“Fine. I promise.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket and didn’t look too happy about her promise. Hopefully she would keep it.
The cabin door opened, illuminating the small porch with a swing. Jada bolted outside and down the steps before either one of them could get out of the vehicle. She whipped Kinsley’s door open and nearly dragged her out of the SUV. His sister threw her arms around Kinsley and started swinging her in circles.
“I am so happy to see you,” Jada said, her exuberance knowing no bounds. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“But we’ve texted and FaceTimed,” Kinsley said.
“It’s not the same as seeing your face in person.” Jada leaned back. “I mean, look how beautiful you’ve gotten. You were always a stunner, but come on, what are you doing for a beauty routine? I need to know. Stat.”
Kinsley laughed. “You always did know how to make me feel good about myself.”
“I’m right, aren’t I, Dev?” Jada glanced at Dev. “Just look at her. She’s even more beautiful than before, right?”
Dev shouldn’t look at Kinsley, but he couldn’t help himself. The outdoor lights cut through the smoke and shone on her face, highlighting her high cheekbones and large eyes.
“You don’t have to say anything.” Jada frowned. “Your look says it all. We should move on. Let’s grab your things and get settled.”
Kinsley turned toward the back of the vehicle, and Jada grabbed Dev’s arm. “I didn’t like the way you were looking at Kinsley. Remember your promise.”
Dev stopped and looked at his sister, her dark eyes reminiscent of his mother’s intense gaze that she could pin on him at a moment’s notice when he had messed up. “Maybe it’s time to revisit that promise. After all, we’re adults now.”
“I need Kinsley in my life now just as much as I needed her growing up. I can’t risk you ruining that because of a failed relationship.”
He didn’t like her assumption that it would fail. He didn’t like it at all. “What makes you think any relationship we would have would fail?”
“I’m not sure that it would, but I can’t risk it. So remember your promise.” She spun on her heel and went to join Kinsley at the back of the vehicle.
Dev followed. “Before we unpack, we need to talk about whether or not it’s safe for Kinsley to stay here.”
Jada’s dark eyes narrowed. “Why on earth wouldn’t it be safe?”
Dev gave his sister a quick rundown of the shooting.
Jada spun toward Kinsley. “Did that really happen? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“Calm down,” Kinsley said. “I’m fine. He just shot up my car and the area around it. He didn’t hit me. Dev arrived, so I think that made him take off.”
“So Dev saved you?” Jada cast a suspicious look at him as if he had some sort of ulterior motive for making sure that Kinsley remained alive.
“I wouldn’t exactly say saved.” Dev couldn’t look at Kinsley. The memory of her in his arms was too fresh not to give away everything he was feeling to his sister. “I didn’t even know it was her at first. But I do believe that my presence did make the shooter take off. I also called my former lieutenant and probably got a faster law enforcement response. That’s all I did.”
Jada wrapped her arm around Kinsley. “Let’s get you inside and out of this smoke so you can rest.”
“I’m not fragile, Jada.” Kinsley gave Dev athanks for bringing the subject uplook. “I’m fine and eager to get started on our reunion celebration.”
“And then we’ll talk about whether it’s safe to stay here or not,” Dev said, not caring that Kinsley was irritated with him.
She glared at him but then walked up the steps arm-in-arm with Jada. Inside, the feeling of going home hit him. Many times growing up, he and Colin had come down to the cabin when Kinsley was sleeping over, and the four of them would watch scary movies together on the ancient TV. Then Dev and Colin would leave for the night, but hang around outside the cabin to make scary noises and try to weird out the girls. Sometimes it worked, other times they saw right through them and came out to chase them off.
He remembered running away, laughing with Colin, and yet wishing he was still sitting inside the cabin with Kinsley. But now they were all grown up, and any scary noises outside could signal that the shooter had found her here.
Dev had no idea what the shooter knew about Kinsley. Did he know about her childhood? That she spent so much time at the campground, and she might come back here? Or was it as Kinsley said, just a random shooting and he wasn’t even looking for her?
She could be right, but Dev wouldn’t risk her life on it.
She settled on one end of the dark green sofa that his mom had bought when she remodeled the place. All of the cabins had undergone a renovation at that time, and the furnishings from the early sixties were cleared out to be replaced by furnishings from the early two-thousands, now outdated again. She didn’t think he knew her reasoning for the renovation, but it was her effort to bring in more revenue and fill the place like in the early days.
Jada dropped onto the sofa next to Kinsley and took her hands. “Now tell me. Do you think that this man was shooting at you, or was it just some random act?”
