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She no longer stressed about her hand. It would heal as well as it would in time. Her worth wasn’t solely tied up in her surgical skills any more. In only a few short weeks, she’d learned she was more than that. She had things to offer and people who would support her while she tried to make her new dream come true.
She’d never been a sappy, emotional person. Ever. Now, she felt as if emotions were careening around inside her like pinballs. Fear. Love. Nerves. Acceptance. Compassion. More fear. More love.
Lia still believed Simmen’s ultimate target was Joe. He was using her connection to Joe to scare him. In payback for not saving his wife.
She tuned back in as Sam called for everyone’s attention. “We’ll work at Doc’s in shifts. Having Joe and Lia in town is the only way to draw this guy out of hiding, but we only do that if they are safe. We’ll have at least four people together and keep checking the security feeds. We’ll add Ginny and Fiona into our loop and have them on the lookout for Simmen. Anything else?”
Troy’s two cousins ran the diner and the grocery store in town. Between the two venues they would likely see anyone who wasn’t a local. Everyone needed food, unless he was bringing in food from wherever he was staying. They already knew he wasn’t staying at Jim and Carl’s B&B.
Sam wrapped up the meeting and sat back. His gaze took in everyone around the table. “Good work, team. We’ve got awesome people working with us, the best security systems, and lots of kick-ass people in this room. Isaac Simmen isn’t going to hurt any of us because we’re smarter and more prepared. The man’s not going to follow typical patterns because he’s not a typical criminal. He’s acting out of grief and false beliefs. That makes him unpredictable so we’ll all keep aware.”
Then he turned to look directly at Lia and then Joe. “And stop with the guilty vibes. They’re clogging up the clean air we’ve got here in Vermont. None of this is your fault. Either of you. And it’s all good practice for Midnight Security. More shit we’ve conquered to pad the resume.”
Everyone laughed, as he’d probably intended and Lia leaned her head into Joe’s shoulder. His arm immediately wrapped around her.
“Make sure your phones are charged and have the volume up for any security breaches on the property. Tansy, Aisling, and I will be on Doc’s duty in the morning. For now, why don’t we have a movie night and popcorn?”
The room immediately broke into calls for favorite movies from Avatar to Back to the Future to Batman to Saving Private Ryan and so many more. The room emptied quickly with people calling out more movies and trading insults over their favorites.
In moments, she and Joe were alone and she looked at him. “Wow.”
He laughed. “Which part?”
“Everything. Your people are amazing. Including everyone on video. No posturing or disrespect. Everyone was willing to help us and Simmen, even while being perfectly willing to do what’s needed to keep us safe.”
“They’re your people too.”
Were they? “It’s starting to feel that way.” She had to blink tears out of her eyes. “I’ve never had this before. It’s amazing.”
“And overwhelming. It’s been a crazy few weeks. Are you up for a movie night with everyone? It’s okay to say no.”
“It sounds like fun. I missed out on a lot of of movies over the years. I haven’t seen any of the ones they mentioned.”
His eyes widened in mock horror. “You missed all those movies? Tell me you’ve seen Star Wars at least.”
When she shook her head, his hand flew to his heart. “Horrors. But that’s a great excuse to watch it tonight. Come on. Let’s overrule whatever they’ve chosen.”
Laughing, Lia took his hand as they locked up the cabin.
Chapter 17
Steel Trap
Joe wanted to rattle the doors of all the motels and B&Bs in the neighboring towns. It had been a couple of days with no sign of Simmen. Unfortunately, he hadn’t shown up back at his home, nor had he surfaced anywhere by using his credit cards. Which probably meant he hadn’t given up on his quest for revenge.
The stress was wearing on them all. He felt like his skin was about to pop off. Every time he woke up, Lia was already awake. She kept saying she was used to working double and triple shifts as a surgeon. Regular sleep patterns weren’t her thing. Which might be true, except for the dark circles beneath her eyes and the constant tension in her body.
At least Doc's was shaping up well and today, the first of the supplies Lia had ordered were arriving. Hopefully, that would keep her mind off Simmen.
Moose, Aisling, Graham, Flynn, and Tessa were with them today. Tessa didn’t often come to town. Between the injuries she’d sustained as a teen and the years spent in Witness Security, the quiet woman didn’t like to wander far from home. But she’d wanted to support Lia in every way and had wanted to see the progress in Doc's for herself.
Tessa was exclaiming in delight at all the old-world touches Aisling, Josie, and Lia had chosen for Doc's and Joe knew her arrival was the perfect antidote for the tension they’d all been feeling.
Aisling had worked her magic on the dozens of cupboards, shelves, and tables they’d found throughout the lodge and sawmill. The pieces fit in perfectly with the vibe of Doc's. They’d brought a large load of the pieces with them today and they all sat in the back waiting room. Lia had figured it was smarter to put the exam tables in first and figure out the placement for the rest of the pieces afterward.
Moose had shoved his way between all the furniture to find a sunbeam to snooze in. Then he’d promptly smelled up the room. He really hoped Kimi would figure out a food brand that didn’t make him smell this way all the time.
A truck horn honked out front, making Lia smile. “Is that my delivery?”
