Page 74 of Point of Contact

Reed held up one hand, hoping to calm his friend down before Nate let his own feelings get in the way of his objectivity. It was one of the reasons he was so good at what he did. He didn't have feelings when it came to their job or the events surrounding it. It made it easy for him to see things with a clear eye. "Did they come close to hitting either of you?"

Nate pursed his lips, eyes sharp. "None of the bullets that hit the car came within two feet of us." He barely paused. "But I don't know that they even knew we were in the car. We slipped out the opposite side, so I think they believed the cars were empty."

It was possible, but not probable. "Why would they shoot at empty vehicles?"

Nate opened his mouth but quickly clamped his lips together again. His glare held a few seconds longer before his eyes finally moved away as he blew out a breath. "Fine. If they weren't actually trying to shoot us, then what were they trying to accomplish?"

Reed considered for a minute, but nothing about this made sense. "I don't fucking know." He pointed at what was left of the cabin. "What were they trying to accomplish with that?"

Nate shrugged, throwing out his hands. "I don't fucking know." He propped both hands on his hips, looking around. "They've gotta have a reason though."

He wasn't wrong. Whoever was doing this definitely had to have a reason, but it wasn't turning out to be as obvious as he'd hoped. "Pierce is going to be pissed when I don't come back with answers."

He knew Pierce was hoping he'd see something everyone else missed. That his knowledge of the Alaskan landscape and Fairbanks in general would allow him to make some miraculous discovery they'd all overlooked. It hadn't. If anything, it only raised more questions.

"He's going to be fine." Nate scrubbed one hand over his face. "We are all gonna be fine. We just need to figure out what the fuck is going on."

Before, his realistic expectations and ability to look at things from a more objective point of view might have had him arguing with Nate. But right now, he wanted to feel the same way. Needed to believe all this would work out just like it had so many times before. Because, for the first time in a long while, he was happy with the life he was living. Almost grateful for the decisions he'd been forced to make. Because if he'd stayed in Fairbanks and joined the police force, he never would've made that trip to Florida.

Would've never found a woman who was a complete pain in his ass and the brightest fucking spot in his life.

He and Nate trekked back to the Jeep they'd parked in the least conspicuous spot available, piling in before letting Harlow know they were on their way back.

As soon as they got back to campus, he traded out the Jeep they were in for another one, leaving back through the gate to go collect the woman taking up more and more space in his mind.

When he got to his parents’ house, Courtney was sprawled across the couch. His mom and dad were each in their respective recliners, and all three of them were snoring away, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d come in. If they didn't have a state-of-the-art security system, he might worry about how oblivious they all were, but he’d wanted his parents to remain as untouched as possible by the life he chose. That was why, no matter what happened, he would never be able to take Pierce up on his offer. They deserved to continue living the way they wanted instead of being locked away in the rooming house.

Now, looking at how comfortable Courtney was, her face relaxed with sleep, he began to wonder if there might be another option. One he should've considered way before now.

Suddenly, Courtney's eyes popped open and in under a second she was up off the couch, grabbing for whatever she could get her hands on. When her glassy eyes focused, zeroing in on him, her shoulders slumped and she huffed out a laugh. "You just scared the shit out of me, asshole." She gently set down the decorative sculpture gripped in her hand. "I was about to try to kill you."

The fact that she was immediately ready to fight made him smile and sad at the same time. She was so ready to defend everyone she cared about, but that was because she finally had people to care about. And she was obviously prepared to take out anyone who tried to take them from her.

"I'm glad it was only almost, because my mom would have killed you if you’d broken that sculpture. It's her favorite." He turned to where his parents sat side-by-side, both sleeping heavily, his mother's hand resting on his father's arm. "We should get them to bed."

Courtney smoothed down her wild hair before offering a nod. She went straight to his dad’s chair, gently resting one hand on his shoulder. “Tom?” Her voice was soft and gentle. “Are you ready to go to bed?”

His dad stirred, rousing and giving Courtney a smile before glancing at Reed. “Are you two staying here tonight?”

Reed shook his head. “Not tonight. I have to work for the next few days.”

Courtney carefully helped his father transfer from his recliner to the wheelchair that made it easier for him to get around and saved his energy for things he enjoyed more.

Like talking.

“What about Courtney?” His dad sat back as she lifted each foot into place, looking like she’d done it a million times. “You can’t just leave her on her own while you’re busy.”

Courtney gave his dad a conspiratorial smile. One that flattened out the second her eyes met Reed’s.

He shook his head. “I should’ve known the two of you would be thick as thieves right out of the gate.”

He couldn’t be mad at it. Especially not since he’d realized just how much he wanted to keep Courtney in his life. And the extent of what that could mean.

"Spit it out. What do you two want?" Reed eyed his father and Courtney, hands on his hips as he waited for one of them to spit out the request he knew was coming.

Courtney stood behind his father's chair, gripping the handles. "We were just thinking it would be nice if I hung out here while you worked since I don't have anything else to do." She pressed her lips together on a short pause. "It would be nice to have an extra set of hands. And your mom promised to teach me some of her recipes."

He wasn't surprised Courtney and his father formed an immediate bond, but he was a little shocked at how eager she seemed to hang out with his mother. His mother wasn’t only short in stature, but also in temperament. She wasn't overly warm or friendly. She didn't mince words and she didn't tolerate bullshit.

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