Page 44 of His Road Dog

"I'm so confused." She rubbed her neck. "Are you telling me Roy was in debt, and those men stole the cars for payment?"

"Yeah." He paused. "The two men are Hamilton and Jones."

"Maybe Roy paid his debt off by giving them the cars. Not everyone is bad." She tipped the mug, looking inside the cup. "But let's say you're right. Could Roy have owed more money than the cars were worth, and that's why someone killed him? Maybe he had none to give them. I guess that's how that would work, right?"

"It's possible."

She frowned and looked up at him. "But why would they follow me?"

"They know you were involved with Guthrie."

"I wasn't..." She shook her head. "He was a friend. Are they going after all his friends? Because he was a likable man and had many. Whenever he took me out, people would talk to him. He knew everyone."

"I don't care about his other friends. The only one that concerns me is you." He pushed off the counter and walked around the island. "Come on."

She slipped her hand into his, not wanting to be alone. Ever since she had walked into the Tarkio clubhouse, she'd dealt with a murder, a biker who confused her, and now someone stalked her. Things were simpler in Northern California, even with the crappy treatment from the locals judging those who lived in the commune and having to alienate herself from outsiders.

Priest grabbed a folded blanket off the back of the couch and led her to the sliding glass door off the side of the living room. She followed him outside, looking down at the decking. Knowing how high the house set on the edge of the mountain, she also knew if the deck gave way, it would kill her.

He pulled a chair out and sat, pulling her onto his lap. Shaking out the blanket, he covered her entirely while wrapping his arms around her. She leaned against his chest and stared out into the night. Lights from the valley shined up at them.

Somewhere below them, frogs croaked. She yawned, appreciating the peacefulness after getting so much information about Roy's involvement with the men and how they weren't good guys.

She should always give others the benefit of the doubt and trust people until they proved themselves untrustworthy. But someone had killed Roy. That was so out of her realm of reality.

But she'd been at the motel and seen his covered body taken away. The police had told her what had happened.

She shivered. Priest kissed the side of her head. "Cold?"

"No, just thinking," she whispered.

"About?"

"I miss my parents, and I know it's because I'm scared." She sighed. "I always knew crime happened in the world. It just never happened back home, you know? People care about each other more. They don't want to harm someone. If they disagree...well, they argue, have sex, and then light one up."

"Pot's a big part of your life, yet I haven't seen you smoke." He rubbed her hip.

"Hm. I guess it would seem that way. The people back home, they enjoy...feeling good. They like the freedom that comes with letting every day stress go. It's like when people eat to feel better or drink wine after dinner to relax." She inhaled deeply. "Living away from home, I fell away from everything. For a long time, I didn't have friends or people I knew around me. When I do get to know others, like Kristi and Jason or Roy, smoking marijuana wasn't something they did. Or at least not around me. I never thought to bring it up."

"We're talking about it."

"That's because people smoked Jane at the clubhouse." She yawned. "It's obviously not a big thing to you, so when you ask, I'll answer. But this is about a real crime. Murder. What kind of evil is inside a person to make them do such a thing?"

His hand stilled on her. She stared into the dark, waiting for him to answer. Eventually, she gave up and closed her eyes. It was relaxing to be with Priest when they weren't all up in each other's business, and he was bringing her more pleasure than anyone had ever done before.

He had a calming effect on her when he wasn't bossing her around. The vibes he gave off were protective, and she liked that.

It made her feel safe.

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