Page 61 of No Man Left Behind

The men moved without words around the house and across the street. Still, Marcus didn’t do anything other than watch and check behind them. His feet didn’t budge, and she worked to do the same.

A bird whistle reached her ears, and this time, she recognized it as a signal the team used. Marcus’s body eased a fraction. “All clear, but keep aware.”

He ushered her ahead of him and stayed close to her back as they approached the other three. Oz gestured at the front lawn. Near the street, someone had spray-painted the grass.

You’ll pay.

A shudder ran through her, and Marcus wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her close to him. She felt him draw in steadying breaths. His voice was harsh when he spoke. “This asshole is going down. I’m done playing these juvenile games. We need to find this fucker, and toss his ass in a cell.”

She couldn’t agree more.

Chapter20

Bear With Me

The next day, Marcus and Elina took his car around to the station instead of walking through the woods. He wasn’t taking any chances until they had this guy in a cell.

What was his problem? And who was he targeting?

Marcus needed a plan to go on the offensive. So far, their only actions had been defensive and reactive. Time to change that up.

The gaps between the incidents with the station and the spray paint the night before made him think the man had left the area. Why? And why return?

What was so important about harassing him or Elina? They’d got away with each incident and could have simply left. The fact that they’d returned meant they likely harboured a grudge for some reason.

That indicated Marcus was the target. His job naturally leaned to some people being pissed off at him. Maybe it was a person who’d recently been released. He’d dig into that today while also writing up some advertisements for new officers. With the free help he’d received from the town, there was enough money to hire two people.

Once he had the furniture from Midnight Lake in to fill up the place, he’d take pictures of the station and use them to lure in new recruits.

Elina had been working in the squad room, using one of the larger tables near the back, away from the windows. She popped her head into his office. “Jim and Carl have a new guest who’s highly allergic to fur. They asked if we could take Finch and the kittens for a few days. If not, he’ll ask Kimi.”

Marcus definitely wanted the dog around. He’d be an extra layer of protection for Elina. The kittens wouldn’t add protection, but they were a good distraction. “I’m good with having them. You?”

She nodded and typed on her phone. “They’re going to drop them off here with a few supplies for the kittens. We have everything we need for Finch.”

The dog already had two dog beds and several bowls here in the station, along with others at the house. He wondered if Elina realized they were no longer fostering. The way things worked in this town, he was pretty sure the animals were a permanent part of their lives.

Which made the two humans even more connected. Probably part of Carl and Jim’s plan.

Sure enough, the two men showed up with a litter box, food dishes, and a ton of cat toys. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least if none of the guests had allergies. Or if someone had mild allergies, and that had helped the pair to concoct a plan to tie Elina more firmly to the town and to him.

He didn’t disapprove.

Without having a lot of furniture in the rooms yet, the kittens had plenty of safe room to play. Finch moved between Marcus’s office and the squad room, checking on people and animals alike. It was domestic and damn near perfect.

Which meant he needed to catch this guy so he could focus on ensuring Elina planned to stay.

What kind of trap could he bait that would keep everyone safe, and lure the guy in closer? So far, he’d stayed on the edges. His actions hadn’t harmed humans, but anyone who could do that to the animals could do it to humans as well. Marcus needed to stop him before he crossed that line.

A knock on his office window had him looking up to find Troy and Piper, along with Oreo. He motioned to the door and let them in.

Finch jumped up from his bed, and Piper let Oreo off-leash. Oreo didn’t even hesitate to approach the Great Dane. Even though Finch was a puppy who still had lots of room to grow, he towered over the French bulldog. But Oreo was best buddies with Jabba, a huge mutt Sean had adopted on his way to Phail. He also loved Moose, the combo Newfoundland and Yeti belonging to Lia and Joe. Oreo loved everyone, regardless of their size.

Finch watched Oreo approach and lowered his head to sniff him. Oreo pranced and sniffed at the bigger dog, who didn’t seem to know what to do with him.

After Oreo licked Finch’s nose, the big dog led him over to where the kittens had collapsed in a heap next to the desk where Elina worked.

Oreo yipped, and Boo bounced out of the kitten pile as if he’d been prodded. The black kitten rolled a few times before arching his back to stare down the dog. The other two opened their eyes but let Boo take charge.

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