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Lia wanted that happy attitude back, but she found herself in the opposite kind of mood. She looked at every man with suspicion until she saw his face. Was he here? Was he watching them? Taking another picture? Thinking about using a gun?
She could feel the guilt emanating off Joe. He practically had her wrapped in his arms to protect her from all sides as they moved down the street. Not at a run that would attract attention, but faster than a stroll. Moose thought it was a fantastic pace.
Once they walked into Phail General, Joe took in a deep breath and loosened his grip. Then he took her hand and led her to the back of the store and the deputy’s office. Moose slowed down to sniff at all the things, but followed them when they disappeared around the end of the aisle.
Joe knocked and walked into the office. “We think we know who it is.”
Troy appeared from the main store and closed the door behind him. Moose woofed until Troy looked at him. “Wow. You guys make a new friend?”
Troy squatted down to greet the dog and Lia felt some of the tension ease from Joe. They were safe and surrounded by friends. She reached down to pat the dog. “This is Moose. Kimi brought him by the saloon last night so he could keep us company.”
“He’s a great dog. Aren’t you Moose?”
Marcus had stood and walked around the desk. He gestured to the seating area and they sat again, Joe not leaving her side.
Joe held up the phone for Marcus and Troy to see. “This is Isaac Simmen. His wife was killed in a hostage situation in Michigan just before I got here. He’s off the grid at the moment. Do either of you recognize him?”
Joe’s phone buzzed at the same time and he pulled it back. He looked at them all. “Josie’s pretty sure this is the guy in the hoody, the one sketch where we couldn’t see his face properly.”
Fear and excitement rippled through Lia. Knowing their attacker had to be a huge positive. But it also made everything a little more real and a little more terrifying.
Chapter 16
War Council
Joe had wanted to head back to Midnight Lodge as soon as they found out the identity of the attacker. He wanted his team around him. As part of the FBI, he worked best with a team. Actually, that teamwork approach had been learned earlier from his parents and then the Riveras. No matter what the problem, he’d been taught that they could conquer it if they all worked together.
Graham, Flynn, and Nico were working with a group of clients out at Midnight Runway. Mitch was working his shift at the firehall and Sam was working on the business end of things from the cabin and working with a client virtually on improving the security for a high-level politician over in Europe.
Joe had texted them all and they were going to have a team meeting with everyone over supper, which he was going to order from Ginny before she closed for the day.
He’d wanted Lia to stay in the police station until the team returned from the Runway. The more people around her to protect her, the better.
She’d simply rolled her eyes and said they could use the time to work on Doc’s. She was right, but he’d still been in a near panic walking back with her to the building.
Moose should have been an added layer of comfort, but the big dog appeared to love everyone. He stopped for pats from each person he passed.
At least they’d finished setting up the security system. Alarms and cameras, inside and out.
Isaac Simmen hadn’t been spotted by anyone, although several trusted people from town remembered seeing him at the saloon.
Lia leaned against a doorframe and sighed. Joe immediately turned to scan the room for problems, but when he looked at her, she was looking at him. “What’s wrong?”
She smiled sadly. “I don’t like seeing you this stressed.”
He frowned at her. “Someone is threatening you because of your connection to me. Of course I’m stressed.”
Lia crossed to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Maybe I should head out of town. Go somewhere else for a week or so.”
“No. Unless you want to. Shit, I should have thought of that for you. Let’s go. We can just leave and figure it out from somewhere else. It doesn’t have to be here.”
Lia laughed. “Slow down. I was suggesting I could leave alone so that he doesn’t have a target anymore. It feels like he wants you to lose me because he lost his wife.”
Her face flushed and her eyes widened. “Not that I’m saying we’re at that stage. I just meant that he might see a parallel…ugh. I’ll stop talking now.”
Her words trailed off and she buried her face in his chest. He laughed and kissed her hair. “It’s a very smart thought, but I’m not letting you go anywhere without me.”
He shifted his grip to tilt her chin up so she was looking at him. “And I get the connection you were thinking. Again, smart. I also get our connection. And I know it hasn’t been very long, but you mean a hell of lot to me, Lia.”
