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“Yeah. I don’t know why. We don’t have any clues to indicate he’s going to make a move, but my instincts are triggered. That usually means something.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll keep being careful then. Do you think I should cancel stuff on my schedule? I just have coffee with Brandy today and an art experience tomorrow.”
“If you don’t mind, it might be smart to cancel the art thing tomorrow. Those are in environments that are really hard for me to control. If you’re okay having coffee at Grindstone today instead of one of the other places, I think it’s fine to go ahead with that.”
Grindstone is a small, local coffee shop—barely more than a hole in the wall. It doesn’t have any trendy decor or creative flavors, but the coffee is good and it’s never very busy. Plus there are only two doors and two windows for Caleb to watch.
“Sure. I’ll tell Brandy we can meet there. She won’t mind. Otherwise I’ll stay in today and tomorrow, and maybe we can figure out what he’s up to.”
I sound optimistic, but I don’t entirely feel that way. After all, this situation has the potential to go on forever. The only way for us to make progress is for Montaigne to make an actual move.
And that means moving against me.
But Caleb is the expert, and I’ll follow his advice in this. Maybe he can catch him before he does anything to hurt me.
The last thing I want is to get hurt when it feels like I’m on the cusp of something really good for the first time in my life.
* * *
I meet Brandy at four for coffee since she took the afternoon off from work. We have a good time, although I can’t tell her about any of my recent relationship occurrences because Caleb is standing a few feet away from our table the whole time.
Grindstone is mostly empty, and there are no threats or signs of danger, so overall the outing is uneventful, including the stop at the grocery store on the way home where I get preordered groceries brought out to the car curbside.
When we get home, Mick is checking around the house. Caleb explains they’re doubling up on guard duty for the next few days until they can get a clearer line on Montaigne.
I have no objections to any of these arrangements. I simply mention if it goes on too long, we’ll have to pull some more help from other locations since the three of them can’t work themselves to the bone with no end in sight.
After we park, Caleb checks in with Mick, and then he comes back to the car to help me lug in my groceries. I got a lot so we won’t have to go out again anytime soon.
He’s got about ten bags hooked over both his forearms, and he’s reaching for more when I swat his hand away. “I can carry a few myself!”
He smiles. Warm. Soft. Fond. Genuine. It feels like an embrace. “I know you can. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it for you.”
I giggle. “Understood. But you’ve got enough. I’ll get the rest.”
“Fine. Just know that a man likes to show off for his woman. It’s built into our DNA, so it’s a hard impulse to fight.”
My cheeks flush at the indication that I’m his woman. I thrill with a shudder of excitement that runs up and down my spine. “Well, do your best to fight it enough to let me carry these last three bags on my own.”
“Done.” He’s still smiling as he turns toward the house, looking warm and relaxed and happy andmine.
That’s when it happens.
There’s a weird swooshing sound. I’m not sure I’ll be able to describe it later. But I feel air moving beside my face just as Caleb is turning.
He keeps turning with an awkward jerk. Something strange happens to his expression. It’s surprised. Then frozen for a couple of seconds.
Then he’s suddenly moving. Pushing me down onto the ground, covering me with his body.
I hear gunshots. It must be Mick shooting back because Caleb is still on top of me. His weight is a lot. He feels tense and stiff, and there are groceries everywhere.
I can’t even breathe for what feels like a long time.
Then I’m conscious of something else.
Blood. It’s on me but not from me. It can’t be. I would have felt if I’d been wounded.
It’s not until Caleb hauls me up and drags me into the car before climbing in after me that I realize where the blood is coming from.
