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CHAPTER4
Griff staggeredunder the force of Jake pounding on his back. His shoulder ached. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d agreed to, but he knew he couldn’t trust anyone else to safeguard Rachel West. Knowing she was investigating a murder was bad enough.
If she was being followed, it could be the murderer.
Griff couldn’t walk away from Rachel now. She was alone, had no family to look out for her and was vulnerable. Yes, she was a law enforcement officer and knew how to handle a gun.
Every Navy SEAL knew how to handle weapons and defend himself. What they’d learned in BUD/S and throughout their deployments was that they weren’t alone. They had each other’s backs. Teamwork had been key to their survival on most missions.
And not getting shot out of the sky by an ISIS rebel with an RPG.
Jake clapped his hands together. “Now that that’s settled, do you have a place to stay?”
Griff glanced at Rachel. “No. I just got to town.”
“You can stay at the Lost Valley Lodge,” Jake said. “We keep several rooms available for when we have new guys transitioning into the area.”
“I have a two-bedroom apartment,” Rachel said. “You could have the spare bedroom until you can secure a place of your own. You’ll need to get a bed, though. I only furnished one of the rooms. I wanted a one-bedroom, but they only had a two-bedroom available when I was looking for a place to live. I do have a couch you can sleep on tonight.”
“I’ve slept on worse,” Griff said. “If I’m to have your back, I need to be close.” He turned to Jake. “I’ll stay with Rachel.”
Jake nodded. “I can have a bed brought over tomorrow. For now, we’ll leave you two.”
“I’m headed back to Montana tomorrow,” Hank said. “I’ll get Swede digging into the internet and criminal databases to see if he can come up with any similar cases.”
Rachel nodded. “Thank you. Though I’ll be on leave for a few days, I don’t plan on watching TV and eating bonbons. I’ll be at the sheriff’s office going through the criminal databases again. There has to be something. This guy can’t be a one-and-done killer. The wedding veil was his signature…a statement.”
Hank pulled out his wallet and extracted a business card. “Let Jake know if you find anything. If you can’t get Jake, call me. We’re here for you.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
As Jake and Hank left the room, Griff followed them to the door. He glanced back. “I’m just stepping outside. I’ll be right back.”
She smiled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Griff let the door swing shut behind him.
Hank and Jake were waiting for him.
“You’ll need to come out to the Lodge tomorrow and get familiar with our office and what we have available to our team,” Jake said. “You might find things that will make your job easier, like weapons, communications and tracking devices.”
Griff nodded. “I’ll bring Rachel.”
“Good. It wouldn’t hurt for her to know what’s available as well,” Jake said.
“She’s smart and capable, based on her experience with the California Highway Patrol and now the sheriff’s department,” Hank said. “She had the good sense to know when she needed backup.”
Griff’s lips lifted on the corners. “And she doesn’t take shit from anyone. I saw her twist another Navy SEAL’s arm behind his back when he dared to smack her ass as she passed him at McP’s. It embarrassed him more than anything. She could have hurt him, but she didn’t.”
Jake grinned. “The asshole deserved it.”
“It happened so fast I didn’t have time to throw a punch.” Griff shook his head. That was about the time he’d realized he was falling for her.
Rachel was the kind of woman who could take care of herself. A Navy SEAL who was subject to being called up at any moment couldn’t maintain a relationship with a woman who couldn’t take care of herself. He’d be a fool to try. Rachel was perfect. Tough, beautiful and independent. He’d looked forward to getting to know her better and had envisioned a future with her.
Then deployment. The crash. And…things had changed.
“We’ll see you tomorrow at the lodge,” Jake said.
