Page 14 of Peril in Piney Woods

As for kids, that was never going to happen. She could never ever put another human being in the line of fire. It was bad enough that she’d allowed Raymond to get attached to this life. But he would learn to be happy with Griff. The real trouble was with her learning to be happy without Griff.

Meg rolled her eyes. Though they had never even so much as kissed, she felt closer to him than any other man in her whole life—besides her dad, anyway. But that had been a whole different sort of connection. This thing with Griff was...

“Don’t go there.” Meg set her backpack next to the door that led down the backstairs.

Dissecting this thing she felt for Griff would be like poking needles in her eyes. Whatever this was, it was irrelevant. If she intended to stay alive and protect the people in her wake, she had to keep her head on straight.

One last pass through her desk, and she was satisfied she hadn’t overlooked anything. She placed a letter for Jodie on top of her desk. Inside was the deed to the property and the title to her truck. Both of which Meg had signed over to her. Jodie was a young single mom and she had no one. Her parents were junkies who cared only about their next fix. Jodie was a good person. This place would give her a future she might otherwise have difficulty achieving.

Meg hadn’t forgotten Dottie either. Dottie was a retired school teacher who simply loved animals. She had an adoring family and grown kids who were there for her. Dottie was set. Still, Meg appreciated her friendship, and she’d left her a tidy bonus for being a good friend. She’d always talked about wanting to take a cruise with her husband but refused to spend the money. The bonus would take care of several cruises without Dottie having to dip into her savings.

These things Meg left handy just in case. As long as she didn’t have to disappear, she would put the items back into her hiding place until that status changed.

Meg made a clicking sound and motioned for Raymond to follow her. She needed to check on Pepper. Jodie would have fed her and let her outside for a while. But if Meg had to disappear, she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to Pepper.

If she was really lucky all these preparations would be for naught. The next few days would pass, and the story would be forgotten by all but Jennifer and her family. Some other event would top the news, and Meg would just be a distant memory for any interested reporters.

But she couldn’t risk not being prepared.

Preparation was the key to survival.

Pepper stood at the door to her kennel. She actually looked better today.

“Hey, girl.” Meg opened the kennel and sat down on the floor. Raymond took a position next to her. Damn, she was going to miss this dog.

Pepper joined them, laying her head on Meg’s lap. The three of them sat huddled together for a long while. Meg really didn’t know how long. She opted not to look at her phone. Instead, she leaned against the wall and allowed her eyes to shutter. She had barely slept last night.

Her eyes drifted closed, and her mind wandered to the farm in Bakersfield, where she ran through the orchard. The air felt cool on her cheeks and her laughter echoed off the trees. She hadn’t been home in so long...

Griffin Residence

Sundown Road

2:30 p.m.

DUST ROILING IN the distance had Griff putting a hand over his eyes to see who was headed toward his place. The driveway was a long one, and anyone who’d gotten that far from the road was no doubt looking for him. Either that or they were lost.

Then he spotted the markings on the truck: Sheriff’s Department. His pulse quickened. He hoped nothing new had come up with last night’s trouble. Instinctively, he checked his cell to ensure he hadn’t missed a call or text from Meg.

The truck pulled to a stop in front of his house, and he recognized the driver. Ernie.

Griff relaxed a little. He threw up a hand as he waited for Ernie to emerge from the vehicle and head his way.

“Afternoon,” Griff said. “I’m afraid you’re too late for lunch.” He patted his stomach. “That peanut butter sandwich is long gone.”

Ernie laughed. The two of them used to live on peanut butter sandwiches in the summer. Griff’s mother warned they were going to go nutty if they didn’t learn to like some other lunch besides those sandwiches. She’d finally persuaded them to add bananas. They had laughed and teased his mom that now they were going bananas. She had pretended not to be amused, but he’d seen her secret smiles.

“I could go for a cup of coffee,” Ernie said with a grin. “I had lunch at the diner, and it was way better than a peanut butter sandwich.”

“Lucky you.” Griff hitched his head toward the house. “Come on in.” He glanced at the laptop his friend carried. “What’s with that?”

“Something I need to show you.”

Maybe it was Griff’s imagination, but his friend’s face blanked and his tone turned serious. Whatever was up didn’t seem to be good.

While Griff started a pot of coffee, Ernie settled at the kitchen table and placed the computer on its surface. One hand rested on the device as if he feared it might run off or vanish. He talked about the weather and the blind date he had agreed to on Saturday. Griff laughed and nodded at the right times, but nothing about this felt right.

When the coffee was brewed and cups were filled, Griff joined him at the table. “So, what’s up?”

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