AllFreeNovel
Share Us
8
“All right, guys. It’s been fun, but I’ve got to call it a night. Whoever is bunking on the couch, I’ve already put out pillows and blankets.” Moira rose from her seat and pocketed the wad of cash she’d won off us. It might have been cheaper to stay in a motel rather than Casa Kelly.
“We really do appreciate you putting us up for the night,” Wyatt said with a nod, which was about as expressive as the man got.
“I don’t even mind how much money I lost to you,” Aiden said on a yawn. It had been a singularly long day for all of us with the lengthy drive. We’ve certainly had longer, but with booze added into the mix, even I was feeling drained.
“Speak for yourself,” Lucas grumbled because he’d thought she was bluffing on a big pot, only to have her call his bluff. At least it hadn’t been strip poker, because all he’d have left would be his boxers.
Moira flashed a victorious grin that was sexy as hell. “Ah, don’t be a spoilsport. I know you’re all big, tough SEALs who aren’t used to losing. But you’ll live.”
“What time do you need to be at work tomorrow?” I asked, because I planned to get to the bottom of this stalker nonsense.
“I start my day late tomorrow, which is why I dropped off the checks tonight. I don’t have to be there until three. But then, I’ll be there until about four in the morning.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“Good to know. We’ll let you get some sleep,” James said with a friendly nod.
“Tater, come on. Let’s get you a bathroom trip outside.”
“I’ll handle that for you,” I offered. “That way you won’t get soaked.”
Moira studied me before she finally nodded. “All right, I would appreciate it. There’s a towel on the shelf by the back door I use to wipe him down when he’s out in the rain. And when it’s like this, it’s best to put him on the leash. It’s hanging on a hook by the back door. All it will take is one loud boom of thunder, and he’ll go berserk.”
“Got it. Come on, boy, let’s go outside.” I whistled. That got Tater’s attention. The lab was on his feet and following me to the back door. I took the leash off the hook and clipped it to his collar.
The dog must know the drill by now because he sat patiently by while I got him ready to head out. It made me feel good that she had a dog for protection. The gun didn’t hurt either. But the dog was more of a deterrent than anything else.
We headed out into the backyard. The rain was more of a drizzle now than the downpours we’d gotten earlier. Off in the distance over the water, the sky provided an impressive light display with lightning. But the thunder was far enough away it didn’t spook Tater.
Once the dog did his business, I took him back inside and dried him off. He plopped on his butt, enjoying the rubdown. I knelt to clean his paws and got a thick, wet tongue across my jaw in thanks.
“Yeah, bud, you’re not so bad yourself.” I gave the dog a good scratch behind the ears before I stood. The guys were in the living room waiting for me to return.
“We’ve been talking since you headed outside,” Wyatt stated.
“And what do you guys think about this stalker nonsense?” Because I didn’t think we should leave right away. In fact, I was thinking we needed to stay and figure this shit out.
“That’s just it. We each only have thirty days of leave to deliver these letters,” James reminded me.
“Okay, so do we leave Moira and let her fend for herself?” Like hell I was doing that. It’s not that I didn’t think Moira was capable. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But whoever this guy was, he was dangerous and clearly targeting her.
“No. But in order to accomplish our mission parameters in the time we have, we might have to leave one of us behind. And that person could meet us at one of the future stops,” Lucas explained grimly.
“Evan wanted us to go together, as a crew, one last time.” I was immovable in my stance that we needed to do this together.
“We did that already. We started it together. We drove down here together. But we also can’t spend the whole time here. We have less than thirty days to do this. Our next stop is Maine, but we have to make it across the country before the end of the month,” James said.
“I know that, but we can’t leave her to fend for herself. The woman is being stalked. You read those text messages. That’s not a guy who’s going to stop because we leave. Moira said herself that this has been going on for months.”
“We know that and have an idea about how to handle the parameters,” Wyatt said with his patented thoughtful expression. Just once, I want to see him lose his shit. Just once. It was one of my life goals.
“I’m listening.” It sounded like they’d formulated a plan while I was out with the dog.
“One of us stays behind, and we call in reinforcements here. Roman, Liam, and Owen work over at the Naval Weapons Station. We see if they can help whoever stays behind. And we can either draw straws or—”
“I’ll stay.” I cut him off. I needed to do this for Evan. I needed to ensure she was okay. It was what Evan would have wanted me to do.
“That will end well.” Lucas snorted and rolled his eyes.
