Page 79 of Mountain Protector

I have to measure out some dimensions for the new cabins. But I’ll text you at lunch. Love you.

Oh.The belt wrapped around my chest loosens a notch.

I have Knox. And I know, no matter what’s going on with my dad, Knox will support me. Or as he and his friends like to say, he has my six.

Before I answer Ed, I send a quick reply to Knox.

I love you. So much.

CHAPTER 18

KNOX

“What are you smiling about?”

Glancing up from my latest text from Lark, I look over at Ronan, who, instead of attaching the measuring rope to the post in the ground like he’s supposed to, is watching me with a giant shit-eating grin. Seeing that he has my attention, he chuckles. “Let me guess, a text from Lark?”

“Yes.” I fasten my end of the rope to the metal post by my feet. “She’s good, in case you were wondering.”

“I figured as much. You wouldn’t be smiling if she wasn’t.” He bends over and fastens his end of the rope, then rises and glances around the wooded area. “This is going to be a great location. Up on the hill like this, it’s a nice view.” He pauses, his expression shifting to something more serious. “And I’m really glad things are working out for you guys. Lark’s great. You deserve someone like her.”

There’s a hint of wistfulness in his tone, and whileI’m pretty sure it stems from a relationship in Ronan’s past, I have pushed him to talk about it, and he hasn’t offered. Which is fine. I know how it is to not want to share painful memories. How sometimes it takes just the right person to draw them out. To lance the wound and help it heal.

A few seconds of silence go by, while Ronan seems lost in his thoughts. Then he lifts his chin and squares his shoulders. “Do you think Gage would like this location?”

“Has he decided to move onto the GMG property?” Gage lives the furthest from Bliss of any of us, almost an hour north of here. He never complains about making the drive for meetings or jobs, but it would be much easier for him if he lived closer. Enzo offered a spot on his property, and I volunteered to build it at cost, but Gage still hasn’t decided as far as I know.

Ronan nods. “I think so. He mentioned something to me a few days ago about really liking Bliss. About how he wouldn’t mind being closer to town if he still has a quiet place to live.”

“Well, this would do it. And I could space out the other cabin so it’s not as close. Give Gage some more space to himself.”

A thoughtful expression moves across his face. “That might be good. He likes his privacy. But… I think it might be good for him.”

“Same.” Gage and I both deal with PTSD, just as the rest of my teammates do at one time or another. But Gage has some really bad shit in his past, and until he agreed to help Enzo protect Winter, he’d pretty much isolated himself. “I’ll talk to Gage about it. We’resupposed to play WoW tonight, so I’ll bring it up then. If he wants this spot, I can make some customizations, too.”

“Nice.” Ronan adjusts his hat, tugging it over his pink-tipped ears. “Now, let’s get this measuring done. It’s fucking cold out here.”

“Well, if you’d stop jabbering and get to work,” I tease, “we’d be on?—”

I’m interrupted by a loud buzzing in my pocket, followed by the chime of an incoming text. Before I can even reach for my phone, another text comes through. And another.

“What’s going on?” Ronan asks, concern making his tone brisk.

“I don’t know.” As I pull my phone out, I add, “It’s Enzo’s number. I’m not sure why he’s texting before I can even answer.”

But there’s a sick feeling in my stomach. A chilling sense of foreboding that tells me Enzo wouldn’t be in such a hurry to reach me if it wasn’t important.

But there’s no reason to think it has anything to do with Lark. This could be about an upcoming job. Maybe a pro-bono one that needs to be handled right away. If the potential client is in grave danger, we couldn’t wait until after the holidays.

Still. After everything with Vinnetti and Ric, I think I’m entitled to worry a bit.

On the third ring, I answer, “Enzo. What’s up?”

His voice is all business. “Alec discovered something. Can you get to the house right away?”

I’m already moving toward my truck, gesturing for Ronan to follow. “What is it?”

“It’s better if Alec explains it.”

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