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“Yeah.”
“A hunter with bad aim?”
Another shot hit the rear windshield. Not hunters. Someone wanted to kill him or possibly just scare him. This was what happened when you asked too many questions in a quiet West Virginia mountain town. People didn’t like questions, and they didn’t like strangers. They’d protect their own even if their own didn’t deserve their protection. “Get on the floor and stay there.”
He looked toward the front door of the ranch house as he slammed the car into gear then sped down the gravel road and prayed God would protect Hector and his dogs. This wasn’t his only experience with gunfire, but it was the first time the shooters had been aiming at him. A scene flashed before him of long guns aimed at the FBI who were there to take his father down. The community had lost a few of its own that long ago night, but they’d taken a few lawmen out in the melee. His father hadn’t been convicted of their deaths. They’d tried him for them, but the charges hadn’t stuck. The men who’d taken the shots had claimed he had no foreknowledge of their intentions. In other words, they lied.
Shaking off the memories, he turned to Cate. “You okay down there?”
“Someone is shooting at us!” Cate struggled to draw in a breath as she huddled on the floor of the passenger seat. “Why?”
“Don’t know.” He raced down streets dotted with potholes and ruts. A hairpin turn. A curve in the road. She might throw up if they didn’t slow down soon. A left turn. “We’re merging onto the highway. You can get back in your seat.”
“Any clue who was shooting at us?” She clicked her seatbelt into place. Her mind spun. Certainly not a normal day at the office or out scouting den sites. If this was what life with Malachi was going to be like, she’d better get some practice shooting her handgun. It wasn’t something she enjoyed, but her father and brothers had insisted she learn how to defend herself. They weren’t wrong, but that powerful feeling of holding her Sig Sauer knowing she had the potential of taking a life wasn’t something she relished. It made her a touch queasy every time she held it.
“I don’t. All I do know is it couldn’t have been Hector. He was standing in his doorway without a gun in his hand.”
“You’re not thinking it was Charlie, are you?”
“Could’ve been. Or he could’ve told someone we were looking. My father is another possibility.”
“You think your own blood would try to kill you?”
“Might’ve wanted to scare me off. Or might’ve mentioned our being here to the wrong person. But don’t be fooled. People can look you in the eye and say the nicest things all while planning your demise.”
“What a lovely thought.”
He shrugged.
Cate was grateful her outlook on life wasn’t quite as grim as his. She’d been through her share of storms, but somehow she still believed in giving people the benefit of the doubt. Trusting until she’d been given a reason not to. Malachi’s biological father’s behavior in the past certainly justified his feelings for him now, but it was sad to see a family so broken. “I’m sorry that you can’t trust your dad.”
Malachi squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not my dad, anyway. My foster dad is more of a father to me than Ezekiel James has ever been or ever will be. I’m here to prevent something awful from happening to my biological mother. I don’t want her in my life, but I don’t want her harmed, either. I told you about Maurice Moretti this morning. He could pose a threat to Becky and the rest of the community. I plan to keep him from harming them.”
She nodded. “Hope we can stop him.”
“We?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you do this alone now that I know what you’re dealing with, did you?”
“I think it’s time for me to remove you from the equation. If I’d known it would be this dangerous to come here, I wouldn’t have brought you with me. It’s probably best if you avoid any further involvement in this whole mess.”
She ignored the dismissal. He needed her help, and she wasn’t about to back down from the threat. “And now you think he’s in Pennsylvania?”
“I know he was. Whether he still is or not is the part I’m unsure of. He’s definitely our poacher. I checked him into the cabin myself.”
“Ugh.”
“Got an email from Kevin this morning about a man’s body being found in a lake near Dushore. They traced the guy to the wildlife trafficking. He was our buyer.”
“And Reece was the seller?”
“Yep.”
“I wish we would’ve caught them that night. We might’ve saved that man’s life.”
“Me too.” He raked a hand through his hair while keeping his other hand on the wheel.
“And you think he’s with your biological mother?”
