Page 43 of Obsession

“Let me know,” he said. “But I would like to see you.”

“How about dropping by tomorrow after I get off work? I’ll find something around here to make for supper.”

“Tomorrow night sounds good, but let me bring the food—I’ve had your cooking,” he said, chuckling.

“That’s even better.” A text popped up on her phone, and she glanced at it. “Sam’s here. I have to go,” she said.

“Tell him I said hello.”

“I will. And I’ll let you know if he can’t drive me up to Jackson.” Emma disconnected and hurried down the stairs. Her heart missed a beat when she opened the door and Sam was standing there in his green-and-gray uniform. Before she could erase the thought, she was struck by his quiet strength and how handsome he was. Her heart fluttered again as admiration reflected in his dark eyes, then he tipped his head.

“It’s all clear,” he said.

All clear of what? Reality jerked her out of her fog. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten even for a nanosecond that someone was stalking her. “Oh, good. Thank you for checking.”

He guided her with his hand as they descended the steps, and she breathed deeply, enjoying the crisp air as the sun peeked over the trees. It should be a beautiful January day. “My dad said to tell you hi.”

“How is he? And what are the clothes for?”

“He’s fine. As for the clothes—I have plans after work that might include you.”

“Oh?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Mom wants me to come for dinner, and since I can’t drive myself—”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll drop you off and pick you up.”

“Really? You sure you don’t mind spending your evening ferrying me back and forth to my mom’s in the Fondren District?”

“It will actually fit in with my plans.” Sam opened the passenger door. “I need to touch base with Chief Ranger Cordell, and if he’s good with it, I’ll meet with him after I drop you off.”

Emma eyed him as she climbed into the SUV. “You really expect me to believe your chief ranger is going to meet with you on a Saturday night?”

Red crept up his neck. “We’ll see, but he’s been bugging me to have a face-to-face. He even suggested a weekend.”

Sam closed her door, and a sense of being watched crept over her. She scanned the neighborhood. Everything looked normal. Emma turned toward Sam as he slid behind the wheel. “You’re not going to believe this, but Mom hired a PI to look for Ryan.”

“Really? When?”

“Right after she moved to Jackson. When she told me that last night, I was so shocked I had to sit down. She’s going to give me the investigator’s report tonight.”

“That’s really good. We’re going to need it.” He pulled away from the curb and pointed his SUV toward the Trace.

Emma shot a sharp glance at him. “What’s going on? You’re...” She searched for the right word. “It’s like something’s wrong and you’re not telling me.”

Sam didn’t answer, and he gripped the steering wheel like it was a lifeline.

“Has something happened?”

He took a deep breath and briefly glanced her way. “There was another incident at Mount Locust last night.”

“Incident? What do you mean?” She swayed against the seat belt as he turned onto the Trace. “Was someone else shot at?”

“No, but someone spiked Trey’s thermos of coffee, and he and Clayton were incapacitated after they drank it.”

“You’re kidding. Do you know what was in it?”

“Some type of benzodiazepine. Nate has a friend in Jackson who runs a private lab, and he sent a small amount of the coffee to him. We won’t get the official report back for at least a week.”

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