Chapter Seventy-Two

A week later, Colton woke to the smell of coffee infiltrating his slumber. He smiled and rolled out of bed, knowing Angel was the one who’d made it, since Pudge hadn’t quite mastered hot beverages yet.

The living room was as empty as the kitchen, but he didn’t panic. When he peered out at the backyard, he found what he was looking for.

Carrying his mug outside, he walked up to where they were sitting. Pudge raised his head from his spot on the blanket next to Angel, but didn’t bother to get up.

“You’re in my spot, asshole,” he joked. But the dog simply rolled over on his back and rubbed against the blanket, marking the spot as his.

We’ll see about that. Colton pulled a squeaky plastic cheeseburger from his pocket, giving it two squeaks before he whipped it down the yard.

Ha. So predictable.

Pudge took off like a dart and Colton brushed the dog hair from the blanket and took the spot next to Angel.

His spot.

“If only I had a nickel for every time a male left me to chase a plastic piece of meat,” Angel joked.

Colton leaned over to kiss her good morning. “I would never leave a piece of Grade A top sirloin for a rubber burger. Let me assure you.”

She chuckled, and he linked his hand in hers. It was a clear morning, and the birds were chirping. Perfect.

Looking around the yard, he frowned down at the blanket. “You checked for dog bombs before you laid it down here, right? Since some of us can’t go in the corner as instructed.” Pudge was back with the toy. He dropped it between his paws and barked. “Yes. I mean you.”

Colton picked up the slimy cheeseburger and threw it again.

“I picked my spot perfectly,” Angel told him, her arm blocking the morning sun from her eyes.

“What, exactly, are you doing out here?”

It was a nice day, but her spot seemed a little too open for his liking.

“Redgamer3 sent me an email. He said he was watching me. I wanted to see if it was true.” Her voice was as calm as if she’d told him she wanted waffles for breakfast.

He was not so calm.

“Fuck, Angel!” He shot up, looking around for danger. Hell, he hadn’t even brought a gun outside with him. “E hele mai!” He called the dog back, though he wasn’t sure what Pudge could do if this Redgamer3 asshole started shooting.

His dog dropped the toy and came to his side, awaiting the next command. But Colton didn’t know what the next command should be. “We need to get inside,” he told her.

“I like it out here,” she said.

Damn it! He wished she listened and obeyed as well as his dog. “Angel—”

“If he’s here, I want to face him now. I’m sick of playing by his rules. He’s toying with me, and I’m calling his bluff.” She was her normal calm self. While he was freaking out.

“I don’t like the idea of taunting a diabolical killer,” he said, still surveying the yard and what he could see past the fence. “Let’s go inside.”

“I have a better idea. Let’s go out.”

He stared at her, nonplussed. “Out? As in, for dinner?” he asked in confusion.

“No. It’s only eight in the morning.”

“Then, where? You’re kind of still wanted for murder, and all. It’s not as if we can go hang out at the mall, or go for breakfast.”

Unless she planned to change into her disguise. The thought didn’t appeal. As attractive as she’d been at the wedding, that woman wasn’t her. He wanted to look into her eyes as much as possible. Before he couldn’t anymore.

He’d thought he remembered the correct color of blue all those months without her, but when she was there in front of him again, he’d realized he hadn’t done her eyes justice. They were far more beautiful than he’d recalled.

“I don’t think we should go anywhere if Redgamer3 is out there,” he said firmly. “Maybe we should call Thorne.”

There. That was a good plan.

But of course she didn’t agree.

She shook her head, still not getting up. “I need to be outside. I need to walk around. Let’s go. Pudgey, do you want to go for a walk?” Of course the dog went to her, tail wagging, eager to please his queen. “Do you want to go for a ride?” she asked in that annoying voice people only used for babies and pets.

Pudge barked his approval. Then to make things worse, he ran around her in a circle.

“You’re embarrassing yourself. You should play a little harder to get,” Colton told the dog as he reached down to pull Angel to her feet. He tugged her close for a kiss. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

He didn’t want to lose her. He especially didn’t want to lose her because they did something stupid like get caught by the cops or killed by a maniac. Being reckless with his heart was one thing, but risking her life was another.

“It’s an excellent idea. We’ll be fine. I know he’s lying. Why would he be watching me? And how would he have found me? I’ve selected a park to go to that is secluded, and we can use the hiking trails. By the time anyone has the chance to report me, I’ll be long gone. And if he does show up, it would be nice to be somewhere unpopulated, instead of your nice, peaceful neighborhood.”

She had a point.

A hike in the mountains did sound like fun.

He was rethinking his acquiescence an hour and a half later when they still hadn’t arrived at the park she’d selected.

Another half hour went by, and she continued to give him directions from the printout she’d brought along. It didn’t take much longer for him to realize she was up to something. He might have thought she was just playing it safe by not selecting a park close to his home, but this was getting ridiculous.

This was not a random destination.

“Here. Turn down this lane.”

“Is this really a park?” he asked, frowning at the overgrown path. Vegetation pinged the sides of his truck. Great.

“It’s the back way in.”

“I only have one clip of ammo in my gun. The rest is in my bag,” he shared, hoping they weren’t about to get into a gunfight he wasn’t prepared for. After being shot six times because he didn’t realize he’d been compromised, he liked to be prepared for anything.

If this was a meeting between Noah and the killer, she would have prepared him. Wouldn’t she?

“You won’t need your gun. I promise,” she said.

Okay, so something was really up. Something he suspected had nothing to do with Redgamer3. He just couldn’t figure out what the hell it could possibly be.

He was going to carry his gun, anyway. If for nothing else than the possibility of bears. They were pretty remote, and the road that wasn’t really a road continued to climb up the mountain.

He knew having a gun was useless if the feds or local law enforcement showed up. They’d already agreed she would go peacefully if they were ever caught. No use going out Bonnie and Clyde style.

She’d come up with a silly plan to spare him any punishment for aiding her. She actually thought if she pulled a gun on him, he could say he’d been forced to help her. Even now he rolled his eyes.

He’d had countless opportunities to get away. Even the day after she arrived, he’d gone off to work as usual. Surely, he would have been able to contact the police sometime over the past several weeks if he were being forced.

So no gun was needed for a shootout with law enforcement.

But if Redgamer3 showed up…that would be another thing.

Eventually the rough lane leveled off, and she pointed to a gravel parking lot by a trailhead. According to the carved wooden sign, they were at Otter Bend Park. Still in Oregon, at least.

Pudge practically crawled over him to get out first.

“Hoike,” he commanded, and his dog ran off.

“What did you just tell him to do?” She looked worried. Her reaction only confirmed his suspicion that she was up to something.

“Why? Are we meeting someone here?” He tilted his head, wanting to know why he’d been brought to the edge of nowhere just to go for a walk.

“There could be other hikers. Kids.”

Clearly, she wasn’t ready to tell him. Thankfully, she didn’t look nervous, so hopefully it wasn’t dangerous. He frowned and let out a breath.

Fine. He’d go along with this farce for a little while longer. It was a beautiful day and he did need the exercise.

“I told him to check things out and report back,” he answered.

She made a face. “Does he have a little camera on his collar?”

“He doesn’t need a camera.”

He’d had plenty of time to train his dog. The hours he’d spent each night had paid off. He had a companion who was also a partner in many ways.

It took a few minutes, but Pudge returned to sit in front of him and bark once.

There was one other person here. Okay. He had enough bullets to cover one other person.

“Thanks, buddy.” He gave Pudge a treat and a scratch on the neck. “You’re such a good boy.” He looked up at Angel and smiled. “Should we go meet your friend?”

She didn’t deny it. She simply shook her head and smiled back. “Lead the way,” she said with a wave of her arm.

“Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” he asked, lifting a brow. It wasn’t like her to be this obvious. Or this cagey.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She gestured toward a larger parking lot where a truck was parked at the far end. A man was leaning against the unfamiliar vehicle.

When the man stood and turned in their direction, Colton’s stomach fell to his feet.

Holy shit.

Holy, fucking shit!