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Smirking, I tossed a look in their direction, laughing on the inside. “Don’t worry. I can handle myself with misbehaving cowboys.”
“I don’t know. They’re pretty tough,” she said in a singsong voice.
“I’m tougher.”
“Good for you.” As she grabbed a tray of drinks, I returned my attention to the news footage.
“There are reports that well-known tracker, Maverick Dane, has been hired to hunt down a notorious escaped fugitive. Unfortunately, there’s been no word from Maverick in over twenty-four hours. Given the conditions on the mountain, a reported avalanche in the area, there’s concern regarding his condition.”
The reporter was standing at the base of Sapphire Ridge, a location where Maverick had been last reported. The sickening feeling inside refused to leave, my mind an ugly mess.
“Fuck,” Scorpion hissed and as he walked by, I got his attention.
“Was your phone call about Maverick?”
He lifted his eyebrows then exhaled. “Yeah, it was. Don’t worry about him. He’s just out of range for the walkie talkies. He’s damn good at what he does.”
“That’s what I keep hearing. An avalanche?”
As his brow furrowed, I suspected the worst. “Unconfirmed. Plus, that doesn’t mean he was in the area. He’d likely left the area before that hit.”
“He’s been gone almost three days. Isn’t that a long time?”
“Not necessarily. There’s a lot of mountains to cover and Maverick is meticulous. He’s always been that way. He refuses to back down to anything.”
“But?” I could tell he had a certain look in his eyes.
He shrugged, still trying to pass it off.
“But he called in the rangers to come and rescue a den of wolf pups. They found his bag. I wouldn’t worry.”
“Then why hasn’t he returned? Why isn’t anyone out now looking for him?”
“There’s a search party. That was just confirmed.”
“Doesn’t anyone care about him?”Like I do?I heard the demanding tone in my voice and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about him.”
“I can tell that. Do you want the rest of the night off?” Scorpion asked, a slight grin on his face.
“No. God, no. I need to work.”
“Okay. I’m sure he’ll call you as soon as he can. Stop worrying. Maverick is one of the toughest men I know.”
I wasn’t convinced seeing the worry in his eyes. And even though tough men had bad days, my gut told me something terrible had happened. My thoughts drifted to what little news I had on the man Maverick was hunting for. Why didn’t they know his name? Would that make me feel any better?
I pulled out my phone, rubbing my thumb across the screen. Then I pulled up the single text he’d sent.
Keep the fires burning.
I planned on doing so. I’d drive up to that damn mountain myself if I had to. I was still certain he’d pulled a fast one on me regarding the cabin, but I planned on expressing my gratitude privately. At least that gave me a smile.
“Drinks up,” the bartender said from behind me. It was time to get lost in my job.
I wasn’t the kind of girl who’d said many prayers in her life. The few I had hadn’t brought me anything but additional heartache. But I said one anyway.
As I started loading the drinks onto my tray, I heard a ruckus from the table Missy had warned me about. Then the sheriff and a deputy burst in though the entrance, heading toward the bar. What was going on? I almost panicked seeing how quickly they were moving.
Then the men at the table started shouting for service, just as rowdy as Missy had warned me of. They’d made the mistake of sitting in the wrong section.
