“Yup,” Buster said.
“They are not fucking aliens,” Noah ground out.
“Hey, hey, no cussing like that, babies present,” Buster said.
“Where?” Noah made a show of looking around him.
“They hear stuff, I read about it.”
“Jesus.” The word hissed out of Noah’s mouth. “You two…. Actually, there are no words for how whipped you are.”
“Jealousy is an ugly trait in a grown man, bud,” Tex said, opening the cabinet and taking a double chocolate muffin with caramel icing out.
“Whatever. My point here is, we need to know what’s going on. They won’t speak, mainly because we can’t get close enough to anyone who works there.”
“Like I said, aliens.”
Noah threw his hands in the air and left pissed off and unsettled, and not just because Lani Sullivan was in town.
Chapter Five
Lani drove around the lake, admiring the mountains beyond the clear blue waters, and the Redwoods standing tall and proud. It was a really nice place, a home, she thought, and that unsettled her. She’d not allowed herself to think that way since leaving hers.
She passed driveways heading up into the trees, and two big greenhouses surrounded by a high security fence. When the mailboxes stopped Lani found a small track, and turned onto it. At the end was nothing but trees. Getting out, she walked around and found no tire tracks or other signs of activity. This would be a good place to park for the night. Climbing into the back of the Bronco, she checked her supplies.
This was Lani’s home, and had been since she brought it four years ago. It was old but reliable, and she needed that. She had her mattress, a suitcase and a cooler bag, plus a set of shelves. Everything she owned was in here. Her life.
“And isn’t that pathetic.”
She’d have laughed at this existence a few years ago; now, it was all she had. If she was moving, no one would catch her, and that was the only thing she focused on.
Taking out the loaf of bread she’d bought this morning, Lani slathered two slices in peanut butter, then ate while contemplating her next move. For some reason, she didn’t want to leave Lake Howling yet. It felt safe here, and that had nothing to do with Noah. He didn’t make her feel safe; he made her nervous.
Pulling out her notebook, she wrote down the pros and cons for staying in Lake Howling for a few days… maybe even a week. That was how she made a decision if she was torn about what to do.
Pros
Quiet and peaceful
Safe—no one would find me here
I could get work
Cons
NOAH
She could only think of that one con.
Avoid him going forward.She could do that, surely. They’d shared one night together, and it had been sex, nothing more. No connections were formed; it was scratching an itch.
Decision made, Lani changed her shirt for her clean white one, and instead of her boots wore a pair of flats. Brushing her hair, she then tidied everything away and climbed back into the driver seat. A loud woof had her opening the door again.
A tan smooth-haired dog with a huge head that likely had huge jaws inside it was standing a few feet from her car.
“Hey, bud, you lost?” The tail wagged, which had her getting out and dropping to her haunches. The dog crept forward. Holding out a hand, she let the animal sniff it. “Nothing to fear here.”
The dog’s ears were back, and it’s black eyes focused on Lani. She could see its ribs.
