AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He put his hands on the counter, spreading strong-looking fingers. “You’re Jane Reilly, right?”
She had to stop herself from grabbing the hammer. “Something I can help you with?”
He studied the aisles on each side of him, which didn’t fool her in the least. No way the stranger was here for a garden hose or a grease gun.
“I was hoping for some information.”
Her stomach clenched. This was about Jason. And it wouldn’t be good.
“Have you heard from your brother lately?”
She wanted to groan. Sometimes she hated the Reilly intuition. “Sure.”
“Really?”
“I’m a Christian. I don’t lie.” Very often. White lies, to spare people’s feelings occasionally. Or times like this, when a loved one’s safety might be threatened. The Lord would surely understand.
He extended a hand. “Bridger North.”
“Of?”
That earned her a faint smile. “Nowhere special. I’m a friend of Jason’s.”
“Then why are you asking about him all over town?”
A single eyebrow rose to his hairline. “Made it onto the local radar already, have I?”
On purpose. Of that, she was certain.
He turned his back, perusing the street beyond the parking lot, his body relaxed, as if he had nothing but time.
Jane tried to imagine the scene through a stranger’s eyes. To her, Redemption Creek was a thriving small town, but she was well aware that most city folks saw nothing but a quick convenience stop in a long valley filled with dust and sagebrush squeezed between the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains to the east. Spectacular scenery, homey restaurants, and over-priced gas.
Which suited her just fine. The tourists could ooh and aah and spend their money, and drive straight on up the road. The real Redemption Creek—the town beyond the businesses fronting the highway—was about family. And community.
Whatever the mysterious Mr. North wanted here, he didn’t belong.
He whirled back around. His speed took her breath away. “Your brother could be in trouble. I’m here to help.”
The first part of the man’s statement, she believed. The second? No way.
One hand on the hammer, she fussed with the mug of pens next to the cash register. “I’ll let Jason know you’re asking about him.”
This time, when he caught her eye, he held her gaze. No pretense about it. “Has anyone else been asking about him?”
“Not that I’m aware.” She fingered the claw end of the tool.
His lips flattened. The first sign of frustration she’d seen. “If he’s in danger, you could be, too. Maybe even your family.”
Her fingers dug into the cold steel. “Is that a threat?”
“No! No,” he repeated more softly. “It’s a warning. Jason and I—our team—dealt with some dangerous people in the past. I’m just trying to figure out how close they’ve come to locating him. Any information you have could be helpful.”
Most of what North said rang true. Jason had been involved in covert ops for years, ever since he graduated from SEAL training.
From the moment he earned his trident, he’d been close-mouthed about his assignments. For years now, she suspected he worked for agencies far higher up the food chain than the Navy, but she couldn’t have said why. A little sister’s sixth sense, maybe.
Whatever his official designation, Jason grew even more guarded over the years, and the shadows beneath his eyes darkened.
