Page 78 of Mine to Protect

“It’s really pretty.”

Dang, where was that water? My throat was on fire. “Thanks.”

“Out with it, Agent Peters,” John said while eyeing Sadie and me. “Is it the same guy or not?”

Chandler’s smile dropped, turning his features grim. “Looks like it. The husband remembered seeing a note earlier in the week, but like all the others, he dismissed it. We didn’t get to meet with the guy in person, so I can’t say for sure if he fits the physical type. She went missing earlier this morning, never came home from a morning run through the trails.”

A shiver of dread snapped my shoulders up to my ears. “Which… which trail?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. There was no way this was all a coincidence.

“One the park just renovated, Lilly something,” Chandler said absentmindedly.

John’s blue eyes shot to me. “Birdie.”

“I know,” I breathed, which was becoming more and more difficult. An invisible weight settled on my chest, applying pressure. With a fist against my breastbone, I pressed hard in an attempt to alleviate the building tension.

“What?” Cas and Chandler said in unison.

Short wheezes kept me from gaining a full breath. A heavy hand rested on my thigh and squeezed. Focusing on the heat pouring from him to me, on the simple touch I now craved, the pressure eased, allowing a full breath to fill my lungs.

“It’s her favorite running trail,” Sadie chimed in. Everyone at the table—excluding Sadie, who looked to be enjoying my discomfort—watched with concern in their eyes.

What the…? How in the heck did she know that?

“Why… why does it keep coming back to me?” I bit out, anger quickly replacing the diminishing fear.

The table fell silent. No one knew, which meant we were nowhere closer to catching this guy than we were yesterday or the day before that.

“It started in Tennessee and now followed you here,” Chandler said solemnly. “I’m beginning to think it does have something to do with you. Maybe this guy saw you in Tennessee, or maybe one of your friends?”

“I don’t have friends,” I gritted out. Once again, the table fell silent as Becky deposited the round of drinks to our table. Holding the cap close to my ear, I listened for the crackle of plastic teeth, ensuring it wasn’t tampered with. Satisfied, I lifted the bottle to my lips, allowing the crisp bubbles to soothe my dry throat. “I didn’t have any there for sure.”

“Question,” Sadie said and leaned against the table. The green sweater drew out the brightness of her cunning green eyes. Something was alluring about her, something that pulled you in, much like a black widow spider or colorful venomous snakes. “Why isn’t Alta dead yet?”

Cas slammed his glass bottle on the table while Chandler mopped up the dribble that had escaped his gaping mouth with a cocktail napkin.

I slid across the stool, putting more distance between Sadie and me. “What?”

“I mean, based on what’s going on here, you should be dead, right? Sounds like someone’s playing with you. Kind of like a cat with a mouse.” With a sad smile, she added, “I love the way cats stalk their prey. Mesmerizing to watch.”

Half my right butt cheek was off the stool as I continued to slide closer to the safety of Cas.

“Right,” Chandler said, looking at Sadie like her head might start spinning with green vomit spewing from her lips. “We figure out how this is all tied to Birdie. Once we do, then we’ll find our guy. I’ll request every file you touched that last year you were in the Smokies. Which reminds me, you’ve never told us why you left for Colorado.”

Unable to stop myself, I raised a thumb to my lips to gnaw on the edges. “I just needed a change. My routine is no routine, so no one can follow you or learn your schedule. In the Smokies, it just started to feel too… safe, I guess. Which told me I needed to change things up. I applied here and a few other parks, but Rocky Mountain National Park called me first.”

“What kind of shampoo do you use?” Sadie asked, throwing me off balance.

“What?”

“It smells really good.” To my horror, she leaned in close, dragged her fingers through the ends and held it close to her nose. “Don’t you like it, John?”

Stunned into silence, John simply nodded.

Crazy eyes met mine. “I want some. Tell me where you got it.”

“Walmart, I think,” I whispered.

“What about your perfume?”

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