Page 30 of Valor

“I will as soon as Emily gets back. But it’s not like he caused a problem.” He nuzzled the puppy’s soft head. “We rescued him in the woods.”

Angela’s expression softened. “Oh, he is a sweetie.”

It was tempting to ask if Emily confided in her. Then he decided it didn’t matter. Even if Emily had said something, they’d be long gone before the server could take any action.

Angela flashed a smile, then hurried away. He stroked the puppy’s soft fur as he waited for a solid five minutes before Emily emerged from the restrooms.

“Ready?” She took the pup and headed for the door. “Let’s find a park where Bear can eat in peace.”

“Yeah, okay.” He knew the dog practically inhaled his food, so giving him breakfast wouldn’t take long. They strode to the truck and got inside.

Then he headed through town until he found a monument that doubled as a park. He glanced over at her. “Will this work?”

“I like it.” Emily’s smile warmed him from the inside out. “Thanks.”

She acted as if he’d given her a diamond ring rather than finding a park to feed their puppy. No, that wasn’t right. Bear belonged to Emily. He couldn’t take a puppy with him on the search for Hernandez.

He wanted the drug kingpin to pay for killing Oliver.

Emily set Bear down to play in the grass, then filled the single bowl he’d grabbed from the cabin with puppy food. Bear ate with enthusiasm, and when he was finished, Emily brushed out the crumbs, then added water to the bowl. They lingered longer than they should have, but he understood she wanted to make sure Bear did his thing before they hit the road.

Watching Emily throw the stick for the puppy, he debated the wisdom of pushing forward on this path. Their escape from the gunman was likely temporary. The guy could be rolling into Dayton as they sat there. He abruptly stood and scooped up the empty dog dish.

“We need to go.” He was hit by an abrupt sense of urgency to get away.

“In a minute.” Emily nodded at Bear. The puppy made circles as he sniffed the grass. “He’s almost finished.”

Sure enough, after another circle, the pup squatted. Emily praised the dog afterward, using some tissues she must have taken from the bathroom to clean up the mess. The pup was so excited he jumped up to lick her face. Little Bear was clearly eager to please.

He could relate. He wanted to make Emily happy too.

Should he consider her request to turn himself in? To try to work out a deal with her brother? Put an end to his journey to get justice for his brother?

Owen forced himself to turn away from Emily and Bear. No, he wasn’t going that far. He’d set his course. Despite Emily’s claim, it was too late to change his path now.

But it was shocking how badly he wanted to.

He yanked the truck door open and set the dog’s food and dish inside. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Emily cuddling Bear close as she crossed over to join him. She seemed in no hurry, maybe assuming they were safe now that it was daytime.

“Ready?” He opened her passenger-side door, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt.

“Yes.” She slid into the seat, settling Bear on her lap.

He shut the door and quickly jumped in behind the wheel. He drove slowly through the town so as not to get pulled over by a cop. He didn’t think Dayton was big enough to have its own police station, but he felt certain there was a county sheriff’s department in the area.

Five minutes later, they were back on Highway 14 leaving Dayton behind. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief. It felt good to be on the move, even though he wasn’t convinced that they’d lost the gunman.

It seemed as if no matter how many times he took out one bad guy, there was another popping up like one of those Whac-A-Mole games.

“Was that a sign for Ranchester?” Emily’s voice broke into his thoughts.

“Yes.” He had noticed the sign too. It had been a long time since he’d come this way, back when he’d infiltrated the drug ring. More than twelve months had passed, and it was disheartening that he still hadn’t accomplished his mission. Granted, getting shot hadn’t been a part of the plan. Enter Emily Sanders into his life. And as much as being shot had hurt, he couldn’t really deny that meeting Emily had been worth it. Shaking off his ridiculous thoughts, Owen focused on the winding highway. “I think that’s where we pick up Interstate 90.”

“So soon?” Her brown eyes widened as if she was upset. “I can’t believe we’re really leaving Wyoming.”

He flicked a gaze at the rearview mirror. No sign of a vehicle behind him, yet with the winding highway, he may not see a tail right away. “We’re not leaving Wyoming anytime soon. My only goal is to get you to safety.”

“No, your goal is to get me to safety in a way that allows you to keep searching for Hernandez.” The hint of bitterness in her tone surprised him.

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