Page 93 of What Doesn't Kill Her
She knew exactly who he meant. “Sheriff Kateri Kwinault. She can get us information relating to Roderick and his current whereabouts.”
“Exactly. Also, we need to find out who wants you dead and why. Most obviously, you served time in the military.”
“Yes. I was a soldier. I killed the enemy. I directed the transport of men and goods across enemy territory. In some places, I offended by the mere fact I am a woman.”
“A woman who tried to help other women.”
The hard cold mountains of Afghanistan. The smell of charred wood and burned flesh. A metal coil melted in the dirt and the knowledge of young lives ended too soon.
At the memory, she teared up. “Am I endangering Rae by the fact I’m her mother?”
“It’s possible. That’s why we have to find who is doing this and stop them.” Max had taken over the hunt. “Are soldiers often tracked by old enemies into the US?”
“Not that I know of.” A chilling thought. “But in many cultures, vengeance is a long tradition and a deadly act.”
“Another reason to visit Yearning Sands Resort. We’ll talk to your Army buddies, find out if any of them have suffered from accidents. What else?”
Her mind swerved to the dark times during the previous winter. “There’s Mara Philippi.”
“She’s confined in a high security prison.”
“I know. But she was so smart, so corrupt, so cruel, so good at manipulation and camouflage.”
“Between you and me, we destroyed her operation and put her away. She would love to hurt us both.”
Kellen confessed, “Sometimes I find myself looking over my shoulder for her. Then I think I’m being paranoid. But maybe not.”
“A sociopath and a serial killer. Yes. Let’s put Mara Philippi high on the list of suspects, and I’ll use my connections to make sure she’s still in custody and not extending her talons toward my family.”
Kellen put her hand on his thigh. “You’re brave and smart, and I love your connections.”
He swerved a bit. “You’re in no condition to have sex.”
“I am, too. Anyway, I merely touched your thigh. That’s not hinting for sex.” No one else drove along this narrow two-lane road, so she inched her fingers a little higher.
He put his hand over hers, pressed it briefly, removed it and placed it firmly in her lap. “We have to get you checked out by a doctor.”
“We can’t do that at Yearning Sands Resort.”
“I also have connections with a Virtue Falls doctor.”
She laughed. “Do you have connections everywhere?”
“If I don’t, someone in my family does.” He wasn’t bragging; he was making a flat statement of fact.
But he worried for no reason. There was nothing he could do about her eventual fate, and it was fruitless to agonize. “Max, for the moment, I am well. I shouldn’t probably bump my head again, that’s all.”
He nodded judiciously, his gaze fixed on the road. “Once you’ve had the doctor’s okay, I’ll make sure we don’t move too close to the headboard.”
“Where I would thump my head continuously?”
“Maybe not continuously. But frequently.”
“You, sir, are obnoxiously sure of yourself.” She would let him thump her against the headboard anytime.
“Obnoxiously?” He had a hint of a smile around his mouth.
“That’s the word.”
