Page 76 of Mountain Refuge

“No. I saw someone who reminded me of a friend who’s gone now.” She gave her kayak another tug.

“Are you sure it wasn’t him?”

“I saw him die, Ryan.” She stared him down. “Not even an award-winning author can bring someone back from the dead except on paper.”

He held up his hands. “Sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. None of this is your fault. My friend, as well as I, know the risks of our job.”

“Ready to hike to the dam?” He tilted his head, wishing he could take the pain from her eyes.

“Yes.” She gave a mock bow. “Please, kind sir, show us the way.”

He hitched the backpack higher on his shoulders and headed down the path. The warm early afternoon sun warmed his shoulders. Other than the thuds of their feet on the dirt path and the birds twittering in the trees, no other sound reached them until they hiked close enough to hear the water spilling over the dam. He couldn’t think of a better way to give Taya and Tracy a respite from their troubles.

The thundering of the water would drown out any noise from Tracy’s time with the traffickers. Make it impossible for Taya to focus on anything other than the sheer power under their feet.

They stood near the safety of the railing. No one spoke until Ryan told them to turn around. “Now, look the other way.”

“Wow.” Taya smiled.

Behind them power, in front of them the serenity and peace of a placid lake kissed by the sun. She glanced up at him, her eyes shimmering. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.” He dug granola bars, water bottles, and a dog treat from his pack and handed them around. “There is a lot of beauty around Misty Hollow. Despite the roughness of the last couple of years, it’s still a place most people feel safe living in.”

“What about you? Will you move on when this over?” Taya wadded the wrapper from her granola bar into a ball and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans.

“I’m not sure yet, but I think I might take your advice and make an offer on the house I’m renting. I’m getting my muse back.” He grinned. “Why take a chance on losing it again?”

She laughed. “I think you were simply bored until we showed up.”

“That is also true.” He had been bored and lonely despite the two dogs. He knew their “marriage” was only a farce, but once Taya and Tracy left, loneliness would again be waiting. Well, he wouldn’t dwell on that. The only future he needed to focus on was keeping his fake wife and daughter safe from evil. Despite all the research he’d done, he had no law enforcement background, no special ops training, nothing that qualified him other than the sheriff’s belief he could. Taya was far more qualified than Ryan.

“Can we move on?” Tracy broke through his thoughts.

“Sure.” He moved across the top of the dam until they were back on the path. “Do we walk the rest of the way around or paddle back?”

Taya glanced at the sky. “Paddle. Those storm clouds are coming up fast.”

He’d hate to be caught on the water if it started lightning. “Let’s hurry.”

They picked up the pace. It started to drizzle as they set off across the water. Ryan scanned the shoreline for somewhere to hole up if the weather worsened, wishing they’d opted to hike despite the rain.

A clap of thunder sounded overhead.

Tracy screamed.

Betty yelped.

“Paddle faster.” Taya dug her paddle into the water and skimmed across the surface.

“To the right.” Ryan pointed to a brick building. “We can take shelter there.”

She nodded to let him know she’d heard and veered in that direction.

By the time they pulled to shore, the clouds had opened. Rain fell in a deluge.

Ryan waved them on and sprinted for the protection of the building, holding the door open for the others.

---