Page 58 of Hunted Hearts
Gabe smiled. “I’ll do that.”
“You got plans lined up?”
Gabe shifted Navy into another man’s arms before answering. “Yeah. My sister lives in Utah. She’s got twins—a boy and a girl. Her husband owns a garage, needs an extra set of hands. They invited me to work there, help out.” His mouth tipped in the faintest smile. “Seems like a good place to start fresh.”
Theo reached out, gripping his shoulder. “You ever need to come back, you know the door’s open. This place doesn’t close its doors on its own.”
Gabe’s answering nod was firm, though his eyes flicked toward Navy again as the vet holding her blew raspberries against her tiny palm, making her giggle. “Thanks, Theo. That means a lot.”
Theo’s gaze drifted toward the entrance, where more of the group was beginning to shuffle inside. Willow stood off to the side, talking to Decker.
Theo’s senses prickled. Something was off.
The big vet stood rigid, hands jammed into his jacket pockets, his jaw working. Even from this distance, Theo could see the strain radiating off him, a man barely holding it together.
He watched as Willow leaned closer, her voice soft enough he couldn’t make out the words. Her brows were drawn tight, her posture gentle but firm. Decker’s face remained impassive, but then Willow’s hand came to rest lightly on his arm, a small, grounding gesture.
Whatever she said must not have landed. Decker jerked slightly, turned on his heel, and strode out without a word.
Willow stood frozen for a beat, her hand still hovering in the empty space where he’d been, before she turned back toward the room.
Theo caught the flicker of her expression—worry, hurt, something heavy settling in her eyes. He didn’t need to ask to know she was rattled.
Juliette tilted her head toward Willow. “Something’s wrong.”
Theo gave a short nod. “Yeah.”
When they reached Willow, she swiped a hand under her eye quickly, as if trying to erase any sign of what had just happened. But her voice trembled as she said, “He’s backsliding. Decker. We don’t understand it. When he first got here, he didn’t speak at all. Not a word. It took weeks just to get him to meet my eyes, months before he’d talk again. And now…” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Now he’s gone quiet. Just…stopped talking again.”
Theo squeezed Willow’s shoulder. “He’s not lost. Oaks is already on him. Colt too—he told me he was the first one Decker spoke to when he had his breakthrough. We’ll figure out what’s setting him off.”
Willow sniffled, shaking her head. “He was doing so well. Laughing. Talking to the other guys. And then out of nowhere…” Her voice thinned, fraying at the edges. “I don’t know if something triggered him, or if it’s just the weight of it all catching up.”
Juliette reached for Willow’s free hand, squeezing gently. “He’s not alone,” she said softly. “He has all of us.”
Her words, so genuine, touched Theo like a stroke to the heart. This amazing woman was so giving of her time, so caring. Her heart was always in the right place; it was a damn shame that the charity wasn’t worthy of her.
Oaks strode by, trailing Decker. The party around them buzzed with chatter and laughter, but here, at the edge, it felt quieter—heavier.
He tightened his grip on Willow’s shoulder, meeting her damp, worried gaze. “We’ve brought harder cases than Decker back. He’s not beyond reach. We’ll keep him close.”
Willow nodded, a shaky exhale escaping her. “Okay.”
“Come on,” he said in a brighter voice. “Gabe’s still got a few hours left of this party, and I don’t think the chef’s letting any of us leave until we’ve eaten the food in there.”
Juliette’s fingers lingered on his arm as they eased through the crowd. Theo felt the subtle weight in her movements, the way her body leaned just a little closer, like she needed the tether.
Around them, laughter and chatter rose—vets slapping Gabe on the back, Navy giggling as Colt balanced her on his forearm,music playing softly under it all. On the surface, it was a night of celebration, of goodbyes wrapped in warmth.
But Theo couldn’t shake the knot low in his chest.
He watched Juliette take in the room, her smile softening as she glanced toward the cake that had been decorated with an icing garage in honor of Gabe’s future.
For a heartbeat, she almost looked at ease.
Almost.
Theo’s jaw tightened. Somewhere beyond these walls, someone still wanted her gone, and if they ever got close enough to make that happen…
