“I took the time to brush the snow off the SUV just in case.” Kendra set her damp gloves on the table to dry. “Having fresh snow on the ground will make it easy to see tracks if someone does find us.”
He frowned. “Nobody will find us here.”
“I hope not.” Kendra offered a lopsided smile. “My siblings were all in danger over the past year, and despite their best efforts, they were often found when they should have been safe. At this point, I’d rather be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
“I understand.” He gestured toward the bedrooms. “You can have the master suite. I’m going to work for a while yet.”
“Work as in performing tasks you do for your day job? Or work on finding information about Stuart Ramsey?”
“Stuart Ramsey. I’m on vacation from the day job. Although at some point, I should reach out to my team leader, Jake, to give him my new number. He’s good, but he’s relatively new to the company. He’s likely to have questions.”
“Leave that for tomorrow. You’ve only been gone a few hours. I’m sure he can hold the fort down for a day or two.”
“Yeah.” Dom knew part of his concern was just making sure everything was done according to his expectations. He tried not to micromanage his team, but he also wanted to be sure things were done correctly. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Good night, Kendra.”
“Good night.” She turned. “Come, Smoky.”
Dom watched as Kendra and her K9 went down the hall and into the main bedroom. Reminding himself again that they were friends, allies, and partners in this, nothing more, he turned his attention back to the computer.
He’d work for at least an hour. He needed something, anything they could use to figure out who had targeted him and why.
Revenge for what his father had done? Or something related to the coins? Or something else? No matter what his father had done, Dom was determined to uncover the truth.
Kendra didn’t fall asleep as easily as she’d hoped. It wasn’t Smoky’s gentle snores that kept her awake, it was concern over possibly being found at the cabin.
Dominic knew how to keep their internet access private, but she was worried the bad guys would still find them. How, she wasn’t sure. Her role as being the technical support for the ranch was laughable compared to Dominic’s abilities.
At some point, Kendra must have drifted off because a low growl woke her. She bolted upright, blinking against the darkness. Smoky’s eyes were fixated on the window.
Scrambling from the bed, Kendra slipped her feet into her shoes and padded to the window. Staying to the side, she peered outside, looking for whatever had caught Smoky’s attention.
The closed window indicated her K9 hadn’t scented anything alarming, but she also knew dogs had better hearing than humans.
For long seconds, she didn’t see anything. Had Smoky heard an animal? Maybe a moose or an elk? Bears were hibernating by now, so she didn’t think they were a concern.
Then she caught a glimpse of movement through the trees. Narrowing her gaze, she followed the dark shadow’s progress. She didn’t see any footprints in the snow, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone hiding in the woods.
The shadow that moved between the trees wasn’t as tall as a moose or an elk. Then she caught a glimpse of a man’s face.
Someone was out there! Kendra spun from the window, mentally berating herself for leaving her weapon in the kitchen. She quickly crossed over to open the door, glancing cautiously up and down the hallway before moving to the kitchen. Dominic was sitting at the table with his head cradled in his hands. Clearly, he’d fallen asleep while working.
The computer was dark, which was a good thing. She didn’t want any interior lights to draw the intruder’s attention. She grasped Dom’s shoulder. “Wake up,” she whispered. “Someone’s outside.”
“What?” Dom lifted his head and blinked his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I saw a man out back. We need to make a run for it. Grab your computer.” Keeping her head low, she grabbed the gun and tucked it into her waistband. “Let’s go.”
Dom’s expression was grim as he reached for his coat. She slipped into hers, then grabbed her backpack. She couldn’t leave without Smoky’s food and protective gear. Dom edged up to the window overlooking the front of the property. She joined him, relieved there weren’t fresh footprints around the SUV.
Hopefully that meant the vehicle hadn’t been tampered with. And there wasn’t a moment to lose. “I’ll head to the driver’s seat. There isn’t time to get Smoky in the back. I’ll have her get into the back seat. You need to keep your head down, understand?”
He nodded. “I’m ready.”
Their only advantage was surprise. The moment they made any noise, the gunman would fire at them. Sending up a quick prayer for safety, she silently opened the front door of the cabin, taking a moment to scan the area. Her main reason for not using the back crate area was to avoid the beeping sound that accompanied the hatch lifting upward. That and her fear that it would take too long to get the back opened and closed again.
She stepped outside, with Dom following. The thick snow muffled the sound of their footsteps. She and Dom opened their respective car doors at the same time. She tossed the backpack into the back, then gave Smoky the hand signal to get inside. The K9 paused for a beat, as she normally didn’t go into the car like this, but when Kendra repeated the gesture, Smoky leaped up inside, squeezing through the two front seats to get into the back. Kendra quickly slid in behind the wheel as Dominic folded himself into the passenger seat.
The sound of their car doors closing was loud enough to make her wince. She pressed the start button, hit the wipers to remove the inch of snow covering the windshield, and put the car in gear. Punching the gas, she barreled down the driveway as fast as the snow-covered gravel road would allow. Having the SUV in four-wheel drive helped, but their progress wasn’t nearly as quick as she’d have liked.
