Guardian of Justice by Carol Steward

couldn’t let her head keep playing tug-of-war with her emotions like this.
    By the time she unloaded her groceries and locked herself inside her condo, she was mentally exhausted. Kira dropped the mail on the table, noticing the envelope from Family Finders. That meant they hadn’t found her brother yet. She ripped it open and unfolded the latest computer generated report. It had jumped from two pages to five. She felt her heart race as she read through the new information. “Jimmie Driscoe—arrested for domestic disturbance, charges dropped; employment verification—Livingston Motors, four months, fired, failed drug test; arrested for possession of drugs, in drug rehab—” and the list went on.
    She flipped to the last page to verify that they hadn’t made contact with him yet, then tossed the report into her mail basket on the table. She closed her eyes and recited one of her favorite Bible verses: “‘When you pass through deep waters I will be with you. Your troubles will not overwhelm you…. Will not overwhelm you.’” She repeated, and took a deep breath.
    “God help me get some sleep tonight,” she whispered as she started the microwave to heat her dinner. “I feel like that guy is out there, waiting to seek revenge against me for shutting down his business.” She thought back to the interview with Betsy earlier this morning. It still made Kira angry. How could a mother chop and bag cocaine for sale, then turn and feed her daughter bread sliced on the same cutting board? The kids had also been with their mom on numerous occasions when she’d distributed the drugs.
    Shirley had sobbed throughout the family group meeting when she realized she wouldn’t get her children back. This was her third drug arrest. And this time she was going to be in prison for a long time on trafficking charges. None of the family had proved to be suitable guardians, and Kira was forced, earlier than usual, to discuss giving the children up for adoption as Shirley’s best option. Kira wondered if the woman would ever get control over her drug problems.
    She filled a glass of water and set it next to her chair by the gas fireplace. She was getting ready to grab her dinner from the microwave when a knock on the door scared her out of her skin. She gave a small yelp, right before whoever it was knocked a second time. Kira ran to her purse and grabbed her Mace, then looked through the peephole, to find her mother standing there. Kira felt relief wash through her.
    “Hi,” she said as she opened the door. Suddenly, she remembered the Mace, hid it behind her and backed away from the door, hoping to find somewhere to put it before her mother saw it.
    Her mom looked at Kira, seeming to know immediately that something was wrong. “Hi,” she said, with a cautious glance around the condo. “So, what’s wrong?”
    Saying “nothing” would be too obvious. Kira wanted to deny the accusation, but knew it was useless. “Bad week, why?” She walked past the kitchen, sliding the Mace around her body to keep it out of sight.
    Her mom followed her into the cluttered living room, where Kira sat down and stuffed the container under the chair cushion. “Yesterday was Garrett’s birthday. You didn’t show up for dinner. Tonight was the concert at church, and you were going to meet us there. Are you okay?”
    Brushing the hair from her face, Kira felt a stab of guilt. “I wasn’t feeling well, but I can’t believe I forgot…” She and Garrett were only months apart in age, which had created a bit of tension when they were kids. He’d been the baby until they had adopted her, just a week before his birthday. A little sister wasn’t exactly on the top of his birthday wish list, then or now. Not only had he gotten a sister, she’d bumped him out of his baby of the family role. It took earning her master’s degree to figure out why his reaction to that really wasn’t anything he could have controlled. “Is Garrett upset with