Sensing Dominic’s tension, Kendra tried to think of a way to convince him not to go into witness protection. Of course, if that was the best option to ensure his safety, then she would absolutely encourage him to go that route. Even if that meant losing him. Yet she didn’t want him making a drastic move because Levy seemed to think she would no longer be in danger. His theory didn’t ring true in her opinion. Not after she’d been glued to Dom’s side for the past thirty-six hours.
“We’ll work this out together,” she said, after a long silence. “I know I’m not as helpful with computer stuff, but Griff and Raine will help dive into Bartoli’s connections. And if there’s a way to trap the gunman into making a move, that will blow this thing wide open.”
“I hope you’re right.” Dom surprised her by pressing a quick kiss to the back of her hand. “Bad enough my father ended up taking two innocent people down with him. I refuse to make the same mistake.”
“That wasn’t your father’s decision.” She frowned at him. “Your father was a victim in this too. Just like my parents.”
Dom shrugged and released her hand. “How much farther until we reach the safe house?”
“Griff is turning left at the next intersection.” She waved toward the lead SUV with its blinker on. “Looks like the road isn’t as well plowed as the others.”
“Yeah.” Dom shifted in his seat. “If you need me to drive . . .”
“I’m fine.” She gripped the steering wheel tight as she made the turn. The wheels chugged through the snow without a problem. “I’m sorry the SUV is smaller than what you’re used to.”
“I’ll survive.” He didn’t look at her, keeping his gaze on the road. “There doesn’t seem to be much traffic.”
“That’s a good thing. Hopefully, the shooter is far away and will have no way to track us moving forward.” She pushed her SUV forward, following Griff’s taillights. There weren’t a lot of residential homes either, which was why there wasn’t a lot of traffic. She wasn’t as familiar with this part of the city.
There were deeper drifts of snow in the open areas from the wind. Kendra kept her pace steady, fearing if she slowed down, she’d get stuck.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Griff took another turn. This highway had been plowed recently.
Another fifteen minutes passed before Griff tapped his brakes. Kendra leaned forward, trying to see beyond Griff’s SUV. When he turned to the left, she belatedly realized he’d reached the driveway.
She hit the gas, forcing her car through the deep snow. Following Griff’s tire tracks helped and soon she could see a large log cabin flanked by tall evergreen trees.
“Wow, this looks really nice,” she said as she came to a stop beside Griff. Her brother-in-law was out of his car and walking up to the front door. She assumed he had a key code, much like those used by rental properties.
“Yeah.” Dom scowled as he pushed open his passenger-side door. “I hope this doesn’t get shot up like the last place.”
She flashed him an annoyed look. “Come on, Dom. This is a federal safe house. Let’s stay positive, okay? No more doom and gloom.”
He shrugged and shifted to get out. She hit the back hatch, freeing Smoky. Dom grabbed her backpack and the laptop. She crossed to the back of the SUV to close the door. “Come, Smoky.”
She and Dominic headed up to the log cabin. A moment later, Levy, Raine, Justin, and Stone pulled up behind them.
Smoky wheeled and took off after Stone. She sighed and slipped around Dominic to get control of her K9. She understood her high-energy dog hadn’t had much play/work time, but Smoky needed to obey her commands.
“Smoky, come!” Her sharp voice told the K9 she wasn’t messing around.
Thankfully, Smoky stopped abruptly and turned, running to her side. She gave Smoky the hand signal to heel, and the dog sat, staring up at her adoringly.
“Good girl.” She stroked Smoky’s fur. “Good girl.”
Justin and Stone joined her as they headed up to the house. Dom stood in the doorway, watching as if he were afraid the shooter might show up at any moment. Justin nodded toward him. “He’s really worried about you.”
“For some reason, he feels guilty about this.” She frowned. “As if it’s his fault Stuart Ramsey confessed to killing his father.”
“Yeah, I agree he’s an innocent victim in this.” Justin shot her a sidelong glance. “And if he feels guilty, it’s because he’s worried about you, Kendra.”
She hoped her brother couldn’t see her blush. “He’s a good person, he’d care about anyone being in danger.”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, sis.” Justin patted her on the back. “He’s crushing on you.”
Highly doubtful that Dom was crushing on her, but she decided there was no point in arguing with Justin. Her older brothers liked to stick their nose into her personal business. Further denials would only make Justin think she was crushing on Dom too.
Maybe she was, but that was something she had no intention of confiding to Justin. Even if she was closest to him compared to the others.
