“Thanks, Raine. Appreciate your help.” Kendra pocketed the phone. “Raine and Griff are on their way. And I have a feeling Chase will accompany them.”
“Great.” He forced a smile, but deep down, he was worried that associating with him would get Kendra’s family killed. Law enforcement or not, bullets could strike at any time. “I hope they can help us figure out who these guys are.”
“They will. And Raine agreed that we shouldn’t meet with Levy alone.” She eyed the restaurant. “Looks like the place is getting busy.” Kendra drained her coffee, then rummaged in her backpack. “I’ll feed Smoky, but if the tables fill up, we may need to head back to Grady’s to wait for my family.”
“Whatever you think is best.” He was hardly in a position to argue.
Kendra dumped her water glass into a collapsible bowl. He pushed his over too. With a grateful smile, she added his water to the bowl, then set it down. Smoky didn’t move toward the water, but the K9’s amber eyes were locked on Kendra.
After she filled another collapsible bowl with food, Kendra set that down on the floor too. Smoky still didn’t move. Only when Kendra said, “Come get it,” did the dog crawl out from beneath the table and begin to eat.
He wondered how many hours of training it had taken for Smoky to respond like that. He searched the faces of the restaurant patrons again. He’d felt safer when the place had been empty. Now he was seeing a potential gunman everywhere he looked. Granted, there were a few older patrons that weren’t likely suspects, but that didn’t make him feel any better.
“When Smoky is finished eating, we’ll head out.” Kendra had noticed his discomfort. “I feel exposed here too.”
“What about your family?” He dug for some cash, only to frown when he realized Kendra had beaten him to it.
“We’ll call them when we’re in the SUV.” She shrugged, then smiled as their server set their tab on the edge of the table. “They’ll understand.”
“Okay.” He set his empty coffee cup aside and stood. “May as well make use of the restrooms while we’re here.”
“Go ahead.” She waved a hand. “I’ll wait for Smoky to finish.”
Ten minutes later, they were back outside with Smoky trotting between them. He scanned the lot, noticing two large trucks. One was light in color, but the other was dark. It wasn’t a GMC Sierra, but he gestured toward it anyway. “What do you think?”
“We’re fine.” Kendra nodded at her K9 who had her head up and was sniffing the air with interest. “Smoky would growl if she scented the gunman.”
He shrugged, hoping she was right. The warning niggle along the back of his neck didn’t get any better despite being outside. He was still on edge, expecting the worst.
As they headed back toward Grady McFarland’s house, he knew the feeling wouldn’t go away until they had the gunman behind bars and he knew for certain Kendra and her family were safe.
The last thing he wanted was for anyone else to get hurt.
Dom’s shoulders were tense as he hovered beside her. Kendra glanced up at his chiseled features. Their brief kiss flashed in her mind, but she ruthlessly shoved the memory aside.
Dom didn’t live in Wyoming, and she wasn’t moving off the ranch. Not when there was a new generation of Sullivans soon to be joining the family. They’d always be friends.
Nothing more.
She couldn’t blame Dominic for being overly paranoid. She shared his concern about the gunman showing up again. The only good news was that reinforcements were on the way.
“There’s a truck coming.” Dom grabbed her arm, tugging her back from the road. She bent to make sure Smoky stayed at her side. They stayed in the shadows, watching as the large truck rolled past. When she realized it wasn’t a GMC Sierra, the tension leeched from her body.
“We’re okay.” She forced a reassuring smile. “Grady’s home is just six blocks away.”
“I know.” Dom hadn’t relaxed one iota. She knew he was battling guilt over Helen Gingrass’s death. It wasn’t his fault, but she understood why he felt bad. Maybe if Helen had just kept silent about Stuart’s confession, she’d still be alive.
There was no point in thinking that way. Helen was an honorable person, and Kendra gave her credit for doing the right thing, alerting the authorities about Stuart’s confession.
The sky remained dark as they walked. Sunrise was still an hour away, and she wanted to be safe inside Grady’s house by then. She told Smoky to get busy, and the dog didn’t hesitate to make use of a snow-covered area of grass. Kendra quickly cleaned up after her dog, tossing the waste into a nearby garbage can.
A moment later, another pair of headlights lit up the sky. There were no hiding spots nearby this time. Dom wrapped his arm around her, as if that alone would save them from being shot. Thankfully, the driver of the vehicle didn’t slow down, which was reassuring.
“I don’t know how people live like this,” Dom said in a low voice. “Constantly looking over their shoulder? There’s no amount of money on the planet for that.”
“Desperate people do desperate things.” She watched Smoky sniffing along the ground. “We’ll get through this.”
“I hope so.” He didn’t sound convinced. Even once they reached Grady’s house, Dom didn’t relax.
