CHAPTER EIGHT #2
Cora shook her head. “It’s more than that. We also help those who are still looking for their family or friends. It might give you a little purpose. And it might help to be around people who get it, in a way.”
I knew from my interviews with law enforcement that Cora’s mother had disappeared when she was in high school.
And it was her involvement in the group that had given Travis his in.
He’d gone to meetings, gotten updates from Cora, and all to get information about the families he’d torn apart. It was like a drug for him.
“Sure.” The single word was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I wasn’t sure how I’d react to people talking about all the losses in their lives. But Cora was reaching out, and I wanted to meet her halfway.
“Good,” Cora said quietly as her gaze met mine. “And thank you. I’m not sure many people would be able to manage the kindness you have. It just shows how incredibly strong you are.”
I took those words to heart, letting them settle in and become a balm to the wounds I didn’t show anyone. “Thanks for letting me.”
We didn’t say anything else, just sat there in the silence for a moment before rising to head back out to the bar. As we stepped out of the office, Wylder was there, waiting.
His gaze flicked to me. “Can you handle the bar for a minute?”
I knew he wanted to check on Cora himself, make sure she was okay. I shot him as much of a grin as I could manage. “As long as no one orders a crazy cocktail like a Harvey Wallbanger.”
Wylder’s lips twitched. “That’s basically just vodka and orange juice.”
My grin came a little more naturally now. “Then I guess I’ve got it handled.”
I headed back out to the main area, which was already a little more crowded, and moved straight to behind the bar just as a familiar face headed my way.
Those hazel irises, a study in dark and light, locked on me, making my heart do some sort of stutter step.
My doctor in the hospital had told me to be aware of heart palpitations because of the strain my heart had been under due to the conditions of my captivity.
But I didn’t think these had anything to do with that.
Kol was dressed in his Forest Service uniform—something I hadn’t seen him in all that often. But he wore the hell out of it. The dark-green pants and tan shirt shouldn’t have had me almost drooling, but they definitely did.
Kol’s thick thighs strained against the dark-green pants as he crossed the bar. His shoulders looked impossibly broad in the tan fabric of his shirt. And the uniform gave him an air of authority.
He slid onto a stool in front of me. “Working the bar?”
“Wylder needed a minute.” My voice sounded almost hoarse, and Kol’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“You okay?”
“All good, Boss.” I straightened my shoulders. “You know what you want, or do you need a menu and a minute?”
One corner of Kol’s mouth kicked up. “It’s my brother’s bar. I know the menu.”
“Then tell me what you want, smartass,” I challenged.
That dark-brown scruff around his mouth twitched. “I’ll take the cheeseburger, medium. Add avocado and onion straws. And a Coke.”
“What kind of fries or salad?”
“Steak fries.”
That fit. The manliest kind of fries on the menu.
I scribbled the order on my pad and stuck it on the wheel in the open pass-through window. “Order for Kol, Fee.”
She grinned at me from the griddle. “Tell that troublemaker I’m gonna put some hot sauce on it for him.”
I sent her a salute, turning back to Kol. “Fee said she’s putting hot sauce on your burger.”
“She always treats me right,” Kol said, his voice rumbling in something as close to a chuckle as I’d heard from him.
Why did that have jealousy rising? Fiona was old enough to be Kol’s mother, yet the thought that they shared knowledge about each other that I didn’t stung. It was ridiculous.
Piper elbowed up to the waitstaff end of the bar. “Two Aspen Ales and a Diet Coke.”
I moved to grab her drinks as more people slid onto stools, hoping to take advantage of the happy-hour specials.
Wylder appeared at my back, shooting Kol a grin. “My second most antisocial brother is becoming a regular. Love to see it.”
Kol scowled at him as I slid the last drink onto Piper’s tray.
“I’m hungry,” Kol grumbled.
“Mm-hmm,” Wylder hummed.
Kol flipped him off, which only made Wylder laugh. Then my boss turned to me. “Want to handle the diners behind the bar, and I’ll do drinks?”
“You got it,” I said, moving down the bar to where a new face sat.
The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Everything about him read hipster, from the mustard beanie and black-framed glasses to the flannel and blond beard.
I grabbed a menu and slid it across the bar. “Welcome to the Boot. Can I get you something to drink while you look at the menu?”
He shot me a grin that revealed two dimples. They made him look younger, almost boyish, and had his light-blue eyes twinkling. “You got any local ales?”
“More than I can count,” I said, gesturing to a skinny chalkboard to my left. “I’ll just need to see some ID.”
The man shifted on his stool and pulled out his wallet as he studied the menu. “Got a personal fave?”
I quickly scanned his driver’s license; Reese Gatlin was twenty-nine and from Michigan. “I like the Fall Creek Ale. But the Aspen is also a local favorite.”
I’d done a tasting to familiarize myself with our menu, and I was glad I had.
“Let’s go with your number-one favorite,” Reese said, putting his license back in his wallet.
I grabbed a pint glass and lowered the tap, tipping the glass at an angle. “Far from home. You on vacation?”
Reese smiled again, those dimples popping. “A little work, a little play.”
“Always a good combo.” I set the glass on a cocktail napkin. “Just flag me down when you’re ready to order.”
I moved to the next patrons, a couple from Nevada, in town for some hiking and wine tasting. I found a rhythm in the steady stream of customers the afternoon had to offer, but I still felt the heat of Kol’s gaze flicking to me every so often as I worked.
It didn’t feel like the gazes of others. It didn’t make me twitchy or anxious. It felt … comforting. As if there were no way I could disappear when he was around.
“So,” Reese said, pulling my attention, “any recs for spots to hit up around town?”
I was really the wrong person to ask about that, but I didn’t welcome the conversation that would come with saying I was new in town—sort of. How did you explain that you’d been in Starlight Grove for over a year yet had only been to a handful of places?
Instead, I filled in what I knew. “The Grove Griddle has the best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life. Hit up the Cozy Cup for an excellent latte. And you can’t go wrong with any of the wineries in the area.”
“What about hikes?” Reese asked, his focus staying on my face. “Any recommendations there?”
A chill skittered up my spine as I remembered the last hike I’d been on. “Not much of a hiker. Can’t help you there.”
“What about Three Creeks Canyon Trail? Heard it’s pretty.”
A wave of dizziness swept over me. It was the place I’d been taken from. I only remembered bits and pieces: driving to the trail with Brae, being annoyed that she went off trail to look at more wildflowers, and then … nothing. It was one big blank.
“Not sure,” I forced out. “You’ll have to ask someone else.”
I felt Kol’s gaze on me, his radar for my trauma and anxiety as astute as always.
I tried to move down the bar to check on the Nevada couple, but Reese stopped me.
“Nova.”
I froze. I hadn’t told him my name. And none of us wore name tags.
My gaze snapped to him as I went instantly on alert.
For what, I didn’t know. It wasn’t like I had the skills to defend myself.
I’d taken one self-defense class at the local YMCA with Brae, and that knowledge was rusty at best. That was something I needed to change.
I caught sight of the tiny knife used to prep lemon and lime wedges.
My fighting instincts were there, at least. That was something.
“I know who you are,” he said, his voice gentle.
“So do a lot of people,” I clipped.
“I was one of the people who helped. I’m a journalist. I covered the case from nearly the beginning. And now, I’m making a documentary. I really want to dive into the mind of the monster and how you survived.”
The dizziness intensified, and I gripped the edge of the bar to steady myself. “Good for you, but I don’t do interviews.”
“Come on, Nova. Not even for someone who helped find you?” Reese pushed.
Helped find me?
He hadn’t helped find me. Brae had helped find me. Dex and all the Archers. Kol.
Kol was the one who never gave up. Even when everyone else thought I was dead. He believed I was still alive. Still breathing.
“Everything okay?” His deep voice found me even now.
I hadn’t noticed him rise from his stool or cross to us. I hadn’t heard the footsteps. But that, too, was Kol. Not showy about his dominance, his protection, but always acting when it was needed.
Annoyance flashed over Reese’s face. “All good, bro. Just chatting.”
Kol didn’t move, didn’t look away from his target. “Nova?”
“He’s a reporter,” I croaked.
I hated that I couldn’t pull it together. That I couldn’t tell the damn journalist to get out myself.
Kol’s hazel eyes darkened, the glimmers of darkness nearly snuffing out the light ones completely. “Is he, now?”
Reese shoved back his stool. “Hey, I don’t want any trouble. I was just telling Nova I was making a documentary. Giving her a chance to be a part of it.”
“You want to be a part of that?” Kol asked me without taking his eyes off Reese.
“No.” My lungs were so tight, just that single syllable hurt.
Kol took two steps, his massive, six-foot-four frame towering over Reese. “Then kindly get the fuck out. And stay out,” he snarled.