“Let me check out your vehicle.” Micah walked the length of her SUV and crouched at the rear corner.
She watched as he studied the scrape where red paint streaked across the bumper. He snapped a couple of photos, checked the taillight, then straightened.
He turned back to Naomi. “Does it still start?”
“Let me try the engine.” She climbed in and turned the key.
Nothing happened.
“Pop the hood,” he told her.
She did. As she waited, the dog let out a whine before jumping in her lap.
She let out a playful grumble as the dog climbed over her and jumped into the back seat as if he owned the vehicle. She would have put a blanket down first if she’d known the dog would help himself. But he was already inside and getting settled in the back.
She didn’t have the energy—or the heart—to argue with the creature.
Besides, he was a nice distraction right now from her much heavier thoughts.
Micah fiddled under the hood a few minutes before peering back around at her. “Try again.”
This time the engine roared to life.
Relief flooded her.
“Whatever you did, it worked,” she called from the open door. “Thanks.”
He slammed the hood and walked back toward her.
“Of course.” He studied her another moment. “Any pain? Did your head hit anything? Do you feel any dizziness?”
She did a quick evaluation of herself. “No, I think I’m fine. I’m just shaken.”
“That’s normal.” He paused. “If anything changes, you get checked out. You okay to drive?”
“I think so. I’ll pull over if I feel funny.”
He glanced in the back seat at the lab. “You okay with him being back there?”
She looked over her shoulder and couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, we’re officially BFFs now.”
Micah smiled.
Then he stepped back and waved her on.
As she pulled onto the road, her body was still on alert.
But this time she knew why.
It was because she halfway expected at any minute for Travis Henderson to appear again—and this time to accomplish what he’d set out to do.
