Behind the house, he waited in the shadows.
A figure crept up the stairs to the apartment.
* * *
Alice heard a noise.
Even with Griffin bunking in the office below, she hadn’t been able to fall asleep. Her heart pounded at every sound, every creak of the house, hoot of an owl or cry of coyotes.
But this sound was different. The noise she’d heard sounded close by. Maybe it was just a raccoon that snooped around, but she had to check. She palmed the grip of her weapon and peeked out the curtain, ever so carefully.
Movement on the stairs drew her attention. That was no raccoon. Nor was it Griffin.
A man dressed in dark clothing crept up the steps. So much for their grand idea that she would be safe here, and that Griffin’s presence would somehow protect her. It appeared she was on her own.
A scream lodged in her throat.
Moisture slicked her hands.
Fear paralyzed her.
No. “No...” She couldn’t just stand there and wait for that malicious man to kill her.
Alice shook free of the chains of terror. She would be proactive and take him out first. After chambering a round, she flung the door open and rushed through the opening, pointing her weapon out and ready to fire.
Someone shouted.
The figure on the stairs turned away from her and fired his weapon in the opposite direction. Returning gunfire from beyond him sent the man leaping down the stairs and running into the woods.
Who else was out there?
“No, don’t let him get away!” she called to whoever had chased the intruder away with gunfire.
She had to stop this. Looking over her shoulder forever was no way to live!
Fueled by adrenaline and her need to end her terror, Alice bounded down the steps. Strong arms seized her, yanking her back from her pursuit. The shock of the sudden grip ricocheted through her.
Griffin pulled her hard against him.
“Alice!” He clutched her and turned her to face him, putting just enough distance between them to get in her face. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going after him, that’s what. And you’re preventing me. Now let me go.”
“What? Are you crazy? You’re definitely not going after him.”
His features shadowed in the darkness, Alice couldn’t see the gray in his eyes, but she could feel his gaze piercing her all the same, and she could feel the strength in the arms that had stopped her mid-run. His warmth, his presence. She calmed her breathing, let her frustration and fear slip away, and leaned into him.
Pressed against his chest she could feel his heart beating wildly like hers. Even though it was too fast, it beat strong and steady—and after a moment, the rhythm slowed, calming her.
“He might not be alone—it’s too dangerous to go after him. Let’s get back inside in case he tries anything else.” Griffin spoke quietly, his tone not demanding, but persuasive nonetheless.
She let him tug her up the stairs into the apartment. Then watched him push the dresser out of the bedroom and shove it in front of the door to barricade it.
“Nobody’s getting through that,” she said.
Hands on his hips, he wiped his brow, then looked at her. “Well, that’s one door, anyway.”
She shook her head. “I can’t live like this.”
“You won’t have to for more than tonight. Tomorrow everything will be over. My uncle will hike into the woods to the marijuana garden and destroy it. Catch the bad guys and lock them away.”
“Tomorrow? It took Marie and me three days to hike there. There aren’t any roads—you can’t drive there.” She had no idea if the sheriff planned to use helicopters or what, but that would negate a surprise approach and allow the criminals to scurry away like roaches and hide.
“My point is that your life will be your own again after it’s over. I’m going to be here with you to keep you safe, and stand vigil until the sheriff comes in the morning. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
He moved closer, his eyes peering down at her, studying, measuring. Could he read her? If he could, he knew more than she did about her own thoughts and emotions right now.
“Don’t ever pull that again.”
“You mean...”
“I mean running after a killer with a gun into the woods. Running after danger like that.”
She thought of the moment when he’d prevented her from following, and had pulled her against him into his arms. The sound of his pounding heart, scared for her and the situation. Griffin this close to her, in the flesh...
How was it that he was in this with her now? It seemed surreal. Made her dizzy.
No, no, no... She couldn’t let this man stir her like this. Even though she was grateful not to be facing this alone, it was just pure misfortune that Griffin was the one by her side—that this situation had landed him back into her life again.
“You asked if I was crazy. The truth is, I don’t know why I did it. It seems pretty stupid now that I think about it, but I was determined to stop him. I can’t let him torture me like this. I need to be proactive.”
“Well, whether or not you had a moment of insanity, you’re making me crazy now.” Griffin grabbed and held her gently at arm’s length. “Chasing after this guy just puts you in more danger. If you want to be proactive, do it by helping the sheriff catch him. You say he knew you. It would go a very long way if you can remember him. Put a name with a face.”
With or without his name, her life was in danger.
Alice woke up and splashed water on her face, ran her fingers through her hair and secured it in her ponytail. Used one of the extra toothbrushes kept at the apartment for convenience, then hurried downstairs. Men’s disputing voices had drifted up through the walls into the apartment and woken her.
Rushing to meet the guys below, she bounded down the stairs to find them in the office where Griffin had stayed last night. She could see them through the window in the office door. Griffin stood next to his uncle, the sheriff, and across from the two deputies the sheriff had brought. They were caught up in an intense discussion, and she didn’t think they’d noticed her yet. Seeing Griffin there unsettled her all over again. It was strange. She hesitated before entering. Rubbed her eyes and tried to shove the exhaustion away, which was pointless.
She’d been a coward when he’d apologized—she should have asked him why he’d never come back. But she was afraid of his answer. Afraid to hear him actually say that she hadn’t meant anything to him before, even though it was obvious. Now she felt like even more of an idiot for begging him not to go off to Kenya for that exposé. And for all those months after when she held on to hope he would return, or that she would hear from him again.
She had truly better forget about what happened before and let go of every unwanted emotion surrounding Griffin Slater. Once she told the sheriff everything, then he and Griffin would be off to eradicate the illegal marijuana operation—the menace to society and the danger to innocent hikers—and Alice would be done with the whole ordeal as well as with Griffin. He’d be gone for good. Again.
Drawing in a breath, she turned the knob and entered the office. All eyes looked to her—the law