“Take as long as you need,” he said firmly.
“Thank you,” she said, and this time her voice was soft and gentle. “When this is all over and Dominic is settled into a rehab hospital, then I’m coming home to you.”
Noah opened his eyes and stared out into the empty bar. What the hell did that mean? Coming home to him or the bar, her job, and her debt?
“Hey, Noah?” Josh called, peering around the edge of the door to the back room. “Sorry, man, I didn’t realize you were still on the phone.”
“I’ll let you go,” Josie said.
“Bye. And, Josie, take care of yourself.”
He lowered the phone, ended the call, and slipped his cell into his pocket. Turning his attention to Josh, he said, “What’s up?”
“Your dishwasher is having a panic attack back here,” Josh reported. “And it has nothing to do with the sparkling clean pint glasses.”
Shit.
What could have happened since they arrived at the bar? They hadn’t heard from Dustin since he sent that picture. Noah was close to convinced their former commanding officer wasn’t hiding in his woods. So much so that he’d stopped searching the property after he closed the bar. Not that he was getting any more sleep. Most nights he lay awake thinking about Josie.
But he knew Caroline felt as if the threat was still imminent—from Dustin, from the police, who would arrest her if they found out she was AWOL. And while Noah was all for keeping her identity and the fact that she’d served alongside him in the marines out of the Forever gossip mill, he was starting to question if Dustin still posed a danger. Maybe their former commanding officer had given up. It wasn’t much fun to torment someone who didn’t respond. And the guy did have a family in California even if his wife had kicked him out.
“I’ll talk to her,” he said.
Josh stepped through the door and looked around the empty room. “Want me to man the bar? I think I can handle a crowd this size.”
Noah raised an eyebrow as he lowered the wooden section dividing the back of the bar from the customer area. “We’re closed. I already flipped the sign.”
“Good.” Josh’s easy-going manner vanished. “You might want to keep it closed. That guy who’s after her?”
Noah nodded, hearing the edge in Josh’s voice. It sounded like the logger was taking Dustin’s pursuit personally.
“He dropped off another picture,” Josh continued. “A printout this time. He must have slipped it under the door while she was unloading the clean dishes out front. Caroline didn’t see or hear anything. And she’s on her guard every damn second.”
“Is the photo recent?” Noah demanded, his hand on the door, ready to push through and do whatever he needed to keep Caroline safe.
Maybe I can’t do a damn thing for Josie or Dominic, but this I can handle.
“Yes,” Josh said. “But the thing is, I’m not sure it is Caroline in the shot.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure?” he demanded.
“It looks a helluva lot like Josie.”
A shiver ran down his spine, something he hadn’t felt since he’d shouldered his weapon and headed out to face the bad guys.
“The picture was taken from a distance,” Josh continued. “And they have the same long dark hair. Whoever took the shot could have made a mistake and thought it was Caroline.”
“Where was it taken?” Noah asked. Please don’t say Big Buck’s parking lot.
“Caroline, Josie, whoever it is, she’s standing outside your barn holding one of your kittens,” Josh said, his tone grim.
Ah hell.
And just like that, Noah knew—his dishwasher had every right to be paranoid. Because this threat defined imminent danger. Dustin was out there. And he was close enough to see Noah’s barn.
“We’re keeping the bar closed,” Noah said as he pushed through the door. “And we’re going to find him.”
THE SUN WAS slipping behind the clouds and Noah didn’t have a clue where Dustin was hiding. He’d driven through Forever’s quiet downtown with Josh and Caroline in his truck, scanning the streets. Josh had volunteered to pop into The Three Sisters Café and ask a few questions, and Noah had given him the go-ahead. The Forever town gossips didn’t keep tabs on people who lived an hour or so away and were less likely to respond to Josh’s questions with their own interrogation.
But Elvira hadn’t seen a lone man fitting Dustin’s description. No one had.
And their former commanding officer wasn’t roaming the university campus. Noah had driven back and forth through the campus twice hoping to find Dustin hiding in plain sight.