Once they were outside the gym, Bennett moved to her side as they headed toward his SUV. “They’re going to be trouble.”
“Soooo much trouble.” Even as she said it, though, she had to laugh. “They’re so eager to fight crime. I’m surprised they don’t make themselves superhero capes and patrol the town at night.”
“Don’t suggest that,” he warned, making her chuckle again.
Felicity reached into her bag and pulled out a case with two earpieces inside. After the slightest hesitation, she handed one to Bennett and stuck the other in her right ear.
Glancing down at the small piece of electronics in his hand, his eyes widened for a moment before he huffed out what sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
“What?” she asked, watching him insert it into his ear.
“If this doesn’t work, we can use mine.”
She stared at him for a moment before snorting her own laugh. “You bugged the office too?”
His amused look was her only answer.
Still smiling, Felicity climbed into the passenger side of Bennett’s SUV and concentrated on listening to Lou’s voice. Although audible, the sound quality wasn’t the best, and she wondered if Bennett’s was better.
“…check out Felicity’s story?” Lou was asking, making Felicity frown. She should’ve expected some suspicion—deservedly so, since she’d just bugged the office—but it still stung.
“Chris said there’s a Felicity Pax with Pax Bond Recovery out of Langston, Colorado, who’s licensed as a bond recovery agent.” That sounded like Daisy, the one married to the deputy.
“Good.” Even with the poor sound quality, Felicity heard Lou heave a sigh. “I would’ve been really sad if she turned out to be a criminal or scammer or something. We bonded at the coffee shop today.”
“There’s no guarantee she was telling the truth about her skip though,” Rory’s serious voice warned.
“The Dino details check out.” That was Daisy again. “A Douglas ‘Dino’ Fletcher did skip out on his bail after being charged for meth possession with intent to distribute.”
“Ask Chris if Dino used to be in the Freedom Survivors,” Ellie suggested.
“Ugh, that name,” Lou groaned. “I hope we solve this quickly so we can move on to that petition.”
“He says we’d need the Langston Police file on him for info on his known associates.” Daisy sounded disappointed by that. “You’d think a cop would know how to hack the records of another cop.”
The women laughed, and Felicity couldn’t help but join them. She covered her mouth with her hand, even though they couldn’t hear her.
“What about the guy with her, Bennett… Do you know his last name?” Ellie asked.
“Mr. Creepy and Silent?” Lou asked, making Felicity bristle with protective fury. She glanced over at the man under discussion, but he didn’t look fazed by the insult. “He’s a PI, Bennett Green. Does Chris have anything on him?”
“I didn’t think he was creepy,” Ellie said, and Felicity decided that Ellie was her favorite of her bounty-hunting soldiers. “I thought he was nice.”
“That’s because you have a thing for the big, quiet guys,” Lou said affectionately. “Compared to George, this Mr. Green was positively chatty.”
Ellie protested, “George talks.”
“We only have your word on that,” Daisy said in a teasing tone before returning to the topic under discussion. “Chris said there’s a Denver address, but nothing much else. Not even a speeding ticket. Either this guy’s a total Boy Scout, or… Actually, I don’t know what the alternative is. A fake identity?”
“It’s my real name. I just don’t speed,” Bennett said, sounding sulky in a way that was strangely adorable.
Felicity turned her head to hide her smile from him, mentally scolding herself for finding her stalker—ex-stalker—much too appealing.
“I don’t have any speeding tickets,” Rory said in protest, “and I don’t have a fake identity.”
“Exactly,” Bennett muttered.
“That’s because you never left your bunker until you started dating Ian,” Lou said matter-of-factly. “Is this Mr. Green—totally made-up name, by the way—a licensed PI?”
“No license required in Colorado,” Daisy reported.
“I wouldn’t have picked Green,” Bennett huffed, making Felicity look at him in question. “If I picked my name, I would’ve chosen something better than Green. It sounds like a Clue character.”
Felicity couldn’t hold back her laugh at that, and she missed a chunk of the women’s conversation. When she tuned back in, Ellie was talking about needing to get home. Felicity lifted her eyebrows at Bennett, who plucked out his earpiece, handing it back to her and then starting the SUV.
Although she kept hers in for the trip back to the Black Bear Inn, Felicity didn’t learn anything new or interesting. Various male voices arrived, and everyone chitchatted so casually she had the paranoid suspicion that they’d found one of the listening devices. When Bennett parked in the spot in front of her room, she pulled out her earpiece and put it in its case with the other.
“Do you agree?” Bennett asked.
“With what?” she asked, wondering if she’d missed whatever it was she was supposed to be agreeing with. He spoke so rarely, and his voice was so mesmerizing, that she couldn’t imagine not listening to everything he said.
“What Lou said?” When she gave him a look, he elaborated. “About me being creepy?”
Surprised, Felicity didn’t answer immediately.
Bennett tensed, his mouth drawing into a tight line. “Fair. I did stalk you, after all.”
“No.”
“What?” he asked, his body still tense.
“You’re not creepy.” It was the truth, but Felicity still found herself blushing when she said it. “You remind me of Norah.”
“Norah?” he repeated. “I remind you of your sister?”
“You’re both really smart and good at your jobs, but neither of you is exactly…socially proficient.” Felicity winced, hoping that hadn’t sounded as insulting to him as it did to her.
It must not have, since Bennett relaxed slightly, leaning ever so slightly closer to her. “So not creepy.”
“Not creepy.”
“Even though I stalked you.”
“It was more of an annoying stalking, not a creepy stalking.” This is one of the weirdest conversations I’ve ever had.
For a long, quiet moment, he searched her eyes as if determining her sincerity, and then he sat back and smiled faintly. “Good.”
Realizing that she’d been staring right back at him, Felicity fumbled for the door handle. She popped it open as her stomach gave a pang of complaint. “So…dinner?”
With a nod, he glanced at the dashboard clock. “Out here in fifteen?”
“It’s a date.” It took enormous effort to hold back her flinch at those words. “Or a plan. It’s a plan then. Let’s call it a plan.”
He actually chuckled. “Who’s not socially proficient now?”
“Fifteen minutes.” She gave him her best glare, which usually managed to shut down even irrepressible Charlie. Bennett didn’t look too bothered by it, to her great annoyance.
Getting out of the SUV, she slammed the door to release some of her awkward frustration, but the only sound was a soft thunk. “Where’s a beater car when you need one?” she grumbled, heading for her door.
Levi’s looked just like what Felicity would’ve guessed a barbecue joint in a small, weird, mountain town would look like. The place was packed, so she figured they either had good food or this was the only restaurant in town.
As the harried server led them toward a table toward the back, Felicity checked out the customers, the image of Dino at the forefront of her mind. It would be a very convenient and unlikely thing if she managed to run into her skip her first night in town, but it was possible.
The only familiar face was the serious frowning one attached to Lou’s husband, Callum, who was sitting with three other men. Lou didn’t appear to be with him.
As soon as the server waved them toward their table, Felicity and Bennett scuffled over the seat with the best view of the room. She won, despite Bennett’s surprising speed, but she had a suspicion that he let her have it. After all, as strong and big as he was, he could’ve just lifted her right off the prime-viewing spot and deposited her wherever he wanted to put her. Instead, after their minor tussle, he moved to the other side of the table, grabbed the free chair, and wedged it right next to her.
“This is going to be awkward,” she warned him as he settled in, close enough that his shoulder pressed against hers.
His only response was a tip of his head toward the opposite side of the table.
“And put my back to the room of strangers?” she responded with an exaggerated shudder. “I’d rather sit on your lap.”
Even in the atmospheric restaurant lighting, Felicity could see that his cheeks had reddened, which made her flush in turn. When she ran what she’d just said back in her mind, she realized it sounded less like the platonic teasing she was going for and more like…flirting.
She was almost relieved when Callum approached their table with his companions in tow. He hadn’t seemed like the most convivial person when she’d first met him at the coffee shop, but anyone who’d break the thick, tension-filled atmosphere she’d unintentionally created was welcome.
“Hey, Callum,” she greeted with a relief she hoped wasn’t too obvious. “Sorry you couldn’t join us for the murder club meeting.”
It wasn’t until he gave a slight wince that she realized how that’d sound to anyone not familiar with murder club. The older two of his companions looked interested in a startled way, and the youngest one looked irritated, but he’d looked that way since they’d walked over, so she thought that might just be his face’s natural state.
“Murder club?” The one who looked a bit like Santa was the first to speak.
Callum gave her a you did this, so you fix it look.
Felicity forced a laugh that she hoped sounded convincing. “Just an inside joke for a group of friends getting together. No one was murdered, I promise.”
“Ah,” skinny Santa said with a nod, apparently accepting that rather weak explanation. “You never know around here. We seem to get more than our share of crime.”
“Felicity Pax and Bennett Green.” The stern way Callum said their names nearly made her jump. She was half expecting to be arrested. “This is Fire Chief Winston Early and firefighters Finn and Kieran Byrne.”
He pointed at the skinny Santa first, then at the smiling older man, and ended on the young, cranky-looking one. His frown hadn’t lightened during their conversation, so she decided that at some point during his short life, his face had indeed stuck like that. Although the chief and Finn looked to be in their early sixties, all three of them had the well-muscled look she associated with firefighters. Kieran could’ve posed for a calendar if he was capable of losing his scowl. Or maybe there was a calendar featuring cranky yet fit firefighters?
“What brings you to Simpson?” Finn asked. From the age difference and his resemblance to Kieran, Felicity was guessing they were father and son. Both had black hair—although Finn’s was graying—blue eyes, and the strong jawline of a Disney villain.
“Just seizing an opportunity to get some work done while enjoying the mountains.” She purposefully didn’t mention her hunt for a certain meth-dealing bail jumper. It was bad enough that the entire murder club and their spouses knew. If the whole town learned she was a bounty hunter, Dino was sure to hear about it, and then he’d be gone. “The aspens are beautiful this time of year.”
Finn seemed to accept this, but Kieran continued his silent glaring, and the chief’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“What do you do for work?” the chief asked. His tone was casual, but she still sensed an interrogation was beginning and felt the accompanying nervous tension start to coil in her stomach.
She waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing interesting—a mix of public relations and bonds.” It wasn’t quite a lie, but it skirted the edge. It was only because Bennett was still crammed up against her side that she heard his almost inaudible snort. She made sure her glance at Callum was quick and casual, but his expression hadn’t changed, except for the slightest amused quirk of his mouth. It looked like Lou had been telling the truth about her husband’s ability to keep things private…so far at least. “Nothing nearly as interesting as firefighting. That must have its exciting moments.”
“Not today.” The chief grimaced. “It was hours of budget meetings.” She made a sympathetic face as his attention turned to Bennett. “Do you two work together then, or are you here for the ‘enjoying the mountains’ part?” the chief asked.
Felicity drew in a breath to answer, but Bennett spoke before she could. “We’re working together on a project.”
“Ah.” The chief looked like he was ready to ask a whole new slew of questions, but Callum pointedly looked at his watch.
“Didn’t you tell Dory you’d be home early tonight?” Callum asked.
The fire chief checked his watch and winced. “I’d better go. Nice meeting both of you. Enjoy your stay, wear sunscreen, and remember to drink lots of water. We don’t want to be seeing you on an altitude sickness call.”
“We’ll remember that,” Felicity said, giving him a wave as he turned to make his way toward the exit.
Callum focused on the two remaining firefighters. “Finn, Kieran.” His tone and short nod were so beautifully dismissive, Felicity vowed to remember how he did it and practice in front of a mirror. The thought of having the power to make people leave with a word and simple glare made her practically giddy.
Although Finn hesitated at first, his curiosity obvious, he eventually caved to Callum’s dismissal. Raising a hand, he smiled at Felicity and Bennett. “Good to meet you.” Kieran dipped his chin, and both men turned to leave. Before they’d gotten past two tables, Finn was hailed by a middle-aged couple, and the two stopped to talk—well, Finn stopped to talk. Kieran’s shoulders dropped in what looked to be a long sigh, and he gazed—scowling, of course—over the heads of the couple.
As Callum pulled an unused chair from a nearby table, Felicity gave him a nod. “Impressive.”
He settled across the table from them, angling his chair so his back wasn’t fully to the room, and lifted an eyebrow in a way that asked her to elaborate as clearly as if he’d said the words out loud.
Felicity had a feeling she was going to steal all sorts of gestures from him over the next few days. His body language was just so effective. “You got rid of them so quickly with minimal talking. Nice.”
Bennett shifted beside her, drawing her gaze to him. “I talk minimally.” Although his expression was still impassive, she detected a hint of wounded pride in his tone.
She patted his shoulder. “You’re both very efficient with your word use. Good job.” When he frowned at her, she choked a little on the laugh that wanted to escape before turning back to Callum. “I suppose you want the murder club meeting minutes?”
“Lou already texted me the highlights.”
Felicity wasn’t surprised or bothered by that information. Apparently this was the week of trusting complete strangers.
“What’s your plan?” Callum asked straight-out.
“Depends.” When his mouth flattened in what she assumed was dissatisfaction in her answer, she elaborated. “The next step is to check out the militia’s compound. After that, it depends on what we learn.”
He eyed her for a moment and then dipped his chin in a nod. “Keep us updated.”
Felicity snorted. “Do you think for a second that your wife would allow anything except hour-by-hour progress reports?”
His smile transformed his face, making him look sweet and tender for just a second before his impassive expression returned. “Good point.” He stood to leave. “Stay safe.”
“You too.”
As Callum walked away from their table, Bennett eyed her with amusement. “It’s not like he’s going on the stakeout with us,” he said. “He’ll be lounging around at home. I think he’ll be safe.”
She shrugged, settling back in her chair. Her shoulder pressed just a little bit more firmly against his upper arm, and she couldn’t bring herself to mind. “He’s a rescue diver. I’m sure he needs to take extra care to stay safe. Or even driving home on these twisty mountain roads. Besides, it’s a good habit to get into, staying safe.”
Bennett snorted, his arm draping behind her chair. It wasn’t touching her, but it still gave her the feeling of being surrounded and protected, as if all she had to do to stay safe was continue to sit next to Bennett Green with his arm wrapped around her. “Says the adrenaline-junkie bounty hunter.”
She grinned, not at all offended. “There’s safe, and then there’s boring.”
“Boring is something you’ll never be.”
I might not be boring, Felicity thought, tapping her fingers against the armrest on the SUV’s door, but stakeouts always are.
Part of the problem was that the single-level, concrete-walled building that made up the militia’s home base was sitting on a high plain that stretched, mostly treeless and flat, to the base of the encircling mountains. Even though it was dark, it was impossible to get close to the compound without being spotted. The barbed-wire fence didn’t provide any concealment either, and without much of a moon, there was no way Bennett could see well enough to drive without his headlights on. Therefore, they were parked on the side of a dirt road, too far away to see anything except the very occasional flash of headlights from someone passing through the automatic gate providing access to the compound.
Frustrated, Felicity brought her night-vision binoculars up to her eyes, then almost immediately returned them to her lap.
“This is a waste of time,” she said.
Even though she’d just broken a five-minute silence in the SUV, Bennett didn’t jump at her sudden outburst. Instead, he calmly turned his head to look at her, staying silent.
She took that as a request to elaborate. “Even if Dino strolled out of the compound right in front of us, we’re too far away to recognize him. We need to get closer.”
He reached for his door handle. “Then let’s get closer.”
Felicity blinked at the seat where Bennett had just been sitting. “That was easy.” For some reason, she’d been expecting him to protest, but he was a PI, after all. It wasn’t like he worked at a desk job when he wasn’t tailing her around the mountains. He was likely used to action and occasional danger.
She got out of the car as well, easing her door closed soundlessly after her. Bennett was already moving away from the car, and she hurried to follow before the dark could swallow him. The ground looked flat, but the rocks and scrubby plants threatened to trip her. She wished a flashlight wouldn’t have revealed their position like a beacon as she squinted at the dark ground. A shallow gully stretched across their path, and they scrambled down to the dry bottom before climbing back out.
A high-pitched yipping howl broke the night’s silence, and it was quickly joined by other, similar voices.
“Coyotes,” Bennett said, low-voiced.
“I know.” She was almost disappointed that the darkness hid her eye roll. PI Green needed to know how ridiculous he was being.
She could feel more than see his gaze on her.
“I’m not that much of a city girl.” That felt like a lie, so she amended it. “Fine, so I’m like ninety-five percent city girl, but even cities have coyotes.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” His apology knocked all the defensive indignation out of her. “Just don’t assume I’m dumb.”
“You’re not dumb.” The absolute certainty in his tone made her stomach warm for some strange reason.
They crested a small rise, and the lights from the militia compound came back into view—although a lot closer than they’d looked from the car. They both fell silent, and Felicity tried to move as soundlessly as she could as the tall fence surrounding the compound loomed closer.
A flash of light in her periphery caught her attention, and she jerked her head around, but there was just darkness there. Splitting her attention between where she was putting her feet and the spot where she’d seen the brief illumination, she caught the moment of light again.
She exhaled in an almost silent huff.
“What?” Bennett asked in a whisper.
“Firefly.”
There was a short pause. “Is that a code word?”
“It is,” she whispered mock-solemnly. “Your code name, in fact.”
The silence extended so long that time that she didn’t think he was going to respond. In the meantime, every time one of the lightning bugs flashed, she smiled.
Finally, he said quietly, “I’ve had worse.”
A huff of amusement escaped before she could smother it. She never would’ve guessed that this big, nearly silent PI would be so funny.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, the screen lighting up and sending a faint glow through the fabric of her pants. She thought of how she must resemble one of the fireflies darting around them, but then the reality of where she was and what they were doing sank in. As her phone continued glowing and buzzing against her leg, she scrambled to shove her hand in her pocket. Her fingers fumbled blindly, feeling huge against the tiny buttons on the sides of her phone, but she finally managed to make them work. Her phone went dark, and she sucked in a breath, her heart pounding in her chest as her hand remained clutched around the device.
For a second, everything was silent and still.
Then there was a soft thud by her feet, and dirt spattered almost noiselessly against her boots.