6
Kinsley exited through the back door of the T-shirt shop, Dev’s hand on her elbow. Sharp winds carrying caustic smoke slapped her in the face, and she was greeted by several men she didn’t recognize. Dev had told her his Shadow Lake Survival team had arrived to help escort her to the car. She didn’t expect such rugged and forceful men, but why not? They taught people how to survive in the wilderness, and she would imagine that meant they would need to be in shape to survive on their own.
They formed an impenetrable line from the building exit to the back door of an SUV. A second SUV had parked behind this one, and Jada was in its back seat while another guy sat behind the wheel. The remaining men had their weapons drawn, and their gazes constantly roved around the area.
Looking for the shooter? Most likely.
She slowed to rub her sweaty palms against her thighs, but Dev urged her forward and into the back seat.
As soon as he closed the door behind her, the men broke their line. The first guy slid in beside her. Colin, Dev and Jada’s brother, who looked very much like Dev minus some facial hair. The next two men, who she thought might be brothers, took the front seat.
“Get us on the road, Reid,” Dev said.
The eldest of the group, a man with extremely dark hair, glanced back from the driver’s seat. “On it.”
Dev looked at her. “We’re headed to the Shadow Lake Survival compound, but we’ll take a roundabout route to be sure we’re not followed.” He bit down on his lip and sat back but kept searching the area.
His rigid body language told her to hold off on conversation. She took in the scenery as they whipped out of town and into the countryside. Reid soon had them on the highway at cruising speed, but all of the men continued to check out their windows and mirrors.
Dev glanced at her. “You and Jada will stay at our cabin, and I’ll have someone go to the campground to pick up your things.”
She still didn’t like him making decisions for her, but she knew this was the right decision, so she gave him a reassuring smile. “Sounds good, if it’s not inconvenient.”
“Your safety comes first, and that could never be inconvenient.” He nodded at the man behind the wheel. “That’s Reid Maddox driving us, and his brother Ryan in the front seat. Along with their brother Russ, who’s the local sheriff, they own Shadow Lake Survival and the property that it sits on.”
“Good to meet you, Kinsley.” Reid glanced in the mirror and gave her a quick smile before looking back at the road.
“Ditto.” Ryan angled between the seats and gave her a beaming smile. “Even if it is under such difficult circumstances. Hopefully, we can improve that for you.”
She returned his infectious smile. “I very much appreciate any help you’re willing to give.”
“Don’t mention it,” Reid said. “We’re glad to help. And on that subject, Dev, I rescheduled your and Colin’s classes, so you’re both free all week. I’ll try to free up team members as you need them too. If this isn’t resolved by the weekend, we can reconsider the schedule again.”
A week? Or even more? No. Kinsley wanted it wrapped up in a few days. That would give her and Jada time to move back to the campground and still have that reunion they’d planned.
“Thanks, man,” Dev said.
“No worries.” Reid looked in the mirror. “If I were in your position, you’d do the same for me.”
Dev gave a thumbs up, then leaned across Kinsley to give his brother a punch to the knee. “I live with Colin. You’ll probably get sick of him when you stay with us.”
She glanced at Colin to see if he was bothered by Dev’s comment, but he just rolled his eyes. “I think what you’ll soon remember is that I’m the older, wiser brother, and this bozo doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Dev laughed. Oh, good. Some lighthearted banter in this very tense situation. Likely what they were going for.
“Besides,” Colin said. “I think you’ll find that our mother is the wisest of all, and she’ll set us all straight if we’re on the wrong path. Of course, Jada always tries. At least when she’s around, which isn’t often these days.”
“It’s nice of you to visit, Kinsley,” Dev said. “That means we get to see Jada. Otherwise, she might not have arranged to take leave and come back here.”
“I never saw that coming, did you?” Kinsley glanced between the two men. “I mean, Jada going into the Navy right out of high school. She never even talked about it when we were growing up, and then, boom. She comes to school one day and says she enlisted.”
“It was a total surprise to our family too.” Colin frowned. “But Mom finally got her to admit that she was worried about all of the uprisings and protests in our country and across the globe. She wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
Jada had shared last night about her love of being in the Navy. Her friend appeared to be very happy with her choice. “It seems to suit her.”
“Like Dev said, she likes it so much she rarely comes home,” Colin said. “But I think if she didn’t have this trip planned to see you, she might’ve checked up on Mom.”
Sandy? Just how badly was she really doing if it brought Jada home? Kinsley didn’t know what to think. “I know Jada’s worried about her.”
