Page 56 of All Along The Watchtower

Gabi pulled me into a hug. “Hey, girl.”

“Sorry I’m late.” I squeezed back, grateful for her steadying presence.

Willa waved from where she sat on the floor with both dogs. “You’re right on time.”

Sawyer stood beside her, arms crossed, his usual easy smile nowhere in sight. Whatever was going on had him worried. Or maybe that was lingering worry over the fact that David Galef’s killer was still on the loose.

“Bree, honey.” Mimi swept over to hug me, and I fought the urge to melt into her maternal warmth the way I had when I was younger.

Mama Flo lifted the coffeepot in silent question.

“Yes, please.” I’d do better if I had something to do with my hands.

Daniel, Gabi’s Coast Guardsman boyfriend, nodded from his spot by the window. He and I weren’t close, but I appreciated how good he was for her. He’d taken an apartment on the island to be closer to her, though his posting at Nags Head had him gone a lot.

And then there was Ford.

My breath caught at the sight of him, echoes of yesterday’s conversation hitting me like a punch to the gut. Dark circlesshadowed his eyes, and scruff darkened his tight jaw. When our gazes met, the weight of everything said and unsaid between us felt like an elephant sinking down on my chest.

“Thanks for coming.” His voice was rough.

The mix of grief and gratitude in his expression made me want to look away, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. “You said it was about Peyton.”

That was all I needed to know. That would always be enough to bring me running, and we both knew it.

His shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Yeah. We need to talk about keeping her safe.”

“What’s going on?” I settled into the remaining chair, purposefully not looking at him. “Did something else happen with the feds?”

Daniel’s brow winged up. “The feds?”

I listened as Ford gave us the update. The varying degrees of surprise on everyone’s face suggested he hadn’t told anyone but me about that initial visit at the police station. Maybe it was because we’d all been derailed by Galef's murder. I wasn’t sure what it meant that he’d come only to me.

“The agent I spoke with yesterday was pretty firm that he believes the potential threat to Peyton is slim, but slim isn’t none. So I wanted to bring in all of you. The more eyes we have, the better, and I’ll be having a conversation with Peyton about not going anywhere alone.”

Sawyer looked pensive. “Obviously we’ll all help, but seems like we’re a little thin on the details.”

Frustration pulled Ford’s brows together. “Don’t I know it? But that was all he was willing to say.”

“You want me to tap Dax? See what he can dig up on Casey’s former employer?”

“Who’s Dax?” I asked.

“Friend of mine from the Navy,” Sawyer explained. “Former Naval Intelligence, like Jace. He’s been doing contract work since he retired. He’s the one who tracked down the link between Roland O’Shea and that asshole doctor who fucked with Willa’s head.”

The guy who’d let us know exactly who the threat to Willa was last summer. He’d almost been too late, but if not for that last-minute phone call, we wouldn’t have known where to even start looking when she’d disappeared. A handy man to have in our corner.

Ford nodded. “If he’s got time and is willing, I’d appreciate whatever light he can shed.”

“Sure. I’ll message him tonight. Do you know the name of Casey’s company?”

“No, but that I think Peyton probably does, so I’ll ask her when she gets home.”

We continued to discuss the best plan of action for keeping eyes on Peyton. Between the eight of us, it would be relatively easy to manage coverage for all the hours she wasn’t in school. How she’d feel about that, I wasn’t sure.

“Are you planning to tell her what’s going on?” I asked.

Ford scrubbed a hand down his face. “I haven’t decided. I don’t want to freak her out. But I don’t want her uninformed, either.”

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