CHAPTER FOUR
Two days later
– MURRAY –
“Sit,” I snap, and keep my gaze on the road when I add, “You better not go all crazy when we get inside.”
The heavy breathing next to me draws my attention and I shoot a glance at the passenger side.
The Texas Heeler dog I adopted a little over an hour ago has his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
His fur is a marbled pattern of gray, white, and black.
Hank is his name, and he has bright blue eyes.
“Why do I even talk to you when your eyes are radiating your crazy?” I snort and finally bring the truck to a stop in front of the cabin.
I get out and scan my surroundings. Ballard is hiding out here somewhere, keeping an eye on Elodie in case Nolan decides to show.
She doesn’t know this little fact, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Ballard is a sharpshooter, and I asked him to swing by this morning so I could head into town to get some supplies.
The soft whistle draws my attention, and I dip my chin in thanks.
I give him a short whistle in return to relieve him of duty.
He doesn’t return the whistle which means he’s staying put.
I dip my chin, letting him know I got the message.
It saves me a trip later because there have been some developments.
I open the door to grab the bags of groceries from the backseat.
I would have asked Ballard to pick up a few things.
Yet, the way I’ve seen Elodie distance herself from everything and everyone makes my chest tighten.
Losing a horse is one thing, having it ripped from your life as brutal as she experienced? Yeah, it’ll mess with your mind.
Then the whole Burk shit happened, Nolan coming after her, and I get the feeling there’s also some deeply rooted trauma bubbling to the surface as well.
The haunted look in her eyes is a familiar one.
Something similar stares back at me in the mirror when I wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat from a bad dream. ..more like a vivid memory.
A lot of shit happened when I served my country. Like Elodie, I’m not one to talk, or share my thoughts and emotions. My job at Stalwart Ridge Security isn’t always safe either, but it gives me a purpose.
The door of the cabin swings open and Elodie steps out. “Need any help carrying the stuff?”
“I got us something that doesn’t need to be carried,” I tell her and open the passenger side door.
Hank jumps out and I watch Elodie’s eyes light up the second the dog’s paws hit the dirt. Elodie squats down and I know what’s going to happen before the dog launches himself at her. Rushing toward them, I release a curse when I can’t prevent the dog from colliding with Elodie.
She gets knocked back and her hands dig into his fur while Hank ferociously licks her face. I place the bags of groceries on the porch and bend down to scoop her up. I have no clue what to expect...a curse...a sob...certainly not the giggle tumbling over her lips.
“Gotta teach you some manners, boy,” I grunt and pull Elodie to her feet. “Sorry. It seemed like a good idea to get us a dog when I passed the shelter. The fucker guilt-tripped me with one look of his blue eyes.”
Elodie’s green eyes light up. Fuck. This woman’s eyes are the color of the forest, the dog’s eyes are the same as the sky, while mine are as dark as the ground beneath our feet. I have no clue why I’m linking us that way.
“You mean you got yourself a dog, right?” She conveniently keeps her eyes on Hank.
I stare at her to see her reaction when I state, “Nope, I got us a dog. We’ve been living together for the past few weeks, and I’ve always wanted a dog.
With my line of work I can be gone for days, sometimes even weeks.
Hence us getting a dog. If I’m gone for work, you’d be there for him. Perfect solution.”
“You can’t simply decide something huge as this without discussing it with me first,” she starts, giving me her eyes this time.
I reach for the grocery bags. “Come on, let’s get inside. I don’t like having you out in the open.”
Her hand is still petting Hank. “And you out in the open is okay? Besides, you guys keep mentioning how Nolan doesn’t have a good aim. It’s why he had two guns, right?”
“Yeah, it’s why the fucker preferred a knife so he could get close to inflict damage. This is different because we’d see him coming so he’ll go with a gun. Aim or no aim, flying bullets are fucking deadly. Especially since we’re over an hour away from the nearest hospital,” I grit.
She mutters something under her breath, and it takes my mind a heartbeat or two to process. “No need to remind me. The last time bullets were flying I killed a man,” that’s what she said.
At least she listens and walks inside, making sure Hank follows her. I stalk to the kitchen, place the bags on the counter and make another trip to the car. Throwing the bag of dog food over my shoulder, I grab the last few bags and lock up.
“Something smells fantastic,” I tell her and reach for the lid of the pot sitting on the stove.
Elodie bats my hand away. “It needs another hour.”
“Fine.” I reach for one of the dog bowls I bought and clean it before filling it with water.
“Does Ballard want to come inside and join us for dinner?” Elodie asks.
Why the hell would she want to invite Ballard over for dinner?
I turn to face her. “He probably has other plans.”
Pointing at the window, she states, “Other than sitting in the woods staring at the cabin and waiting for Nolan to show up? He can do that sitting with us at the table. It’s warmer here too.”
“He already left,” I lie. “And how the fuck did you know he was out there? The fucker is practically a chameleon, that’s how good he blends in.”
Elodie starts to put away the groceries. “I noticed the shine this morning when you left. The little whistle and nod routine you guys just did was another giveaway.”
“Smart girl,” I murmur, and release a sigh. “Fine. I’ll get him.”
I catch the grin she tries to hide from me as I take out my phone and shoot Ballard a message. “There have been some developments I have to share with both of you. So, I might as well get it all out in one go instead of repeating myself.”
Stalking to the door, I open it for Ballard and make sure to lock it behind him.
“Something smells good, and it isn’t the dog.” Ballard turns to face me. “You got it to get into her panties, didn’t you?”
In one smooth move I smack the back of his head.
“What the fuck, man? No, I didn’t do it to get into her fucking panties.
Getting an animal for ulterior motives is idiotic.
You know damn well how long I’ve wanted a dog, and between me and Elodie we can take care of Hank.
It’s a completely different thing when it comes to my horse.
If I’m gone Seamus is there to check on her, or I’d drive her to the ranch if I’m gone for more than a week.
Something I can’t, and don’t want to do with a dog. ”
Ballard bounces his gaze from me to Elodie before he states, “No cock-warming for you then?”
“Weirdo. Do you ever get laid, Ballard?” Elodie mutters.
Ballard smirks. “There’s a long line of chicks who...”
Elodie snorts. “Want to rip your vocal cords right out of your throat? Yeah, no surprise there, buddy. Take a seat and I’ll make you a bowl of stew.”
I gape at her. “You just told me it’ll be another hour.”
She rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t dinnertime then, it is now.”
Hank wanders over to the fireplace and plunks down in front of it. Ballard takes a seat at the kitchen table while I continue to put away the rest of the groceries. Once done, I grab a bowl and sit down next to Elodie and eat the delicious stew.
The things I’m about to share with them are going to ruin our mood, and I might as well give them a few more minutes and myself as well to enjoy a delicious dinner.
Once we’ve stopped eating, I tell them, “Burk’s official cause of death is an animal attack.”
“Oh, thank fuck,” Elodie sighs in relief.
One more heartbeat to let her feel good, before I throw out, “Though, I think Royce is in on shit too. I have no clue how deep, what, or whatever...I just know shit isn’t right.”
Ballard leans back in his chair. “Why would you say that? I’ve been in and out of the office and would have picked up on something if he was in on shit.”
I turn my attention to Ballard. “When I swung by the station for an update, Royce was there. Apparently, he asked Orson to call him if there were any developments involving Burk.”
“So?” Ballard grits. “Doesn’t mean Royce is in on shit. He’s just thinking about the company. With one owner gone there’s more job pressure.”
I glare at him. “You really think so? And what if I told you he had a Last Will and Testament from Burk? Which happened to have been drawn up and signed the day before I reported Burk missing.”
“No. Fucking. Way,” Ballard grits.
While Elodie whispers, “You reported Burk missing?”
I ignore Elodie to tell Ballard what he already knows, “Yes. Fucking. Way. Drawn up and signed while the fucker was already dead.”