Serving Trouble (Second Shot 1)

“Wait, he’s been hiding in the trees?” Caroline said, scrambling to join them and turning her gaze skyward.

“He’s not there now,” Noah said. “We’d see him hanging from—­”

Boom!

Noah grabbed Caroline and pulled her to the ground at the base of the tree. And Josh joined them, his movements lacking the all-­hell’s-­breaking-­loose panic Noah and Caroline carried with them like a souvenir of their last deployment.

“Not exactly hunting season right now,” Josh said softly even though Noah had a feeling the shot had been fired from a distance.

“No, but someone’s borrowing my neighbor’s deer stand. The same damn one my dad fell from and broke his leg,” Noah said, sitting up with his back against the tree Dustin had probably climbed at some point in the last few weeks. “I checked it out about a week ago. It was empty then.”

“Not anymore,” Caroline said. But she didn’t appear nearly as shaken by the shot as the pictures. If Noah had to guess, he’d say she felt more comfortable with the certainty. Dustin was out there, in a stand positioned in a tree, and he was shooting at them. And it was a damn good thing the stand was far from their position. Noah only knew one marksman who could make that shot. Lena. But still, he wasn’t willing to stand up.

“If we know where he is, let’s go get him,” Caroline said, pushing off the ground.

Noah pulled her back. “I don’t think we should move closer. Most ­people can’t make a shot at this distance, but Dustin’s stupid enough to try.”

“Or it was a warning,” Caroline said, sinking back to the ground.

“Why would he reveal himself?” Josh asked.

“He wouldn’t,” Noah said flatly. “But if we approach the stand, we’ll be within range. I think he’s hoping we’ll come closer.”

“So what’s the plan?” Josh patted the ground. “Camp here?”

Noah shook his head. “We’ll go back the way we came. After dark.” Because if they went the other way—­toward the man hunting them—­Noah couldn’t guarantee Caroline’s safety.

He stared out into the approaching darkness. For the first time in weeks, he was glad Josie was in Germany. But when she returned, how the hell was he going to keep her away from the insane ex-­marine with the hunting rifle?

Chapter Twenty

“HOW ARE THE kittens?”

Josie had spent the last leg of her journey imagining what she would say when she walked through security at the Portland airport and into Noah’s arms. I’ve missed you. I want you. I think I’m falling in love with you. But she’d taken one look at his tired face, the way he’d crossed his arms in front of his chest, and she’d gone with Plan B—­how are the freaking kittens.

“Getting bigger every day. Caroline has been feeding them,” Noah said, turning away from her and leading the way into the terminal. “Did you check a bag?”

She nodded and followed him onto the escalator leading down to the carousels. “How is Big Buck’s best dishwasher?”

“She’s on edge,” he said flatly. “We had a scare a ­couple of weeks ago. The guy who’s after her made it damn hard to ignore his presence.”

She listened as he explained about the shot in the woods and the fact that the man who’d raped Caroline had vanished again after that.

“You should go to the police,” she said. “My dad could help. We could explain about Caroline.”

“Trust me, I’ve thought about it. But your dad wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t turn her in, Josie. And I can’t send her back. She’ll either end up in a cell or forced to work alongside men who blame her for ending Dustin’s career. They’ll harass her or worse.” He opened the passenger side door and waited for her to climb in. “So please don’t say anything to your father.”

“I won’t,” she promised once he’d joined her in the cab of the truck.

“Thanks.” Noah gave her a small smile, his first since she’d landed. He reached one hand out and touched her cheek. “I’m glad you’re back. I’ve missed you. The bar’s not quite the same without you.”

She turned her head and pressed a kiss into the palm of his hand. “I missed you too.”

They drove back to Forever, talking about the bar and Hoppy Heaven’s wild success, and Dominic’s recovery. Traffic remained steady and they didn’t encounter a single box on the side of the road, filled with kittens or anything else. She didn’t have an excuse to push him up against his truck and steal a kiss—­and maybe more.

An hour and change later they pulled into her driveway and he put the truck in park. “Feel like giving me a hand with my bags?” she asked, keeping her voice light and playful. “Helping me sneak back into my dad’s house?”

Noah raised an eyebrow, but kept his hands on the steering wheel. “I don’t think it’s a secret when he’s expecting you.”