Now she was in danger.
Ryan kept a close watch on the rearview for anyone following as he drove. Nothing suspicious so far.
Up ahead on the left, he spotted the opening to Boone’s property. A gate was strung across the drive. He parked and opened the door, fishing out the key to the lock.
“I’ll be right back.” Ryan held Charlie’s troubled gaze for a long moment before leaving the truck. The look of apprehension on her face reminded him of when she’d come home following the house fire.
Once he removed the lock, Ryan swung the gate open and turned back to the truck.
Leaning forward in her seat, Charlie watched his every move.
He’d give anything to know what she was thinking about their reunion. Did seeing him again stir up her memories and feelings as it did him?
Or had she left all that behind years ago? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
He climbed in beside her and drove past the open gate and then relocked it.
The previous day’s snowfall lay untouched on the drive. He loved the tranquility of this place. Ryan had been to Boone’s cabin a handful of times.
Since his family had moved away from Pine Haven, Ryan had spent holidays with Boone and his wife. They treated him like he was their son. Having a home-cooked meal was nice, and Alice was one of the best cooks around.
The drive wound along a wooded area where frosted trees made the perfect holiday setting.
After he covered the last bend in the road, the cabin appeared. It had been in Boone’s family for decades. Boone had done some renovations through the years but left it as close to the original place as possible.
“It reminds me of Pete’s,” Charlie murmured.
Ryan hadn’t ever thought about it as such, but she was right. Boone told him he’d worked with his father learning how to build cabins. His dad had wanted him to follow in his footsteps, but Boone wanted to be in law enforcement.
During the conversations Ryan and Pete had through the years, Pete’s story was similar. He loved being a lawman, but working with his hands to build the house for his wife had been a labor of love.
He shifted in his seat. “Why don’t you stay here where it's warm and I’ll check the place out first?”
She nodded, the reminder of why they were here showing in her eyes.
He hated that.
He got out and checked around outside first for any sign someone had been there, then fished out the key to the cabin Boone had given him.
Once inside, he searched the cabin’s downstairs level then upstairs. Each time he passed a window he kept an eye on Charlie and his truck.
From the second floor, she was barely visible.
He didn’t like that. Anxious to get back to her, Ryan hurried downstairs and out before opening the driver’s door. “It’s clear.”
He waited for her to answer, only she didn’t. The strain on her face as she stared at her phone filled him with dread.
Ryan slipped inside the truck and locked the doors. “He’s been in touch, hasn’t he?”
She handed him the phone without answering.
The same unknown number appeared with three words and a picture included.
Time to die.
He sucked in a breath as he couldn’t take his eyes off the picture. It was a grave, or at least what he believed was a grave. The up-close image of a pile of dirt made it hard to identify the location.
“It’s hers,” Charlie whispered.
