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“Do you recognize any of the abbreviations? Could one of them be a business from Pike?”
She studied the list before heaving a sigh. “It’s like they’re written as ticker symbols for the stock market. I might be able to track them down, but it’s going to take time.”
Kaden narrowed his gaze, studying her with a burst of curiosity. He’d sensed there was something mysterious about this woman from the moment he stepped into this office yesterday. The space was a sharp contrast to the worn, almost shabby public area. Plus, why would the owner of a small-town market need two state-of-the-art computers with massive monitors? Or a seating area that clearly doubled as a meeting room? Or a coffee maker that looked like it came from NASA?
“You know a lot about international banking and ticker symbols.”
“I took a few online global business and investment classes.” The words were tossed out in a casual tone. Too casual.
“To run a small store in Pike, Wisconsin?”
She stiffened, as if annoyed by his soft question, then abruptly rose to her feet. Whatever the reason for her fancy office, she didn’t want to discuss it with him. He ignored his small stab of disappointment as she made a sound of surprise.
“Oh.”
Kaden shoved himself out of the chair, on instant alert. “What?”
“It’s started snowing.”
Kaden glanced toward the small window, where he could see the heavy swirl of snowflakes. Any relief that there wasn’t an immediate enemy about to crash into the office was quashed by the realization that the weather could be just as dangerous.
Winter in Wisconsin was no joke.
“Damn. I forgot to look at the forecast this morning.”
“You’ve been gone from Wisconsin too long if you didn’t check out the weather as soon as you crawled out of bed.”
“Obviously. How much snow are they predicting?”
“Three to five inches.”
Not a blizzard, but if the wind picked up, it could make any traveling a hazard. “I should get back to Madison.”
Lia held up the paper she held in her hand. “Can I keep this for now?”
He nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out a business card with his cell phone number.
“Let me know if you figure out anything.”
“Of course.”
She took the card and placed it on her desk with the map. Then, opening the door, she waited for him to grab his satchel and led him out of the office. Kaden followed her, reluctantly acknowledging he wasn’t ready to leave. He was convinced Lia would be able to discover something about the businesses written on the back of the map. Not to mention he’d only had one cookie. He could easily eat a dozen more.
And...
Nope. He didn’t want to consider what came after “and.” He was sure it was directly connected to sharing more time with Lia Porter in the cozy privacy of her office.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
He forced himself to open the door, bracing himself for the blast of frigid air. It hit him like a punch, knocking the air from his lungs. With a shiver, he carefully crossed the graveled alleyway that was now layered with a fresh dusting of snow. He had a long list of reasons why he hated winter in Wisconsin. He didn’t intend to add falling on his ass in front of Lia Porter.
Opening the door to the Jeep, Kaden was about to step in when he realized something was wrong with his front tire. It was completely flat. Annoyance flared through him. Great. It was just what he needed in the middle of a snowstorm. Thankfully, there was a spare.
He turned toward the rear of the vehicle, his gaze narrowing as he caught sight of the back tire. Flat. An ugly suspicion curled through the pit of his stomach and slowly, he walked to the opposite side of the Jeep. Just as he’d expected. They were both flat.
“Shit.”
Bending down next to the back tire, he reached to grab the wooden handle that was sticking out of the rubber. He yanked it out to reveal a three-inch blade.
