Chapter 3
An hour later, Max stepped out of the house and into the cold, pulling the door shut behind him.
They’d convinced Lyndee to stay. Kenny, however, had jumped into his truck and squealed away. Sheriff Sutherland had put out a BOLO for him.
Max hadn’t planned on pressing charges, but the sheriff had convinced him that doing so might be the best thing for Lyndee. He was still thinking it over. Sheriff Sutherland would have to take statements from everyone if he decided to go that route, but he still had some time to decide.
His conversation with Sheriff Sutherland had gone about as well as he could’ve hoped. The sheriff had watched the footage from their security cameras here at Refuge Cove, and he’d clearly seen that Max hadn’t been the one to throw the first punch.
Though that was a relief, the night felt unfinished.
He crossed the yard toward the kennel, scanning the perimeter as he walked.
Everything appeared normal. The kennel stretched long and deep along the east side of the property.
The place had its own entrance and parking area so people dropping off their dogs didn’t need to venture into the secure area around Refuge Cove.
The keypad at each door assured no one would get in without the proper authority.
That brought him a little comfort.
He pulled the kennel door open and stepped inside.
The warmth hit him first, followed by the sound of dogs rousing from their sleep. Collars shook and jangled, claws hit the concrete, and one canine—Taco, a chihuahua—let out a yippy bark.
He walked to Juno’s pen and peered inside.
Hadley sat beside the whelping box, a pile of used towels gathered near her knee, their edges darkened from the work that had just been done. Six small bodies pressed close against Juno’s belly, shifting and squeaking as they rooted for warmth.
Juno lay on her side, her chest still rising and falling faster than normal, but her movements had softened. Every few seconds, she bent her head to lick one of the puppies, nudging them closer, instinct taking over where effort had just been.
A faint metallic scent lingered beneath the familiar smells of disinfectant.
Max stopped, taking it all in.
In the middle of everything that had happened tonight—fear, violence, things he couldn’t undo—something beautiful had pushed its way through anyway.
New life.
Hadley looked up at him. Exhaustion lined her face, her hair pulled loose in places, a faint smear along her sleeve—but her eyes held something else.
Relief.
Hope.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” she asked softly.
“They are.” Max let out a slow breath, some of the tension easing from his chest. “All healthy?”
“All healthy, although the runt is a little smaller and slower than I’d like.” She glanced back at the pen, and the corners of her mouth curved. “Juno was incredible.”
He stepped closer, crouching near the edge of the pen.
For a moment, neither he nor Hadley spoke. They both just watched as the puppies shifted against each other in small, blind movements, guided entirely by instinct. They were mostly the color of chocolate, but a few of them had white spots. If he had to guess, the father wasn’t a lab.
It would be interesting to see what the puppies looked like when they were a little older.
He glanced at Hadley again. “You doing okay?”
She smiled softly. “I’m tired but happy.”
Max remained crouched there a moment longer, watching the small cluster of new life. Then his radio crackled.
Caleb’s voice came through, low and even. “Max, you got a second?”
He straightened and stepped back from the pen. “Go ahead.”
“Naomi and I are still with Lyndee. She’s talking, which is good. But something just showed up on the gate camera. It looks like someone might be here. Can you go take a look?”
Max knew Caleb was being purposefully vague—probably so he wouldn’t scare anyone who might overhear their communications. He most likely didn’t want to take any chances.
“I’m on my way,” he told him.
Hadley glanced up at him, her eyes wide. “Is everything okay?”
“Probably. We just need to be certain.”
Max wished he could stay longer to reassure her. But he didn’t have the time, nor did he want to lie.
Instead, he slipped outside into the cold.
As soon as he stepped onto the driveway, he saw the headlights staring at him from the far end of the drive, just beyond the gate. The vehicle appeared to be idling.
Watching.
Sending a message.
Max’s jaw tightened as he strode toward the gate.
By the time he reached it, the headlights flicked off. Gravel crunched.
An engine revved.
Then the vehicle was gone.
The darkness concealed its make and model.
But Max would bet it had belonged to Kenny, that the man had returned to send a message, to let them know that this wasn’t over.
Hadley sat back on her heels and watched the puppies nurse.
Six of them. Six little lives that had been introduced to the world just an hour earlier.
The quiet wonder of the moment washed over her.
At one time, she’d been so sure that she’d know this feeling from the other side. That she’d be the one in the hospital bed, exhausted and overwhelmed, with new life in her arms.
But life didn’t always work out the way people planned.
Hadley stroked Juno’s fur, grounding herself in the warmth beneath her palm. As she did, the door opened behind her.
She glanced back as Max stepped inside, bringing a brief rush of cold air with him. He pulled the door shut and looked at her.
She couldn’t read his expression.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“It’s fine.”
“Listen, were you outside earlier? Walking around the kennel?”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “No. Why?”
She frowned. “I thought I heard someone. It was probably nothing.”
But there was a separate entrance to the kennel. Would Kenny try to find a different way inside?
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
Max stepped closer to the pen, his gaze dropping to the puppies. “There was a vehicle at the end of the drive. Whoever it was left before I got close enough to see who it was.”
Hadley straightened. “Maybe it was someone who took a wrong turn.”
“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound convinced. He was wise to be on edge after everything that had happened.
Hadley looked back at Juno and her puppies, and she tried to hold onto the warmth of the moment. But tension from the thought of danger lurking nearby had already dug its claws into her peace.
Unhinged people didn’t just drive away and move on.
They circled back. They waited.
And that meant everyone here could be in trouble.