Chapter 35 Autumn
AUTUMN
The kitchen at The Lazy Moose smelled of rosemary, garlic, and comfort you couldn’t bottle. Elia moved with the ease of a man who cooked not for credit but for the people he loved.
Claire, Maya, and I were gathered around the long, wooden dining table, each of us with a glass of something Maya called “huckleberry fizz,” a homemade mix of soda water, foraged berries, and a dash of Vodka. Baby Atlas slept soundly in a sling against Maya’s chest, his tiny fists curled.
We kept chatting about how Maya met Noah.
“I’d just gotten out of jail,” she said, bouncing Atlas lightly against her shoulder. “And Noah believed in me. Dom too. That much I know. Those two? They’re why I’m standing here now.”
Elia came over, a dish towel slung over his shoulder, a serving platter in his hands. “Right, you’re talking about the guy who’s not here, eh, ladies?” he teased, setting the platter down.
“All good things,” Claire shot back, giving him a wink.
“Wow, that looks amazing,” I said. “What is it?”
“Herb-crusted pork tenderloin,” Elia replied with a proud smile, already retreating to the stove.
Claire called after him, “Need a hand, baby?”
“Nope. You ladies enjoy yourselves.”
Dylan wriggled out of Claire’s lap and plopped on the floor. Koda, their border collie, gave a whuff and nudged a plastic fire truck closer. Dylan took the cue, launching into a whispery rescue mission, complete with sirens, heroic dialogue, and the occasional dramatic crash into the wall.
“That’s the only storyline he knows,” Claire said with a laugh.
Totally unfazed, Dylan started over, this time rolling the truck right along Koda’s back. The mutt held still, clearly taking his role as a bridge very seriously.
“They’re ridiculous together,” I said.
“Right? I’ve got a whole camera roll of those two. Koda’s almost fifteen, can you believe it?” Claire shook her head, still watching them like she couldn’t quite get enough.
“Wow, he looks incredible for that age.” I glanced over as Claire’s husky, Bobo, ambled up, gave us a sniff, then decided it was all too much and wandered off. “Dom also mentioned a shaggy, bear-like dog? Is that yours, Maya?”
Maya giggled, careful not to jostle Atlas asleep in his sling. “Yeah, Reko. He was a stray. He just wandered up to Noah’s porch one day and never left. He basically lives with us now. He sleeps indoors and eats better than I do. But today he decided to go feral again. I have no idea where he is.”
Claire scrolled through her phone and held up a photo.
“Oh my gosh,” I said. “He’s huge.”
“He looks like a musk ox,” Maya commented.
“I think he’s half sloth bear,” Claire said with a snort.
Maya checked on Atlas, then eased up from her chair. “Sorry, girls. I need to put this little man to bed. He hasn’t slept in days, and I’m not risking a miracle nap.”
“I just swapped out the sheet in Dylan’s old cot,” Claire said.
“Thank you, Claire,” Maya murmured, adjusting Atlas as she crossed the room. Then she slipped down the hallway and out of sight.
I turned to Claire. “Hey, random question. Any idea what Lulu’s made of? Breed-wise, I mean.”
She smiled over her glass. “Black and white coat says border collie. But she’s a lot leaner, more wiry. My money’s on a blue heeler mix.”
“And those ears? I swear they’re twice the size they should be.”
Claire laughed. “Collies can have big ones, but hers stand straight up. There’s some cattle dog in her for sure. Want me to run a DNA test?”
I nodded. “That’d be great. Maybe when all this is behind us.”
“It will be,” she said, squeezing my hand. “You miss her?”
“Lulu? How can I not!” I smiled. “I grew up around dogs, but after my parents split and I started college, we didn’t get another one after the last one passed.
” I paused. “It’s funny how she came into my life.
It was meant to be, I guess. She saved me, and we bonded fast. I haven’t really figured out how to be apart from her. ”
Her smile said she got it. “Well, yeah. Saving a life’s about the fastest way to forge a bond.”
Just then, something crashed in the kitchen.
“Elia?” Claire called.
“Yeah—yeah!” came the quick reply. “Just dropped the lid.”
Claire rose. “I’d better check on him. He’ll say everything’s fine even if he’s lost a finger.”
While she and Elia murmured in the kitchen, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I shifted, trying to dig it out. It had wedged itself in the worst spot. Dammit. I wrestled it free, my heart already kicking. It had to be Dom. Maybe they’d found the bag.
But the moment I opened it, the world around me fractured.
It was a picture.
Of a coin.
Dom’s old courtroom coin, the one he never went anywhere without. Only now, it was smeared with blood.
Underneath it, a message said, I’ll send you the coordinates. If I don’t find you there ALONE by eight, your man is dead.
My fingers trembled, and the room blurred as panic surged up.
That coin was definitely Dom’s. I’d know it anywhere.
This wasn’t a bluff.
I glanced at the kitchen. Claire stood beside Elia, checking his hand and laughing softly. They had no idea. No idea that the warm, safe bubble we were floating in had just been punctured.
Claire turned toward me. “Hey, you okay?” she asked
I blinked hard and nodded too fast. “Yeah.” My brain scrambled for something, anything, that didn’t sound like I was about to do something stupid. My eyes darted to the window. “Thought I just saw a pair of mountain bluebirds.”
“They’re around this time of year. Pretty little things.”
“I’ll go take a look.”
I walked toward the front room, trying not to run. Noah’s truck keys were right there on the coffee table, just where he’d left them before heading out with Dom. I snatched them, then slipped through the front door without a sound.
There were no imaginary birds, no second thoughts. I climbed into Noah’s truck and pulled away from The Lazy Moose. My hands locked on the wheel, and my heart broke with every mile.
Because Dom had made sure I was safe.
And now I had to do the same for him.
Even if it meant walking straight into hell.