Chapter 55
CHAPTER
FIFTY-FIVE
GUNNER
A lone cabin sits at the end of a trail deep in the woods. I’m parked in a conveniently well-hidden grove, waiting for any signs of Uncle Clancy sneaking around, and so far, nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Not that I’m fooled.
Uncle Clancy’s land is farther from town than all the others in the Kinsey portfolio and, back when the assets were being divided, everyone applauded him for choosing this less valuable estate.
But I know different.
Shadowy trees and thick foliage make this the perfect place to hide a body.
Or bury the contents of a will.
“How much longer do we stay out here staring at nothing?” Renthrow grumbles.
I put the binoculars down. “You’re the one who volunteered to come.”
“Because I’ve always wanted to be part of a stakeout,” he mumbles. “But now I regret it.”
I survey the woods around the cabin. “Are you worried about Gordie?”
“I’m always worried about Gordie,” he grumbles to the window.
I whip around. “You didn’t leave her home alone, did you?”
Renthrow scoffs. “Of course not. I asked the babysitter to come over in case Gordie wakes up. Do you think I’d be out here if my baby girl was home alone?”
I grunt my understanding and peer at Uncle Clancy’s cabin for another quick sweep.
After meeting with a few old timers in town, visiting the grocery store to buy some supplies, and heading out to his cabin, he hasn’t moved since. Seems he’s settled in for the night.
It’s been the same routine for the past two days.
Uncle Clancy has been so careful that he hasn’t even met with Uncle Stewart publicly, although I’d bet my entire hockey career that they’re communicating. Just not in a way that would tip me off.
Does Uncle Clancy know I’m watching him?
It’s a possibility. It didn’t take Rebel long to figure out Theilan and Watson were checking up on her. Thankfully, mom was with Rebel all evening doing Lady Luck Society business, and I convinced April to get Rebel to sleep over tonight. Chance is keeping an eye on April’s place until morning.
Dad reached out to his law enforcement network to have Grampa Clay’s will verified by actual experts, but I can’t twiddle my thumbs until we hear back from them. Protecting Rebel and all the people who are important to her is my main priority.
Suddenly, my stomach growls.
Renthrow glances at me.
I pretend not to notice and bring the binoculars to my face. Something rustles in the passenger seat and then Renthrow tosses an object at me. I look down to find a Ziplock bag holding a sandwich, neatly cut into triangles.
I lift the bag, incredulous.
“Don’t want it?” Renthrow tries to take it back.
I muscle his arm away and pop the triangle into my mouth. It’s not the best sandwich I’ve ever had, but at least I can put something on my stomach.
“I got grapes and apple juice too,” he offers reluctantly.
I scarf down the rest of the sandwich. While I’m slurping on the juice box, I glance at Renthrow. “You handling everything okay? With Gordie?”
He stares straight ahead. “Yeah.”
I choose my words carefully. “Does she ask about her mom a lot?”
Renthrow blows out a breath. He’s a big guy but, in the moment, he seems to shrink inside himself. “Yeah. It was easier when she was younger.”
“Let me know if…” Just then, I hear the squawk of a radio.
I look to the center console where the police scanner is cradled amidst hockey tape, old hockey gloves that I keep for emergencies, and a bunch of loose change. I ‘borrowed’ the scanner from dad as a precaution, but Lucky Falls is such a safe place to live that the radio hasn’t made a sound until tonight. I’d honestly forgotten it was there.
“Psssh!” The radio noise fills the car. “There’s a reported fire at 114 Willow Lane.”
Willow Lane?
Rebel’s apartment is there.
But Rebel is with April, so everything is fine.
One of dad’s deputies responds to the call, so I turn the radio all the way down. I don’t want to hear the back and forth while I’m trying to focus on the current stakeout.
However, an odd feeling keeps niggling at me and I decide to call April just in case. Once I hear that Rebel’s enjoying their girl’s night in, I’ll be able to breathe easily.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” April says. “Rebel went home.”
I jerk upright. “She went home? To her apartment?” The one that’s currently on fire?
“Is something wrong?” April asks, picking up on my panic right away.
Even Renthrow is staring at me like I’ve gone crazy.
I grunt out a thanks and hang up on April. Without warning, I ram the car into gear and reverse out of the woods while the engine growls noisily.
“Hey, hey, hey! Slow down!” Renthrow yells, grabbing at his seatbelt.
I wrench the steering wheel to the left, but we’re going at top speed and the car over steers.
“Watch out for that tree!” Renthrow bellows.
I yank the wheel the other direction and narrowly miss crashing into the tree. Renthrow flings curses at me, but I ignore him and keep my sights on the road.
The only thing I care about is getting to Rebel as fast as possible.
“You want to explain why you’re trying to kill me?” Renthrow hisses.
“Rebel’s apartment is on fire!”
He keeps his mouth shut for the rest of the ride. Not that I would have heard a word he had to say. My blood is roaring in my ears and I can barely see the road ahead.
What if I’m too late? What if Rebel’s hurt? What if I never get the chance to make up with her? To wrap her in my arms. To see her smile at me?
What if I can’t tell her that I’ll do anything to protect her, even if it means going against my entire family. What if she never hears the truth of how many years I’ve been in love with her?
Time moves slowly until I get to Rebel’s apartment. The first thing I notice is that the building is intact and undamaged. There are no orange flames crawling up the brick walls. No police cars. No firemen.
“Looks like a false alarm,” Renthrow croaks. He’s bowled over, his face slightly green. “I’m…” He makes a retching sound and pins his mouth shut. “I’m… heading home now.”
“Thanks, Renthrow.”
He stumbles like a drunken hockey fan in the opposite direction while I pound up the stairs to Rebel’s apartment.