Page 37 of Claiming Ours
Longing swelled in my chest at the idea of that kind of utopia. “It seems too good to be true,” I mused, following him to the front of the store. A few women scanning the shelves blatantly checked him out, but a guy two aisles over glared at Liam like he wanted him to die a horrible death.
“Hey, who’s that guy two rows down, and what did you do to make him that mad?”
Liam didn’t even look up, apparently already knowing exactly who I meant.
“That would be Jasper Cain. You might have seen him around town or at Sips, where he works. I’m sure he’s still fucking pissed that I tackled his scrawny ass and hog-tied him with his own belt.” A surprised laugh snuck free, making Liam smirk. “Yeah, pretty sure that’s what the death glare is for, not that he can do anything about it.” His features turned contemplative. “Actually, I wish he would. I’d love a reason to knock that fucker out.”
Um, okay. Baylee’s boyfriend was fucking intense.
And why do I like it so much?
“Did he deserve it?”
His cocky smirk fell when he pressed his lips into a tight line. “Yeah, he did. I caught him in our friend’s cabin.” He snatched the basket out of my hand to set it on the counter for the cashier to ring up. “We’re all on edge.” Credit card in hand, he swiped it through the reader and took the full plastic bag from the young woman’s outstretched fingers. Tipping his hat in thanks, he strode to the door with me hot on his heels. “Food, then back to the clinic. You okay to go into Dave’s again, or do you need to wait outside?”
“And here I thought you wanted to kill me,” I said with a sarcastic smile. “How considerate of you.” He flipped me the bird, making my smile grow. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, though. Seriously.”
Liam walked off like his concern for my sobriety wasn’t the most considerate thing anyone besides my parents had done in years.
“Has anyone told you about what’s going on around here?” he asked while nodding to someone across the street.
I shifted to the side to let a woman with a baby pass without her feeling crowded. “Sure, the amazing fishing, fun outdoor shit, and trails. The Nest also has information on your boss’s company, Uplift, to book through.”
“All that brings tourists and hikers, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Have you heard about the Soul Trail?”
I nodded, remembering a few articles about the highly difficult trail that connected the small town of Anchor Bay to the fjords.
“Over the last year—hell, maybe even longer and we didn’t realize—female hikers have been disappearing from that trail.”
My brows pulled in tight, trying to understand. “Disappeared as in got lost?”
“As in we don’t fucking know.” He snapped his hand out and grabbed my shirt, yanking me hard. As I started to shove him off me, he inclined his head to the post I almost ran into, too focused on him and engrossed in his story to notice. “You’re welcome. And the missing, we’re well into the double digits. In a couple of cases, the women’s male companions’ dead bodies turned up, looking like they were attacked by an animal.”
“But you don’t believe it,” I stated, suddenly feeling paranoid. Checking over my shoulder, I watched everyone with suspicion.
“No one does, except for the lazy-as-fuck sheriff who just doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it all. That meansmore work for him apparently.” Liam’s hands fisted at his sides, indicating exactly how he felt about the sheriff’s actions. “Women have also gone missing from the fjords side of the trail. Either way, it’s all the same. Besides the males, no other bodies have been recovered. That’s what I meant by fucking disappeared.”
“And now a woman from your community is missing too?” He dipped his head in a clipped nod, face tight with tension. My heart dropped when realization hit me like a punch to the stomach. Like he did me moments ago, I fisted his shirt, yanking him to a stop. “Baylee, is she safe here?”
He stared at where my fingers bunched his button-up denim shirt. “I suggest you release me.” The intensity in his tone and glare made me instantly relax my fingers and step back. “And yes, as safe as I can keep her. That independent woman doesn’t think about her safety enough.”
A snort escaped as I shook my head. That sounded like something I would’ve said about her back in high school. “You mean like stepping between two men to break up a fight?”
He huffed a humorless laugh before he started walking again. “Exactly. She likes to run in the mornings, alone, which I fucking hate but can’t do anything about.”
I nodded absentmindedly, memories of years ago filtering through and making me smirk. “She’s always been a runner and independent, so I’m not surprised she’s still doing it, no matter the risk or what you say. Back in high school, neither Dean nor I could change that woman’s mind once she decided on something. Drove me batshit crazy, but one of us was always there, hidden in the background, making sure she was safe.”
The delicious aroma of fried food assaulted me as I stepped into Dave’s right behind Liam. I followed him to the bar, where he perched a boot on the lower rung of a stool and waved the bartender over.
I eyed the slightly heavyset man as he ambled toward us. His judgy eyes were locked on me like they had been the night before. Judgmental prick. Just to piss him off, I slid a pointed gaze up to the few strings of hair he’d slicked back in a desperate attempt to cover up the bald spot and ran a hand through my thick strands.
“Hey, Ches,” Liam said in greeting when the disheveled man paused in front of him, wiping both hands with a rag. “I need two orders of the elk nachos fully loaded, two burgers medium well with everything, and a side of onion rings.” He turned to me and gestured toward Ches. “What are you ordering?”
A sudden swell of emotions filled my chest, making my heart hammer. For the first time in too long, I felt companionship, not so fucking lonely. Maybe it was his quick acceptance, the easy back-and-forth conversation, that reminded me of the friendship I had with Dean before the fight. And damn did I miss that, more than I’d realized until now, missed having a genuine friend so fucking much.
Was it too much to hope that coming here meant I not only would have Baylee in my life again but gain a genuine friend in Liam too?
Or was today the start of something much bigger than the three of us could ever imagine?
