She hadn’t brought up moving to the area, and he hadn’t either. But she hoped that was where they were headed. At the moment, living in his cabin was a temporary arrangement until Woody was completely healed and Gus’s friend said it would be safe to go back to Kansas City.
But, not for the first time, Reese was considering not leaving. She had no problem finding an apartment in Los Alamos, because she didn’t want to put Gus in an awkward position, but she hoped he’d want to continue to date her if that happened.
She’d be lonely if she moved out, but she also didn’t want to outstay her welcome. Gus was used to being alone, just as she was. But if, after they dated a while and she was working in town, he wanted her to move in with him at The Refuge, she wouldn’t refuse.
Blushing at the thoughts running through her head, Reese tried to think about something else. About how Jasna was doing in school. What topic she might use to try to engage Angelo the next time she saw him. How Woody’s arm was doing. Anything to dampen the increasingly needy feeling she had about the man currently holding her hand and leading her through the woods.
As if he could read her mind, Gus tightened his fingers and turned his head to smile at her.
Yes, it was safe to say Reese’s crush was quickly blossoming into more as she got to know the man behind the piercing green eyes and quiet demeaner.
Smiling, she decided to go with the flow. Whatever happened would happen, and thinking too hard about it wouldn’t change a damn thing. She’d enjoy being with him while she could and go from there.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Can we talk?”
Spike stiffened. He’d been dreading this. But honestly, he’d been expecting Woody to want to have a chat with him before now.
Ever since he and Reese had gotten back from the cave, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. Every chance he got, he was touching her. Putting his hand on the small of her back when they walked, holding her hand, sitting next to her at meals at the lodge with a hand on her knee…he wasn’t surprised her brother wanted to have a word. Sure, he’d said he was all right with them dating, but thinking about it and seeing the proof right in front of his face were two completely different things.
“Sure,” Spike said as breezily as he could.
“You want to take a walk?” Woody asked.
Spike nodded. “Table Rock?” he asked. It wasn’t a difficult walk and if his old friend was going to tell him he’d changed his mind and didn’t want him dating Reese, he’d definitely need the calm that the land could bring.
The two men walked leisurely toward the trail that led to the overlook. There was a large flat rock there, hence the name Table Rock.
“How’s your arm doing?” Spike asked.
“It’s good. We already would’ve been out of your hair except Tex says there’s been some action on the dark web about me, and Kansas City was mentioned. I’m not about to put Isabella or her brother in danger again.”
“You think it’s the cartel?”
Woody shrugged. “I’m not sure who else it would be.”
“Why do they care so much? I mean, no offense, but you aren’t exactly an HVT for them, and I can’t imagine Isabella is either,” Spike said.
“I agree.”
Spike considered not saying what he was thinking, but this was his friend. They’d saved each other’s lives more than once and they’d always been honest with each other while on the teams. It had been two weeks since they’d returned from Colombia…and it was time. “What about Angelo?”
Woody was silent for a moment, then he sighed. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. I know he told Isabella he was forced to work for the cartel…but what if he wasn’t?”
Even though he was the one who’d brought up the possibility that Angelo could be the reason for the intel on the dark web, Spike felt compelled to say, “He was locked in a room just like you and Isabella. If he was actively working with them, wouldn’t he have been with the other men down in that basement, involved in whatever plans they were making?”
Woody nodded. “I desperately want to agree with you, but I’m just not sure right now. He’s been pretty moody since arriving in the States.”
“Maybe he’s feeling guilty about everything that happened,” Spike suggested.
“Maybe,” Woody agreed, but it was clear he wasn’t completely buying that excuse for Isabella’s brother.
It was frustrating as hell not to have any answers, but it had to be even worse for Woody. “I guess the big question now is, are you, Isabella, our guests and staff, and Angelo in any danger of the cartel coming here to finish whatever it was they were trying to do in the first place?”
“No.” Woody’s answer was immediate and heartfelt.
“You can’t know that,” Spike said carefully.
“I do know that,” Woody countered. They’d reached Table Rock and he turned to face Spike. “Look, I know what I said when we first got here. I had many of the same concerns as you’re voicing right now. I realize Angelo hasn’t exactly been friendly, but at a minimum, I’ll never believe he’d do anything that would put Isabella in danger, no matter what he was doing with the cartel. Yes, getting involved in the drug trade at all puts them both in danger. I can’t know for sure if Angelo fully realized the consequences. What I do know is, those two have been through hell. It’s been the two of them against the world since he was a kid. I’m not saying he’s an angel, because he’s not, but there’s no way he’d tell a bunch of cartel members where she is so they could come here and harm her.”
Spike wasn’t so sure, but he respected his friend’s difficult situation.
“And if it comes to it…I’ll take Isabella and Angelo away from here.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting,” Spike said firmly. “We’re more than able to protect everyone. We’ve learned a lot since that asshole came after Alaska and the thing with Jasna. As I told you before, we’ve got cameras on the road and placed strategically along the property line. If anyone steps into our forest, we’ll know about it.”
“This place is awesome,” Woody said.
Spike wasn’t thrilled with the change in topic, but he allowed it. He was still confused about what exactly had happened in Colombia. From Woody being kidnapped along with Isabella and Angelo, to the drugs, to finding the three of them unguarded in the house, to their almost too-easy escape, to not having any answers about anything, even two weeks later. It was frustrating, but he was more than happy that no one had been seriously hurt. And the connection he’d made with Reese was a dream come true.
“Yeah, it is,” Spike belatedly responded.
“I appreciate you and your friends letting us stay for a while.”
“Of course. When we started this place, we discussed it and decided that if any of our old teammates needed it, they were welcome here free of charge,” Spike told him.
“It’s needed,” Woody said quietly, as he stared out over the trees in the distance. The view from Table Rock was amazing on a normal day. But today, with the weather in the low seventies, with autumn quickly approaching, it was especially beautiful. “This place, I mean. The things we saw and did…they can get overwhelming.”