Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (56)

There was an edge to Jack’s voice that worried me. Not because it was directed at me, but because I could tell it came from pain. I understood it. Losing your wife to a serial killer—someone you knew—was bound to mess with your head. But I worried that he was so on edge, he might do something he regretted.

“Thanks for the offer,” I said softly. “You just make sure you’re taking care of yourself, okay?”

Jack didn’t answer for a moment, then moved his head in a small, jerky nod. “Can I get the fried chicken wrap with sweet potato fries?”

“You bet.” I scrawled the items on my pad and placed the paper on the order wheel. “Order in.”

“Thanks, honey,” Fiona called with a smile.

As I turned back around, I caught sight of movement. The bar was getting more crowded, but it didn’t matter; my whole body was attuned to the man crossing the space. Kol wore those olive-green tactical pants he often donned for fieldwork and boots that had seen their share of miles. His tan Forest Service tee skimmed over his broad shoulders and muscular chest.

Everything about him was like a finely tuned weapon. My gaze went up, up, up, until it collided with hazel eyes, darker than usual, the demons swirling.

My stomach twisted. Something was wrong. I was already moving to the end of the bar, and Kol met me there. “What’s wrong?” My voice came out a little choked.

Pain flickered over Kol’s eyes as if he didn’t want to say what he was about to. “A woman went missing from a campsite by Three Creeks Canyon Trail.”

The world fell away. There was no din of conversation, no country rock wafting from the speakers, no clatter of dishes. And only specific words punched through.

Woman.

Missing.

Three Creeks Canyon Trail.

A woman like me. Vanished. And all I could wonder was if she had been taken. If, even now, there was still a monster haunting those woods—or worse, if they were walking among us.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


Kol




IT WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED TO TELL HER. I WANTED to soothe all of Nova’s fears, not add to them. But I also didn’t trust gossip and small towns. It wouldn’t take long for word to spread, and I didn’t want her blindsided by some Nosy Nelly.

A slight tremble took root in Nova’s hands, her fingers fluttering. I moved in closer, shielding her body with mine and weaving my fingers through hers. She instantly gripped my hand with a ferocity that reminded me just how strong she was.

“I’m alive. I’m breathing.” The words were barely a whisper, the slightest sound hovering in the air between her and me.

Shock ripped through me, shredding my goddamned chest. My words. The ones I’d given her as I begged her to stay. She was repeating them as if they were a mantra. “You are,” I rasped. “And you’re perfectly safe.”

Nova’s gaze snapped to my face. “I’m safe.”

“That’s right. You make yourself safe.” And I’d give her every damn weapon in my arsenal to ensure that. “You want me to take you home?”

That was damn well what I wanted to do. Get her back to the apartment. Hold her like I had last night.

Nova let out a long breath, those pink-lupine lips parting as she did. “No. I want to finish my shift.”

Somehow, I knew that would be the answer. “All right. I’m gonna stay.”

“Kol—”

“I missed lunch. Need to eat something.”

One corner of Nova’s mouth kicked up, even as it wavered a little. “Food, I can get ya, Boss.”

“Good.” The word sounded more like a grunt than anything else—my annoyance that I had to let her go bleeding through. With one final squeeze, I released my grip on her fingers.

When I turned, it was to find Jack Hooper with his eyes locked on us—not in a jealous way, but a curious one. As if he were trying to figure out exactly what was going on between the two of us.

I wished like hell I had the answer to that.

I slid onto the stool next to him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I could lie, but he’d know the truth in less than twenty-four hours. “Missing woman at Aspen Falls campsite.”

Jack stiffened. “That’s near Three Creeks Canyon Trail.”

“It is.” I answered Jack but didn’t take my eyes off Nova as she moved, grabbing a menu and handing it to me.

“Coke or root beer?” she asked.

It did something to me that she knew those were my two choices of drink outside of the times I opted for a beer at the end of the day. “Root beer. Wylder’s got the good stuff here.”

Nova’s lips twitched. “You got it, Boss.”

As if I’d beckoned my brother, he made his way down to my spot as Nova got my drink. “Gonna have to get you a frequent flyer membership.”

I simply grunted in response.

Wylder stared at me for a long moment. “What’s going on?”

It was Jack who answered, tension bleeding into his words. “Missing woman near Three Creeks.”

Wylder’s gaze went hard, assessing, that coldness that rarely found him taking over. “You’re sure?”

“Sure,” I said quietly. “Not here. Later.”