Page 24 of Montana Rain

“Sit down,” Daniel said. “It’s not the worst…”

“But it’s not good,” Jude finished, typing on the computer. Multiple monitors were set up, and a second later, a video spread across all of them. It wasn’t hard to recognize. This was the hotel lobby in Chicago. There I was, and there was Cole, talking to me.

On the screen, I stepped away, and not even a minute later, the woman crashed into me. The rest of the scene was exactly what I remembered. I could be seen going to the desk and pointing out the men. The cameras even caught me venturing farther into the hotel to look for the woman.

“Can I see the beginning again?”

We watched her crash into me once more, this time slower. Her hand went into my bag and came back out. I didn’t remember that part, but nothing had been missing when I’d gone through it. Probably just because of the way she ran into me and tried to keep her balance.

“You’re looking at her hand?” Jude asked.

“Yeah. Nothing was missing from my bag. It looks intentional, but it could be a coincidence.”

Daniel chuckled. “A lot of coincidences right now. Your office?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I’m on camera with this woman. Clear as a bell. But no one’s tracked me down to ask me about her. If the authorities haven’t…”

The look on Jude’s face told me everything.

“Do you think I’m in danger?” I asked. “Honestly.”

“Honestly? I don’t know. I think it’s convenient she was announced as a murder victim and then your office was broken in to. But on the surface, there’s absolutely nothing to connect you to this woman. That doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods, but it’s clear you didn’t even speak to her. With the exception of her hand going into your bag, there’s no reason to think you had anything to do with her or her murder.”

I rubbed my temples. “Yeah. So, I’m okay to go home?”

“You have an alarm system?” Daniel asked.

“Yes.” There wasn’t anyone in the Resting Warrior family who didn’t. It’s the way it was. They would show up and install one if they had to. “And bear spray.”

“And an escape plan?”

That was less firm. I did have ways out of the house, but I hoped I wouldn’t have to use them. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

Daniel looked like he was considering sending someone to sit outside my house. “It’s freezing,” I said. “And it’s only going to get worse if what they say about the storm is true. Don’t any of you dare spend the night in your car to watch me.”

“We could sleep on the couch.” Jude smirked.

“Do you really think it’s necessary?”

He sighed. “It’s hard, because I think all of us would rather err on the side of caution. Always. But because we don’t have any proof of anything beyond a weird coincidence, it’s more about how you feel, Rayne. If you feel unsafe, we will make sure you are. If you feel safe, then we’ll keep tabs from a distance.”

I thought about it. Did I feel safe?

Yes.

I did. Last night, I hadn’t felt even a shiver of fear, nor all of today when I was doing my client appointments in the kitchen. The alarm system they’d helped install was one of the best on the market, and I did sleep with bear spray next to the bed.

“I think I feel okay,” I said. “But thank you.”

“You know you can call us if that changes,” Daniel said.

I nodded. “Thank you. I should get back before the snow gets too bad.”

“Keep us posted, please.”

“I will.”

All I wanted was to get back home, but I did stop for a few things at the store, and it was already getting dark. I wasn’t afraid in my home, and the alarm system made me feel even better.

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