“Will do.”
Wyatt ended the call and glanced around one more time before walking back to the restaurant.
Kori sat at the table and watched the door.
Thunder had positioned himself between her chair and the rest of the restaurant the moment Wyatt had given the command. The dog hadn’t moved since. His ears stayed forward, his eyes tracking every person who walked past.
She found surprising comfort in the dog she’d once been afraid of. She knew Thunder wouldn’t let anyone get close to her.
The other diners around her seemed oblivious—the couple near the window splitting a slice of pie, the man at the bar scrolling on his phone, the server refilling water glasses. Everyone went about their ordinary evening.
But nothing felt ordinary to her.
She looked at the door again.
Three minutes had passed. Maybe four.
She was about to reach for her phone when the door opened.
Wyatt stepped inside, cold air sweeping in behind him. He scanned the room once before his eyes found hers.
Kori exhaled slowly. He was here. He was okay.
He crossed to the table and settled into his seat, something tight behind his expression.
He looked at his dog. “Thunder, release.”
The dog relaxed his posture and settled back under the table.
Kori’s gaze remained fixed on Wyatt. “What happened?”
“A man was watching us from the sidewalk.” He picked up his water glass. “I lost him. He had a vehicle waiting around the corner.”
“He ran?”
“The moment he realized I’d spotted him he took off.” Wyatt set the glass down. “Black truck. Partial plate. I called Micah.”
“And?”
“He’s putting extra security on the woman at the hospital. Whoever followed us here may have followed us there first.”
The thought made her blood go cold. “If they know she’s alive and talking . . .”
“Then she’s a liability to them.” His jaw tightened. “Which means she’s in danger.”
Kori looked down at her chowder. It had gone lukewarm while she wasn’t paying attention, and the restaurant suddenly felt cooler than it had before.
“You should eat.” Wyatt nodded at her food.
“I’m not sure I can.”
“Try anyway.”
She picked up her spoon and took a sip of the chowder. It was still good, even cold.
For a few minutes neither of them spoke. She ate, and Wyatt worked on the last of his pot roast, and Thunder let out a sigh under the table.
Kori set her spoon down when she finished eating. “I’d like to walk through everything with you. From the beginning.”
Wyatt looked at her. “You want to lay everything out?”
“I need to. I think better when I say things out loud.”
He nodded once and leaned back in his chair. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”
