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Boyd stepped out onto the front porch of his cabin as the sheriff’s vehicle pulled to a stop on the gravel driveway. “Sheriff,” he said as Noah climbed out in uniform, the steady rain pounding on the roof and dripping from the eaves all around the deep verandah.
“Boyd. Can I have a word?”
“Sure.” He waved Noah inside. “Want me to put on some coffee or anything?”
“No, I just came from the café.” He stopped inside on the mat in the entry and came no farther.
Boyd faced him. “What can I do for you?”
“Just wanted to stop by and tell you the latest in person.”
He nodded. “Feds capture the other shooters yet?”
“No, but they’ve narrowed the field down to a list of names, and let’s just say none of them are guys you’d want living within a hundred miles of you, much less next door.”
He’d figured. A mass killing like that, it had to involve some kind of organized crime ring. Drugs, weapons, sex trafficking. “What about the survivor?” The media hadn’t published her name or picture, for her safety. For once, they seemed to be doing the right thing.
“She’s been offered a spot in WITSEC. I don’t know whether she’s taken it, and if she does, none of us will ever find out. What I do know is that she’s safe, and still cooperating fully with authorities. Anyway, I just wanted to come by and tell you things haven’t been resolved yet, and that you need to stay vigilant. If the killers suspect you might have seen something, you could be a target.”
“I appreciate the concern.”
Noah nodded. “My department has officially ended our involvement with the investigation, as well as the incidents involving Danae Sutherland. From here on out, it’s the FBI’s show.”
“Understood.” He always kept an eye out anyway. It was hard-wired into him. But he’d be extra vigilant for the time being.
He let Noah out, then paused at the door. He was vigilant by nature. A man didn’t spend his entire adult life training for and conducting high-risk, covert operations for his country, and then turn soft. People in town whispered that he was a recluse. That he was paranoid.
He couldn’t argue the recluse part so much since he was comfortable being on his own. But he wasn’t paranoid. He was alert and noticed things most people didn’t. It’s partly what had kept him alive during all those years of military service.
Strapping a holstered pistol on his left hip, he covered it with a heavy sheepskin jacket, slid a small pair of high-res NODs onto his head, then put on his boots and headed out the door. The rain fell steadily as he hiked his way down the slope to the hiking trail that bordered the bottom of his property, the optics of the NODs lighting the scenery.
He followed it for a few hundred yards, scanning the quiet forest. A narrow trail cut off the main one down through the woods to the dunes.
He knew every inch of this area, could read the signs of recent human disturbance in the broken underbrush and faint footprints. The Feds had been out here by the dozen as little as a week ago, combing the area for physical evidence.
The human trail wound down to the edge of the woods, where the trees and underbrush gradually began to give way to sandy loam. Here the roar of the ocean was no longer muted, taking over the steady fall of the rain.
More tracks scattered in various directions onto the low, narrow strip of dunes standing between him and the water. Some human, some dog or maybe coyote. A few deer, and what looked like a cougar.
There was no one else out here. He turned right and headed north, toward the site of the murders. Cresting the rise of another dune, he stopped and crouched down.
Someone was standing at the edge of the sandy pit where the bodies had been dumped. A woman. He squinted as his NODS intensified the light source in her hand.
A candle.
He rose to his feet, watching as she stared into the pit for a long moment, then bent and stuck the end of the candle into the sand.
She turned suddenly, as if sensing his presence, and froze when she spotted him.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up as recognition hit, but before he could retreat to show he meant her no harm, she darted to the right and disappeared into the screen of trees like a fleeing doe.
But he never forgot a face.
She was the woman with the hiking group who had spilled coffee all over him at Whale’s Tale just days before the massacre.
She was the sole survivor.
****
“Are you sure you don’t want to come hang out at my place tonight?” Sierra asked her, placing the last of the files for the day on the table in the back.
“Thanks, but I’m not really in the mood to socialize tonight,” Danae said. Most nights these days, actually. Depression was riding her hard right now.
“Aww.” Sierra came around from behind the table and pulled her into a hug. “I hate seeing you so sad.”
“I’ll be okay. Just need to lick my wounds for a while, you know?” Being separated from Ryder while trying to deal with everything in the aftermath of what happened was way harder than she’d feared.
“I totally know.” Sierra eased back, searched her eyes. “So I’m guessing this means you haven’t heard from him?”
“No, we talk and text pretty much every day.” But the depression was hard, and knowing she was going to be without him for at least the next four months made it so much worse.
Most days it was all she could do to drag herself out of bed in the morning, and when she got home, all she wanted to do was sleep. The counseling only helped so much. Looked like she might have to start contemplating some meds soon and see if that helped.
“It’s hard being so far apart,” Sierra said, her voice full of empathy.
“Yeah.” She waved a hand, brushing those thoughts away before it pushed her to tears again.
She was sick of crying, hadn’t felt this alone and abandoned since Terry died. It was like Ryder’s leaving had triggered a weird sort of PTSD she couldn’t pull out of. “Anyway, I’m gonna go home, take a bath, have a big piece of chocolate cake Finn brought back from the café for me yesterday, and put my feet up.”
“All right. But if you change your mind and decide you want company, just come on over.” Sierra gave her an encouraging smile.
“Thanks.” She wouldn’t though.
When she stepped outside the clinic later, the weather matched her mood perfectly. January had to be the most disappointing and depressing month of the entire year.
The Christmas season was done, taking any joy she’d felt with it. All the decorations were gone, and the weather was gray and miserable more often than not. Today a steady rain had settled in just after lunch and was still falling when she locked up the clinic. The streetlamps reflected off the wet, glistening sidewalks, the patter of the rain dimming the sound of the waves in the background.
Sliding into Professor Plum, she drove up the length of Front Street and climbed the hill. The days were getting longer now, but it was almost dark already. When she pulled into her driveway the kitchen light was on in the background.
She stripped her wet coat off outside on the top step, shook it, and walked in. It was quiet. “Finn?” she called, hanging up her coat on the hallstand inside the side door.
“Yeah?” He poked his head out from the kitchen, and her mood lifted a little. Since Ryder left, Finn had made more of an effort to be sociable with her.
“Hey, you hungry? I can make us some chicken and salad or something.”
“Nah, I’m good. Going out to meet a friend.”
She couldn’t help the tightening in her gut. “Oh, who?”
“You don’t need to worry,” he said with a smirk.
“I wasn’t worried,” she lied. She trusted Finn. But since everything that had happened, his circle of friends was a concern for her. He was mostly online with his buddies back in Seattle and hadn’t brought anyone new around.
Thankfully, both Grant and his stepdad had now been arrested and charged with drug and weapons offenses. Noah’s department had matched the casings from the Christmas Eve shooting to a pistol they’d found at Grant’s home, and it had his prints on it.
Grant was currently in juvie, but since he hadn’t yet turned eighteen, he couldn’t be tried as an adult. Though if evidence connected either him or his stepfather to the kidnapping, murders and trafficking, more charges would be forthcoming.
As for Kyle, he was locked up and likely to stay there. Turned out the receipt he’d wanted from her had information on it about payment and an upcoming shipment of trafficked women. The Feds had cracked it not long after taking him into custody.
She hoped they rounded up everyone involved and nailed their asses to the wall. Most of all, she just hoped Grant and his stepdad stayed the hell away from her son if and when they ever got out of prison.
“So, who is it?” she asked, curious.
A slight smile tugged at Finn’s mouth as he walked up to grab his hoodie from the hallstand. “Her name’s Carly.”
“Oh.” Ohhhh. “And is she... I mean, is—”
“She’s just a friend. For now,” he added with a secretive smile that hinted he’d like it to be more.
Aww. “Want me to drive you? We can pick her up on the way.”
“Nice try, Mom. I’m taking the bus. We’re going to see the new Becca Sandoza movie, and then to the mall for a bit after.”
Her baby, going on his first, sort-of, kind-of date. “Okay. It’s good, by the way.” She’d gone to see it with Molly last week, solely because Ryder was in it—even though his face had been hidden beneath his helmet—and come home feeling lonelier than ever.
She opened her mouth to add more, but Finn beat her to it. “Yes, I’ll have my phone on me, and yes, I’ll be back by eleven.”
“Ten.”
“Ten-thirty.”
She hid a smile. “Have a good time.” She lifted up on her toes to kiss his cheek.
It was baby smooth, devoid of all the messy stubble he usually missed. And he smelled good for once. Like he’d used a bit of body spray or something. He’d obviously taken extra care when getting ready this time. Carly must really be something.
She closed and locked the door behind him. Silence settled around her, then the rhythmic drumming of the rain on the roof registered. She eyed the lock on the door, rubbed her hands over her arms and chastised herself for the tingle of unease in her gut.
Everyone who had put them in danger was in jail. She was safe here on her own again.
On the heels of that thought, memories flooded back of the night she’d been kidnapped. Of Ryder risking his life to save her.
Loneliness settled in her chest, heavy and oppressive. Determined not to give into it, she ran herself a hot bubble bath, soaked for a while with her current book, then bundled up in her fuzzy robe and slippers and climbed into bed to continue reading.
An assertive rap on the side door startled her. She sat up, hesitating.
Whoever it was knocked again.
A little apprehensive, she got up and started down the hall. Seeing the unfamiliar vehicle parked in the driveway through the front window, her pulse picked up as she approached the door. Beckett had installed a peephole in it for her. “Who is it?”
A male voice answered, muffled by the door and the rain.
When she looked through the peephole, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She told herself she was seeing things.
But nope, she pulled the door open and Ryder was standing there, close-shorn hair damp from the rain.
“Ryder,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
He stepped in, grabbed her and crushed her to him in a fierce hug that lifted her onto her toes. “Not anymore.”
She clung just as tightly, her mind reeling. He had months and months left on his contract. He should still be in Australia. He’d still been down there yesterday when he’d texted. “What’s happened? I don’t understand.”
He kicked the door shut with his foot and eased his hold to set his hand on the side of her face, his other arm banded around her waist. “I missed you. Missed you so damn much I could barely breathe, and it was worse being across the ocean from you. And Finn.”
She stared at him, a lump forming in her throat and her heart thudding hard. She was afraid to believe this. Afraid to hope after how much she’d been hurting without him.
His dark brown eyes delved into hers. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Wishing I was here with you.” His thumb glided over her cheekbone. “Lately you haven’t been answering or returning my calls as much, like you were trying to avoid me. I could feel you pulling away, and it was making me crazy.”
Tears flooded her eyes. She blinked furiously, trying to force them back. This was everything she’d wanted to hear. Maybe she was dreaming. “It’s been so hard,” she choked out, unable to hide it anymore. “I’ve been so down.”
He nodded. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I knew something was wrong.”
“I d-didn’t want to tell you. D-didn’t want to make things harder.” Or seem weak or clingy or all the other annoying things that would have surely pushed him away. And maybe a part of her had wanted to be the one to pull away, to save herself from more hurt when things ended. Until now, she’d been convinced there was no way forward for them.
“Hey.” He wiped her tears away, his expression tender. “I don’t want you to feel like you ever have to hide anything from me. You can tell me anything, good or bad.”
She nodded, struggling to contain her tears. He was here. But for how long?
He cupped her face in his hands. “When I left, I didn’t just leave you behind. I left my heart here too.”
Her chest hitched, more tears rushing to the surface. “You did?”
“Yes. I love you, lady.”
A hot rush of tears blurred her eyes. Oh my god...
“So I came back, because I need to be with you.”
She flung her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his sturdy shoulder as the tears spilled over. “I love you too.” The old her would have been horrified that she was saying that aloud after only knowing him a few weeks. Would have cringed at how weak and needy that sounded.
But she was far wiser now and trusted her gut. She knew what she felt and refused to second-guess it. She loved and needed this man and wasn’t afraid to admit it.
He groaned and squeezed her tight, his spicy, masculine scent surrounding her.
“What about your job, though?” she asked when she’d gotten herself under control again, lifting her head to peer at him. That was the main obstacle that had pulled them apart in the first place. “You didn’t quit because of me, did you?” Oh, shit, his professional reputation would be shot if he had. “You still had months left in your contract, and then—”
“You let me worry about all that.” Wiping the tears from her cheeks with his fingers, the hint of a smile played on his lips. “I just need to know if you want me to be part of your and Finn’s life?”
“Yes, of course I do,” she said without hesitation.
He breathed out what seemed like a sigh of relief and crushed her to him again. “Then the rest of it doesn’t matter. I’m willing to move here to make it happen. I’ve also floated the idea of starting a satellite office in Portland to my boss. And I’ve already talked to Noah about potentially working with him as a detective after I do the training if need be. If none of that works out, I’ll find something else.”
It sounded like he’d been thinking about this for a while. “Wait, what do you mean about a satellite office? Doing more bodyguard work?”
“No, I’d be responsible for managing the company, organizing and recruiting people to work under me. Mostly for protective details on movie sets in the Pacific Northwest, including B.C. There’d be some travel involved, and I’d have to work out of Portland pretty regularly, but the schedule and hours would be nothing like it is for me now.”
Her heart squeezed. “You came up with that idea and pitched it to your boss?”
“Yep. Upper management is meeting about it tomorrow to discuss the details. They’re going to let me know one way or the other in the next few days, but they seemed pretty interested in the idea.” He kissed the tip of her nose, shook his head once. “I had to find a way to be with you. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”
“Ryder,” she whispered unsteadily, overcome. All this time she’d thought their relationship was doomed to a slow death. That she would lose him forever and that she would spend the rest of her life alone, pining for him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too. I know I’m not perfect by any means. I was drinking too much when we first met, but I’m still seeing a therapist and I have a sponsor now too, to keep me accountable. I haven’t touched a drop of booze since Christmas Eve, and I’m going to keep working on myself no matter what.”
“That’s so great.” She smiled up at him through her tears, proud of him, then grew serious. “But it’s not just you and me in this scenario. There’s Finn too.”
His tender smile turned her inside out. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I’m glad you see it that way, but I can’t uproot him again and move to Portland. Not when he’s finally happy here.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. If I get the green light on that, I’ll commute back and forth on the days I absolutely have to be at the office.”
Just then the door opened behind them. They both turned as Finn walked in and stopped dead, staring at Ryder.
“Oh, hey,” Finn said to him in surprise, looking back and forth between them with an unspoken question in his eyes. “So you’re back?”
“Yeah,” Ryder said to him, “and I’m planning to stay this time. You cool with that?”
Finn grinned. “Yeah, I’m totally cool with that. Can’t stay, I just came back because I forgot my bus pass.” With that he rushed past them to his room.
Danae chuckled and faced Ryder again, hardly able to believe this was happening. “And there’s a ringing teenage endorsement,” she teased, even though she could tell Finn was secretly thrilled.
Ryder tightened his hold and kissed her. “I’ll take it,” he murmured against her lips.
Danae melted into him, reveling in the moment, the solid feel of him. Her world had been so dark and gray since he left.
The worst was now behind them, but even if the future held more challenges and uncertainty, she would have Ryder to stand with her as they faced it together.
