beat cops together here in Seattle,” said Michaels.
“It is.” Jonas nodded. “I miss him.”
“I miss him too. He was a good man.”
There wasn’t a day that went by when Jonas didn’t think about his father and the heart attack that had taken him away too soon. His dad had joined the police force right out of college. Michaels joined a couple years later. Eventually, both men joined the US Marshals. Jonas was seven when he decided he was going to follow in his father’s footsteps, and he’d never looked back.
Michaels’s gaze shifted past Jonas toward the water. “And now, I’m about to celebrate twenty years as a US Marshal. It’s hard to believe.”
“Speaking of celebrations,” Glenda said, “I’m helping to plan our church’s twenty-fifth anniversary party in a couple weeks. It might be a nice way for you to meet a few people. The city’s changed significantly over the past ten years, and I’m sure you don’t know very many people anymore.”
“Glenda . . .”
Jonas caught Michaels’s warning glance at his wife. “Am I missing something?”
Michaels turned toward him. “Let’s just say my wife likes to play matchmaker, and our very single niece will be there—”
“It was just a thought.” Glenda held up her hands in defeat. “When you’re new to a city, a few friends can only help.”
Jonas shifted in his seat. “I’ll be honest. The last thing I’m interested in right now is dating. I’m here to work, and I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of it.”
“Yes, but you have to do more than work,” she said. “You need a social life.”
Jonas frowned. Eighteen months should have been long enough to move on from Felicia, but he’d found it impossible to take that first step.
Glenda pushed her chair back. “I forgot I have a pot of coffee brewing if you’d like some.”
“I would,” Jonas said. “Thank you.”
She stood up and headed back inside. “Though I still say you need a social life.”
“I’m sorry.” Michaels set his fork down and leaned forward as soon as Glenda had stepped inside the condo. “My wife doesn’t know the details of what happened.”
“Forget about it. She’s like my mother. Wants to make sure I’m okay. I can understand that.”
“Do you ever talk to Felicia?” Michaels asked.
“She made it clear that things were over between us a long time ago.”
Michaels nodded. “I remember meeting her one time when she was up here visiting her grandmother. She was a good deputy marshal.”
“She was.” And at one time, she’d been the woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. But one pivotal moment had changed all