Ruiz appeared to my left. “Boss? You okay?”
I shook my head and turned to him. “I’m fine. Do we have anything yet?”
“Nothing much. Techs think they found the site of the attack, but they haven’t found any sign of the attacker.”
I checked my watch. Whoever did this could’ve made it around the lake by now. “Has anyone come off the trails?”
“I don’t think so. No one has been able to leave the parking lot, at least.”
“Okay. I want two four-person teams. One takes the north side trail, the other the south. If he’s coming back out this way, I want us to get him. And check all the male onlookers’ hands. He could’ve slipped into the crowd.”
“You got it.” Ruiz looked up at me, trying to choose his words carefully. “I can take point if you need me to.”
My back molars ground together. “I’m fine. But thank you.”
Ruiz nodded hesitantly as if he didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth. But I was fine. I had no other choice.
13
Everly
I washed down the last bite of my egg salad sandwich with a drink of my soda. I had a feeling Spoons would become the lunch spot I treated myself to whenever I needed a pick-me-up. I needed to bring lunch from home as much as possible, but today being the first day of my new job meant that I deserved a little treat.
A young woman who’d introduced herself as Jill gave me a warm smile as she stopped at my table. “Are you all finished?”
“I am. That was delicious. Thank you.”
“I’m so glad I didn’t steer you wrong. The egg salad is my favorite.”
I looked down at my empty basket as she picked it up. “You certainly didn’t, and the focaccia it’s served on is amazing.”
She beamed. “We make it right in-house.”
“I’ll definitely be back soon.”
“We’ll be glad to have you. Welcome to town.”
Jill hadn’t recognized my name when we’d engaged in idle chitchat as I ordered, so I figured she was newer to Wolf Gap. But I was grateful for a friendly face, and a spot where I knew prying eyes wouldn’t greet me. “Thank you. I hope you have a good rest of your day.”
I pushed to my feet and headed back towards the vet’s office. I had time to meander if I wanted to. Maybe pop into a shop or two. But as I peeked into windows, my mind traveled to the same place it had dozens of other times over the past few days.
Hayes hadn’t returned to the cabin this weekend. And he hadn’t called or texted. I felt a flare of disappointment that was completely irrational. I barely knew the man, and he didn’t even like me. His father, on the other hand, was a complete charmer. He’d made me laugh, even after he’d informed me that we needed to tear down the barn. And he’d helped me take down the rest of the dilapidated fencing.
Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about Hayes. The call he’d received. I’d never known anyone who ran straight towards danger every day at their job. And it was clear why. Hayes was a protector. And he’d likely become that way because of Shiloh’s kidnapping.
That familiar swirl of guilt, anger, and grief swept through me. That potent array always seemed to be nearby. My brain knew that my father’s actions weren’t mine to take responsibility for, but the rest of me had a harder time recognizing that fact.
A shadow fell across the sidewalk in front of me. “What the hell are you wearing?”
I lifted my head to see Ian glaring at me in disgust, Ben just a few paces behind him. Instead of answering, I did my best to step around the man who used to be my brother. But he blocked my path. “I’m talking to you.”
“And I’m walking away.”
Ian grabbed my elbow, yanking me back. “You don’t walk away when I’m speaking to you.”
I tore my arm free. “Touch me again, and I’ll make it so the possibility of you having children is non-existent.”
He chuckled, throwing a look at Ben. “Isn’t that cute? She thinks she can defend herself.”
“Quit it, Ian,” Ben barked, pushing him back.
“What? I can’t hit her with the cold, hard truth?”
Ben looked at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I gritted out. “I can take care of myself.”
Ian stalked towards me, the flare of rage in his eyes so familiar that it sent memories hurtling at me one after the other. “You need to be taught some manners, Everly.”
Ben stepped between us, pushing my brother back. “Enough. You need to cool off, Ian. Evie, get out of here.”
I didn’t argue. I simply left. I didn’t run, but I fled, just like I had all those years ago. I hurried down the street and slipped inside the vet’s office.
Tim looked up from his desk. “Hey, how was lunch?”
“Good,” I choked out and went straight for the break room. I knew Miles was gone for the afternoon, and the other vet tech, Kelly, had gone to lunch with her boyfriend.
I sank into an empty plastic chair and put my head between my legs. Flashes of light and memory slammed into me: Ian dragging me by the hair as I clawed at his arm and begged him to stop, the slap of his open palm against my face, the taste of blood in my mouth.
I struggled to breathe as tears slipped out of my eyes. I’d thought I was so much stronger than this. Yet here I was, falling apart. My lungs trembled as I willed them under control.
“Hey, Everly? Tim said you were back here. I wanted—” Hayes’ words cut off as he caught sight of me. He was the last person I wanted to see me this way. He crouched in front of me. “Hey, what’s going on?”
I forced myself to sit up, but I couldn’t disguise the shaking. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
His concern morphed into a scowl. “You’re not fine. You’re shaking like a leaf, and your face has no color in it at all.”
I closed my eyes for a moment as if I could make it all disappear. The run-in with Ian. Hayes witnessing my weakness. I wanted to simply float away.
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
My eyes fluttered open at his words. He hadn’t disappeared, and I hadn’t floated away. “It’s not your job to help.”
“It’s exactly my job. And I’ll do it wherever I can.”
I studied the man in front of me. The angular jaw that always betrayed Hayes’ frustration. The rough stubble and planes of his face. Those eyes so dark and deep, I felt as if I could sink into them and get lost for days. Nothing in him spoke untruths. Maybe Hayes truly was one of the good ones. Someone determined to make the world better for everyone around him. “You don’t need to take care of me.”
He pushed to his feet and started for the door. I thought I’d finally sent him running. But instead, he only poked his head out. “Tim, we need twenty.”
“We don’t—”
Hayes ignored me and simply shut the door. He began moving around the small kitchenette without another word to me, opening cabinets until he found two mugs. Then he riffled through drawers until he found a box of something. Within a few minutes, he was easing into the chair opposite me and handing me a steaming mug.