Page 52 of Through the Fire
As the boys and Justice headed for her SUV, Kit turned back to Jules, who still looked nervous as she watched her brothers. “We shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours,” Kit said, wanting to reassure her. “Bloodhounds tend to have short attention spans.”
Jules smiled, but it still looked strained. “Thank you. Theo agreed that it’ll be fine, but everything that’s happened makes me worry.”
“Understandable. I promise to watch out for them.”
With a wave to Dee and Elena, Kit headed toward her driver’s side door. The twins were in the back, with Justice between them, and Sam was up front in the passenger seat. Jules watched as Kit started the car and began the slow, bumpy trip down the driveway. A glance in the rearview mirror showed that Elena was heading back into the house, but Jules was still standing where they’d left her, Dee leaning against her side.
“Sorry,” Sam muttered, his eyes fixed on the side-view mirror, even after they went around the curve and his house disappeared from sight.
“I get it. Like I said, it’s a big-sister thing.” Although she kept her voice light, her brain was trying to work out the puzzle of what had just happened. Seeing Jules act so worried bothered her. Despite not knowing Kit very well, Jules was aware that she was a cop and worked with Jules’s very protective boyfriend. Why was she so concerned about Sam training with her? And why didn’t she want to send the twins along? Kit gave the two boys in the back seat a quick glance in the mirror, checking to make sure that their seat belts were buckled. The twins were both strapped in and petting a blissful Justice.
Tucking the questions away until later, she glanced at Sam. “I’ve only been to the kennel once, and Hugh was driving. Would you mind letting me know when a turn is coming up?” She had a good sense of direction and was sure she’d be able to make it to Nan’s on her own, but she wanted to get Sam talking.
“Y-yes.”
They reached the end of the driveway, and the trees opened up, allowing the sunshine to hit the SUV. It wasn’t until Kit found her shoulders lowering that she realized her muscles had been clenched. The dark, claustrophobic feel of the driveway made her uncomfortable.
“Left,” Sam said. Once she’d turned onto the quiet road, she gave the twins another glance in the mirror.
“You two will probably need to correct me on your names a few times.” She made an apologetic face. “Ty, you’re on the right, and Tio’s on the left, right? I mean, correct?” The twins looked almost exactly alike, although Tio was a little slighter and his expressions tended to be less animated and more guarded.
A wicked smile started to stretch across Ty’s face, but Sam jumped in, giving his younger brother a stern look. “C-c-correct.”
Kit lifted an eyebrow at Ty. “You were just going to mess with me, weren’t you?”
“Maybe.” Ty shrugged, not looking at all put out that his plan had been foiled. “Everyone in town and at school knows us now, so we can’t play that trick much anymore.”
“That’s too bad,” Kit said in a dry voice, exchanging a look with Sam. The moment of shared amusement only lasted a second before his face tightened and he turned toward the window again.
For the rest of the ride to Nan’s, Sam stayed quiet, except to give occasional directions. The twins made up for their brother’s silence, however. By the time she pulled into the kennel’s small, snow-packed parking area, Kit had learned that they ran a shady-sounding “security” business at their school. Tio had also been perfecting a touch-activated Swiss Army knife, but Jules had vetoed that project, thanks to the knife’s switchblade-like qualities. Kit felt that probably had been a wise move on Jules’s part. The twins weren’t too crushed, since they’d returned to building a miniature drone.
“Impressive. Why miniature?” she asked, reaching for the door handle.
“So that we don’t have to register it with the government,” Ty said blithely, and the boys and Justice hopped out of the car.
Kit huffed a laugh as she climbed out. It sounded like the twins were too smart for their—and everyone else’s—own good. Still smiling, she glanced around the kennel. It consisted of several buildings and multiple fenced areas where a variety of dog breeds eyed them with interest, barking to announce their arrival. Before Justice could go investigate, Kit called him over so she could leash him.
“You must be Officer Jernigan.” A tall woman with a graying ponytail poking out from under her stocking cap was striding toward them. “The brave soul who’s going to help Sam teach Fifi to track. I’m Nan.”
“Call me Kit,” she said, smiling as she shook Nan’s hand. “I’ve trained one bloodhound and managed to survive, so I figured another wouldn’t kill me.”
Nan looked doubtful. “You’re braver than I am. Hi, Sam, Ty, and Tio. Sam, Fifi’s in the southeast yard. Are you going to work with her here?”
“N-no,” Sam said. “W-we’re g-g-going t-to the f-fire look-k-out t-t-tower. K-Kit said it’ll b-be q-q-quieter there.”
“Sayer Tower?” Nan’s eyebrows disappeared under her hat. “Is the lookout okay with that?”
Kit hid the now-familiar mix of embarrassment and exhilaration at the mention of Wes. “I’m going to check with him first. If he has a problem with it, we’ll find somewhere else.”
“Huh.” Nan looked doubtful.
“Do you think he’ll not want us there?” Kit asked, starting to wonder if visiting the tower unannounced was a good idea. Wes seemed to value his privacy, and they’d only been on half of an official date. It was a little early to be popping in without an invitation or any prior warning.
“No idea,” Nan said bluntly. “The lookout is a strange one, though, just to warn you. He only comes to town when he has to, and even then it’s only in the very early morning when not many people are around. Fire season’s over, but he stays in that cabin through the winter, all by himself.”
“That d-doesn’t sound so b-b-bad,” Sam said, and Kit grinned at him.
“Not when you’re living with six other people, huh?” she asked, and he made a wry face before catching himself and looking away. Kit turned back to Nan. “Any reason I should avoid him, or is he just antisocial?” She felt like she was betraying Wes just by asking, but she was curious why the whole town was so fascinated by him, even as they kept their distance. He’d never been anything but sweet to her, so the locals’ attitude was baffling. No matter what the townspeople’s reasoning was, it wouldn’t affect how she viewed Wes. She liked him, and no one else’s opinion would change that.
