Page 34 of No Man Left Behind

Jim set some mugs on the table. “Decaf tea. Apple cinnamon, but I’ve got other choices if you prefer.”

“Works for me.” Marcus held out a chair for Elina and sat in the one next to her. She wrapped her hands around the mug but didn’t say a word.

Marcus nodded at the two men. “When we were walking Finch by the new station, he growled.”

Jim and Carl shared a look. “We’ve never heard him growl. What did he see?”

“Not sure. But once he called our attention to it, we could both feel someone watching us.”

The men frowned. “Not someone out in the open?”

He shook his head. “In the woods. Undercover. It felt malicious.”

Jim looked at the back door and nodded when he saw that Marcus had locked it. Then he turned to Elina. “We’ve got a great security system here. Troy ordered us a top of the line system. He and Marcus installed it. You’ll be safe here.”

Her eyes widened. “But nothing happened. We don’t even know if anyone was really there.”

Carl snorted. “You can’t ignore gut feelings. You and Marcus both spent years in highly dangerous situations. Your instincts have to be finely tuned to your surroundings. If you felt like someone was watching you, and that person wasn’t friendly, then I’m sure you’re right.”

Marcus watched her blink and process that. When she looked at Jim, he nodded in agreement, and then leaned forward. “How can we help?”

Her eyes widened again, and she looked at all three of them in turn. She obviously wasn’t used to people having her back. He squeezed her hand and then turned to the men. “I’m going to scout around the woods near the new station in the morning.”

“Not alone.” Elina’s voice was fierce, making him grin.

“Not alone. The guys will come with me.” His instant agreement had her relaxing. “I’ll do some patrols around town. Tourists are picking up because the leaves are turning, but anyone not staying in the B&B should have headed out of town by now.”

Elina frowned at that.

Jim laughed. “We’re the only place to stay in town. Unless they’re camping illegally in the woods, they’re staying somewhere else.”

Marcus nodded. “I’ll check out the buildings out by Stan’s place to see if anyone is using those. I’ll send out a text asking people to keep an eye out for anyone in the woods.”

“I don’t think you should be going around alone.”

He smiled at her. “It’s my job. And I’m always careful.”

“You better be.”

Chapter11

Behind Your Back

Elina flung open the door to the B&B before Marcus rang the bell. He’d let her know when he and his former army team had finished a search of the woods earlier in the morning. She knew they were fine, but she wanted to see him with her own eyes.

Unable to resist, she threw her arms around him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He chuckled and squeezed her. “We did a simple search, Elina. Nothing dangerous. But I won’t argue with this kind of welcome.”

She laughed and looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was lurking there. “I wish I’d gone with you.” She was still annoyed with herself that she’d let him talk her out of going along.

He kissed her hair. “I know. But we’re trained for this kind of search.”

True, but it didn’t stop her from feeling useless. Like a damsel in distress. “Tell me what you found.”

He eased her back into the B&B and locked the door behind them. “There was evidence of someone standing in one spot in the woods. Boot prints are a men’s size nine. One cigarette butt crushed out, and a gum wrapper. I’ve logged both as suspicious and sent them away for DNA testing.”

“How long does that take?”

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