Tracking Secrets

She wasn’t so sure they should rely on her knowledge of residents. She hadn’t recognized Nick as being from the area, either, though he claimed he’d been here the past year. He was running for mayor, after all. She knew she’d been closed off, but this seemed like a wake-up call. The past year she’d been downright antisocial with her head stuck in the sand.

“I made sure they didn’t get our names,” Nick added.

“That was quick thinking,” she admitted. Her neck grew hot as she remembered how it felt to have him speak so tenderly when he called her honey. Now Nick smiled at her, which didn’t help. She knew from experience that her neck probably was beet red at the moment.

Chief nodded. “Good. Here’s what we’re going to do. My boys are going to walk the property and see if we have anything to go on. I’ll set up a patrol car to drive by your houses tonight. We’ll keep a watch out for any trucks that look suspicious.” His radio chirped. “We’re going to be combing the area now. We’ll give you a quick ride back to your place and take it from there.”

“What about Nick? They know where he lives.”

Chief shrugged. “Not necessarily. They just saw you run to the neighboring property.”

Alexis tightened her hold on the leash. His words didn’t comfort her.

She replayed the events of the evening on a loop, searching for something that could help. There’d been a click. She was sure of it. “What I don’t understand is, if scouts are just making sure the coast is clear, then why did he take our picture?”

Nick spun around, a look of alarm on his face. “Are you sure?”

“I think...” She looked up at the clouds, trying to picture it. “He had his phone in his hand while you were talking to him.” She nodded. “His thumb moved, and the phone clicked when I stepped toward him to introduce myself. That’s when you stopped me. What else could the click have been?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet,” the chief said.

Nick’s face took on an ashen tone as he closed his eyes. “We’ve been marked.”

THREE (#u6501e5a0-ee7b-5af7-b163-f872c70171f5)

Only a few hours ago, Nick had been looking forward to a quiet long weekend at home. Now he was on a drug ring’s most-wanted list.

“What do you mean marked?” Alexis stepped in front of him. Her intense gaze demanded his attention.

“It means they’ll take us out if they think we are going to cause them problems.” He gestured out at the town, north of them. “It means that every member in their cartel likely has our photo. It means we need to watch our backs.”

Chief put his hand on Alexis’s shoulder. “We don’t know that for sure. Let’s just take it one step at a time.” He led her to the backseat of the cruiser, but not before he leveled a disapproving glare at Nick.

Nick didn’t regret what he’d said, though. Not knowing the full truth wouldn’t help Alexis stay safe. Ever since his brother had died, Nick had found out everything he could about drug trafficking, specifically in the Northwest. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly. The cartels had sophisticated ways of communicating, and the intel they shared with each other rivaled that of most three-letter government agencies.

Nick called Raven into the car and took his seat. Alexis scrunched her nose. “Didn’t you hear the click from his phone, too? Maybe I imagined it.”

The hopefulness in her voice was difficult to ignore. “It was hard enough to think straight with blood rushing to my head. Don’t second-guess yourself, even though we’d both love it if you were wrong.”

She stared ahead, her face pale. It took only a minute to arrive back at his place.

“Where’d you park?” the young officer asked her.

“The lot at the trailhead. Could you take me there, Jeremy? I’d really rather not walk back alone, if that’s okay.”

“Understandable.” Jeremy nodded. “You still driving that bucket of bolts you call a car?”

She lifted her chin. “Hey. A little respect. It’s a classic.”

“Dream on.” Jeremy shook his head. “Never seen a lawyer drive such a crummy car before.”

Nick’s neck tingled, and he couldn’t place his finger on why. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have wondered if he was jealous that the young cop talked to Alexis in such a friendly manner. “You’re a lawyer?” he asked her. “I’d tell you a lawyer joke, but—”

“—you’re afraid you’d get sued,” she said. Her face reddened, and she pressed her lips together in a firm line. “Trust me, I’ve heard them all. Besides, I wasn’t that kind of lawyer.”

A crackly voice came over the radio. “Possible domestic disturbance called in. Shouting heard next to the burned-out barn on Garrett property.”

The dispatcher’s description was yet another reminder that Nick wasn’t in the big city anymore. The chief shook his head. “We need to get this.”

The car pulled to a stop. “I’ll take her to her car,” Nick said. They hopped out and the cruiser sped away.

Alexis swung her chin from left to right, her eyes darting every which way.

“If they had come back here already, the cops would’ve seen them,” Nick said gently.

Her shoulders sank. “I hope you’re right.”

Nick escorted her and the dog to the garage, where he entered the five-digit access code. The cab of his pickup truck had two rows, so he guided Raven into the back instead of next to Alexis. He pointed in the direction of the trail. “It would’ve taken you a good half hour to get back to the parking lot if you had walked.”

“Theresa said the dog needed a forty-five minute walk. I rounded up.” She flashed a sheepish grin, and they both got situated in the truck. “I hadn’t reached my daily step goal yet, and I needed some time to clear my head.”

He started the ignition and pulled out onto the county highway. “It seems common knowledge that you have a love for dogs.” He hoped his teasing tone would get her to open up.

She groaned. “Why is it that when people say they don’t like cats, it’s okay, but disliking dogs is equivalent to hating babies?” Her eyes widened. “Which I don’t!”

“Good to know.” He smiled in the rearview mirror at Raven, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation. “Dogs make it pretty easy to love them.”

“You mean aside from the presents they leave in the yard, the smell, the drool and the nice things they eat?”

He laughed. “Bad experience?” If she was a lawyer, maybe a dog ate a pair of her expensive shoes.

She stiffened and watched him for a moment, as if considering whether to talk or not. She looked forward. “A rabid dog attacked me when I was little. The scar doesn’t hurt, but when I think about the rabies shots...” She let her voice trail off.

The smile fell off his face at the thought. “That should’ve never happened,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.” It frustrated him to no end that some pet owners neglected treatment of their animals. A simple vaccine would’ve prevented the dog’s disease and Alexis’s pain.

“Not your fault. I’m not scared anymore. I got over it.” She nodded with each phrase, as if reciting a script. “They just aren’t my favorite.”

She pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin. She might have told herself she wasn’t scared anymore, but the way she’d flinched when Raven tried to snuggle proved otherwise. It wasn’t that she disliked dogs, like she tried to infer, but that she was scared.

The mountains served as a backdrop to the rows of trees on either side of the road. If he kept going, the trees on the right side would be replaced by a rock wall. Just before town, all the trees disappeared and a sharp curve provided a gorgeous viewing point for the valley. An unbidden image of having a picnic there with Alexis while enjoying the scenery popped into his head. He’d been so focused on school and career the past several years that he’d saved relationships for later. He never wanted to start one that would only end up in the pain of a long-distance relationship. He’d done that once in college and vowed never to do it again.

“Later” had finally arrived, but he’d yet to find someone in the small town who he could imagine as more than a friend.

She pointed at the black medical bag in between their seats. “So you’re really a vet?”

The question made him laugh. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

She smiled. “I guess it’s not. I just didn’t think our small town could support more than one.”