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Lake Salvatore, Louisiana
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 12:30 A.M.
André docked his boat behind a little cabin. Antoine scrambled up to the small platform and grabbed the rope that André tossed him, securing the vessel.
“Where are we?” Gabe asked, looking around but seeing nothing but a single light in one of the cabin’s windows. It was pitch-dark out, cloudy without a star in the sky. Perfect for stealth. Not so perfect for getting a feel for the place.
“My fiancée’s family’s cabin on Lake Salvatore,” André said. “The Romeros have owned this land for two generations. It’s nice and quiet and we can see people coming down from the road half a mile away. Her folks are very generous about letting Farrah and me use it as a getaway whenever we get a chance.”
Molly shouldered her bag, still gripping her gun, just as she had the entire way back from Burke’s cabin. She’d been tense and quiet and very, very watchful. “Tell them thank you. And give Farrah my best.”
André jumped to the dock and extended his hand to her. “You can tell her yourself. She’s waiting inside.”
Molly was smiling when Gabe stepped onto the dock. “I’m so glad,” she said. “I haven’t seen Farrah in way too long.”
Gabe snapped his fingers for Shoe and the dog leapt from the boat like he’d been doing it for years. He might have, actually. Burke had told him that his father would bring Shoe to his cabin from time to time. They’d fish and the dog would sniff around, smart enough to stay away from the water’s edge.
Way too many gators in that water. Gabe didn’t even want to think about it.
He attached a leash to Shoe’s collar and followed the others up a small hill to the cabin. The back door opened, and a woman came out to meet them, looking worried until she saw André.
“Took y’all long enough,” she called.
André just grinned and gave her a rather boisterous kiss when he got to the door. “You missed me.”
“Always,” she said, tugging at the hem of her blouse when he let her go. And maybe panting a little. Gabe couldn’t blame her. The kiss was hot and made him want to do the same to Molly.
Made him want to do far more than kiss her.
When it’s safe. Whenwe’re safe.
“Who do we have here?” Farrah continued with a smile. “Molly Sutton, I have missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Molly said and hugged the woman like they were old friends. “I love your blouse. This color is... so you.”
It was bright yellow, like a Post-it Note. Nearly neon. And Molly was right. It did look amazing on her. He stepped forward, holding out his free hand. “I’m Gabe Hebert, and this is Shoe.”
Shoe wagged his tail and Farrah bent to give him a head scratch before shining her smile on Gabe. “Oh, I know who you are. I have been known to dine in your restaurant simply for that sinful chocolate cake.”
“On the house forever,” Gabe said, charmed.
“He’s supposed to be teaching me to bake it,” Molly said.
“No,” Gabe corrected. “That was your ploy to distract my cousin Patty. My mama would haunt my ass if I just gave out her recipe to everyone.”
Molly just raised her brows. “We’ll see.”
“Do you even bake, Molly?” Farrah asked.
Molly laughed. “Well, no, but I like a challenge and hate a secret.” She looked around and sighed contentedly. “I didn’t know you had a place out here. This is nice. Wish it was daylight so I could see it better.”
“When all this is over, you’ll have to come back out. You, too, Gabe. My dad’s got a barbecue pit and he’ll roast a brisket for two days. It’s not Choux quality, but it’s damn good.”
“Ma’am, two-day brisket is heaven’s fare,” Gabe declared, and he meant it. “There’s little better than a properly barbecued brisket.”
“Truth,” Antoine declared, then hugged Farrah tightly. “I’m going home. I have scans to run and the internet here is not so good.”
“It’s late,” Gabe said, remembering his manners. “We’ve kept y’all far too long. How do we get back to our rental car?”
