Page 20 of Ranger Belief
Jonah was about to ask another question, but the words died on his lips when he caught sight of a black SUV in the side-view mirror. It was two cars back. Tinted windows.
The same vehicle that had slowly passed Morrison's house.
“I assume you want to interview Garrett?” Laney asked. “He works on Saturdays, so he’s at his office or at the park. I think we should try the office first.”
“Yeah.” He never took his eyes off the SUV. Sunlight glinted off the windshield, making it impossible to see the driver, and the license plate was hidden by the cars separating them.
Laney made a turn onto Main Street, and the SUV followed. They drove past neat shops with wide awnings on tree-lined streets. The vehicle hung back, but made another turn behind them a few moments later.
Jonah's pulse kicked up. They were being followed.
TEN
Laney rolled to a stop at a red light and forced her fingers to loosen their grip on the steering wheel. Her insides were in knots, her mind turning over everything they'd learned from Kylie. As a camping and trail guide, Garrett Wheeler knew every inch of Piney Woods. Probably better than she did.
Part of her wanted it to be him. Needed it to be him.
Not because she had anything personal against Garrett—though she'd never liked the man—but because if Garrett was the killer, at least it made sense. A predator who harassed women, who wouldn't take no for an answer, who saw Ava as a conquest he'd been denied. That was a motive she could understand. A suspect she could stomach.
The alternative was worse. That the killer was someone else. She'd seen evil up close during her military service, had been in its presence, but that was different. This time, the killer was from her community. Someone she knew and trusted. Someone she'd laughed with over coffee or worked alongside on search and rescue operations.
It caused goosebumps to skitter across her skin.
“I think we’re being followed.” Jonah’s tone was clipped, his attention fixed on the side-view mirror. “Black SUV. Two cars back. It’s been mirroring our movements through town.”
Her eyes shot to the rearview mirror. She spotted the SUV, but couldn’t see the driver. “It would be foolish for the killer to follow us. Maybe it’s just someone heading in the same direction as we are.”
“Possibly.” He spared her a look. “But don’t underestimate this perpetrator, Laney. He committed cold-blooded murder, attacked you, and then hid in the woods near your cabin yesterday morning.” He stared at the vehicle in the side-view mirror. “Whoever this is, he’s bold. He also may be running scared, worried about what we’ll uncover. Or what you’ll remember.”
Laney had to admit Jonah had a point. She ran through possible options as the light changed to green. Pulling into the intersection, she kept her pace steady. The streets were full of Saturday traffic as people ran errands. A farm truck loaded down with hay passed them.
She took a sudden left onto a quieter side street without using her blinker and followed it with a quick right. A few seconds later, the SUV appeared behind them. The driver still wasn't visible, and a dark tinted cover obscured the license plate, making it impossible to read from this distance.
“Okay, I think you’re right. He’s following us.” She calculated her options and then hit the gas. “Hold on.” Laney sailed through a yellow light and then made a sudden U-turn in the wide intersection, now heading directly toward the SUV. “Let's get a look at this guy.”
But the driver counter-maneuvered by running a red light, nearly clipping a Toyota in the process, and taking a sharp left turn into a neighborhood. Laney flipped on her lights while hitting the gas, just as a garbage truck turned onto the road.Frustration built as she lost valuable seconds going around the large vehicle before turning onto the residential street in pursuit.
The SUV was nowhere to be seen.
Laney slowed, keeping her eyes peeled for the SUV and watching for pedestrians or kids on bicycles. “Any sign of him?”
“No.” Jonah’s gaze scanned each turnoff as they passed it. The furrow on his brow deepened. “He could be anywhere. For all we know, he lives in this neighborhood, and the SUV is tucked up in his garage.” He blew out a breath before tossing her a smile. “Nice try though.”
His praise took the edge off her frustration, and she grinned back. But something else stirred beneath the surface. It’d been happening more and more lately. A quickening of her heartbeat when he looked at her like that. The awareness of his presence beside her felt different than it used to.
She’d noticed it after Breanna's wedding. It bothered her…this interfering attraction. She’d done her best to wrangle it under control, taking it as a sign that maybe it was time to think about having a relationship that lasted over six weeks.
So she’d tried to date Mike. Disaster. Oh, he’d been a really nice guy. So nice that she’d felt horrible…like she was leading him on. Because dating him hadn’t diminished this new awareness of Jonah at all. Breaking up had been a relief. The busy summer—and the extra responsibilities—had limited her time with Jonah. She’d almost fooled herself into thinking that everything was back to normal.
And then the attack happened. The sound of his voice on the phone, rough with worry. The way he'd shown up, the protective way he’d reacted, the way he’d held her and so casually kissed the top of her head. It'd awakened something she hadn't even realized was there, a longing she didn't know how to name and wasn't sure she wanted to.
Because wanting Jonah that way? It was a surefire way to lose him.
So she forced a smile and a lightness to her voice to hide the irritating and irrational butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “Was that a compliment? And a smile? Careful, Foster. People might not recognize you without your trademark scowl.”
He grunted in reply, which only made her grin widen. She enjoyed teasing him. It was familiar ground.
And right now, she needed familiar.
