Page 17 of Mountain Rescue
“They believe you, right?”
“Yeah. They used one of those ultraviolet lights where I told them Henri’s body was, and it showed blood.”
“Maybe Robert left the country.”
Wouldn’t that be wonderful? “I don’t think so. Before I ditched my phone, he called me. I didn’t recognize the number, and I wouldn’t have answered if I’d known it was him. He said there was nowhere I could hide from him. Then I came home the next day after a meeting for my next movie. There was a black SUV in my condo’s parking lot with two men inside, one I recognized as a man I’d seen with Robert. I kept going and went to a motel. The next morning, I went to my bank, cashed in a pretty big check, went shopping for both regular and decoy clothes and a burner phone.” She shrugged. “You know the rest.”
“What I know is that Rachel Denning is one badass woman.”
He was pretty badass, too. She traced his scar again, her heart melting a little when his eyes slid closed at her touch. “I think maybe you have a story to tell me when you’re ready.”
“It’s not a story you want to hear. I could kiss you instead.”
She laughed and wasn’t that something after dredging up her story again? “In your dreams.” She’d never ever tell him, but that smirk of his was growing on her.
“I need to borrow a gun.”
Jack stopped in his tracks. “For?”
“Thought I’d do a little target practice.” Dallas had expected that question, and target practice seemed the most believable and least suspicious answer. It was breakfast time for the dogs, and he waited outside the kennel as Jack went in to fill one of the dogs’ food bowl.
“We can go to the range. I could use some practice,” Jack said as he exited the kennel and moved to the next one.
He’d also planned for that response. “Sure. But I’m up with the sun, before the sun actually, and it will give me something to do in the mornings instead of sitting on the porch and...” An involuntary shudder traveled through him.
“Remembering?” Jack softly said.
“Yeah. I found a clearing behind the cabin where I can set up a target.” It didn’t sit well to lie to his friend, so he was going to make it a truth and actually do some target shooting. And it was true that he was up before the sun since he basically didn’t sleep.
“I’ll give you a gun when you come over tonight.”
“Thanks, brother.” A SEAL didn’t loan out his guns, and Dallas understood the trust Jack was giving him. He also appreciated that Jack’s first thought wasn’t that Dallas might turn that gun on himself. He might have nightmares, but he’d never take his own life and put his family through that kind of heartbreak.
“Noah and Peyton are coming to dinner, too, so you’ll get to meet her.”
“Great. It’ll be interesting to see the woman who managed to catch Double D.”
Jack grinned. “You’ll like her. She’s got Noah wrapped around her little finger.”
“Like Nichole has you?”
“Exactly like that.” Jack’s goofy grin was a clear testament to how besotted he was with his wife. “Why don’t I have Nichole invite one of her friends over?”
“Thanks, but not this time around.” Not only was he not ready for any kind of relationship, even a casual one, it felt wrong to spend time with another woman when Rachel was at the cabin alone. He’d told her he would be having dinner with Jack tonight, had tried to talk her into revealing her presence, but she’d adamantly refused.
Somehow, he was going to have to get her to let him bring Jack in on this operation. Dallas could protect her by himself, and he would, but if Hargrove was as deadly as she claimed, he would feel a lot better knowing Jack had their six. And since Noah lived here now, Dallas would take his help, too. It would be almost half of their team back together, and anything Robert Hargrove could think to throw at them, he wouldn’t be a match against the three of them.
“What’s my agenda for the day?” He wasn’t under any orders to spend his time at Operation K-9 Brothers like Noah had been, but he’d come to Asheville to spend time with both Jack and Noah, so here he was. He’d briefly considered staying at the cabin with Rachel, making sure she stayed safe, but that would make Jack suspicious.
“Why don’t you spend some time with Bella. Also, you might enjoy watching some of the training we have going on.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Noah’s over at our future site, but he’ll show up in a while. He said he could use your input while you’re here if you’re up for it.”
“I don’t know how much help I can be, but sure.” He appreciated that they were trying to make him feel useful. Maybe it would keep his mind off worrying about his future. He was on medical leave, but he couldn’t see himself returning. A medical discharge had appeal, but he didn’t know what to do with his life.
“We’re thinking about including an equine center, but neither one of us knows a thing about horses. Noah wants to pick your brain on that.”
