Page 14 of Second Chance Savior

I grabbed the bag I’d brought with me, along with Cleo’s carrier. In the guest room, I set her free, and my cat quickly found a cozy spot to curl up in. I tried to do the same myself after changing into comfy clothes. But I was wired.

I checked my phone and laptop again, but there were no new messages from River. Should I let my IT people know about whatever security flaw had allowed River to hack me? Maybe that was more trouble than it was worth. IT would probably freak, thinking I had ransomware.

Whatever else I thought about River, I knew he wouldn’tuse his hacker skills for evil. He much preferred to play the stereotypical alpha hero. Never getting too close. Never revealing weakness. God forbid anyone ever saw what really made him tick.

I lay down for a while and tried to sleep, but that wasn’t working. So I sneaked out of the guest room, planning to make myself a cup of tea.

The lights were off. I gasped when I saw a figure standing in the living room, peering out through a gap in the blinds of the front window.

But it was just Brynn. I’d expected she would be sound asleep by now.

“You’re still up?” I went to switch on a lamp, but Brynn held up a finger.

“Don’t.”

I drew my hand back. “Don’t turn on the light? Why?”

Glancing warily at the front window again, Brynn said, “I don’t want to alarm you. But we may have a situation. Someone’s been casing my house for the last half hour.”

“What do you suggest?”

She nodded toward the hallway. “Stay out of sight and call 911.”

“What willyoube doing?”

Brynn lifted her sweatshirt and flashed the holster she was wearing. “I’m going to find out what this is about.”

CHAPTER FIVE

River

I gotto Denver as quickly as I could. Good thing it was summer and the roads were clear. Because the speeds I’d driven from Hartley to Colorado’s capital city were nowhere near advisable.

What Sheriff Owen didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

But by the time I talked my way into Charlie’s building, claiming to be a tech for the power company there for an urgent repair, she was gone. Her apartment was dark, and the air had that silent chill that falls when someone’s been absent for hours. She’d packed a bag and taken her pet with her too.

The video call with Charlie hadn’t gone well. Yet I’d hoped she would stick around long enough for me to change her mind.

“Where’d you go, Charlie?” I said to her empty condo. “Who did you run to? Who is it that you trust to protect you?” Because it sure wasn’t me.

Granted, maybe the pop-up window on her laptop and the anonymous phone calls had been a little dramatic. But it had gotten her to answer. Would it have been better to show upunannounced, no warning? I couldn’t imagine that would’ve gone well either.

I was trying to save her life here. So far, I’d only succeeded in pissing her off.

Charlie was right about one thing. I could’ve gotten in touch before now, but I’d chosen not to. That was my fault. What she didn’t understand at all waswhy.

I went back to my car, ditching my disguise along the way, and fired up my ToughBook. A few minutes later, I barked a laugh.

She really had called the FBI. Specifically, a Special Agent Brynn Somerton.

The tightness in my shoulders relaxed several degrees. Brynn was a woman. Did I have a right to care about that fact? Nope.

Did I care anyway? Obvious answer.

Soon, I’d navigated to a quiet, residential neighborhood a few miles west of downtown.

I drove around the block a couple of times first, getting the lay of the land. Then I parked in a secluded spot and set out on foot. Most of the nearby houses were dark. It was the middle of the night. Yet the lights were still on at the Somerton residence.

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