Amy sniffs and frees herself from my hold. Her spine lengthens, her shoulders go back, and she pastes on a sweet smile she can’t possibly be feeling. She literally shifts into innkeeper mode. “I have four rooms available right now. So a couple of you will have to share. There are two king beds, a queen, and a room with two single beds. But they all have their own en suite bathroom.”
“I don’t mind sharing with Cade.” Blake nudges his buddy, giving him a saucy grin.
If Amy knew how much these guysshare, she wouldn’t have any concerns.
“I’ll take one of the kings,” Eliot says.
Stone calls dibs on the other king, and Alex grabs the queen.
“Tyler, can you show them to their rooms?” Amy’s tone is soft and friendly.
I nod. I’d love to take a shower first, but they’ve come all this way to help me handle this threat, so there's no point in delaying. “I’ll let you get settled. We can meet down here in twenty?”
The guys grab their bags, and I head for the stairs.
“I’ll turn on the kettle,” Amy calls to our backs. “Get some snacks. I think I have some muffins from this morning. I can put on coffee. I’m sorry I don’t have any liquor.”
“Water would be great,” Eliot replies from the lowest step. “Don’t worry about alcohol. We need to be alert.”
“Right, of course.” Amy retreats into the kitchen.
After pointing out their rooms, I head back downstairs. Amy’s still hiding in the kitchen. I could offer to help, but she probably needs some space. Instead, I drop onto one of the couches, shifting a throw pillow out of the way, and wait.
Big windows make up the back wall of the large room set up for guests to relax, play games, or whatever. Mountains covered in ponderosa pines and other evergreens fill the distant view. A sweet garden dotted with a couple of sets of Adirondack chairs invites Amy’s guests to hang out and enjoy the mountain air. Her deck is outfitted for alfresco dining, complete with a covered grill. She’s created a beautiful retreat. A wistfulness drifts through me. I could see myself living here with her as a real couple, free of the threat of violence. Too bad that’s not reality.
Before long, the guys jog down the stairs. Stone takes the single armchair. Alex sits at the other end of my couch. The security trio files in last and fills the other couch.
“Thanks for flying out.” I scrub my hand through my hair. “I should have a plan, but I can’t think straight when it comes to her. I know you guys can’t stay out here forever, but I’m not sure how to shut this down. It’s possible they never would have found her if I hadn’t come out first. I-I just don’t know.” Once again, the law of unintended consequences might be rearing its ugly head. “I’m second-guessing—”
Eliot holds up his hand to stop me. “Better to bring this to a head. We know someone is after her but not willing to make an obvious execution. The tap-and-stop method is a lot more subtle than I would have expected. This tells me they’ve likely outsourced the hit or assigned it to someone low level. Maybe they aren’t sure they have the right person.”
“Well, if they’re watching this place, they might be more confident now after seeing all of you arrive. You’d pass for a SEAL team.” I glance out at the backyard.
Eliot tilts his head to concede my point. “Aside from the unlocked front door, we’ve got a lot of windows on this place, especially in the rear. There’s a road beyond the back fence where someone could keep eyes on this place without trespassing. Any cameras? Security system?”
“Not that I know of.” I shift in my seat. I should never have bought this place sight unseen. The pictures on the listing didn’t capture how exposed Amy would be.
“Yeah, I didn’t spot any equipment,” Blake, the electronics specialist of the group, adds.
“That’s the first thing we should fix,” Eliot says. “Along with adding a security door on the front.”
“I can help with the installs,” Alex offers. I’ve seen some of his handiwork. The man could build a house from the ground up without a plan, and it would be perfect.
I nod, accepting his offer. I should have been the one to do all these security upgrades during my past visits. But I let her talk me out of it, knowing the protection program would keep her safe. Too bad I can’t go back in time because I would do things differently.
Amy comes into the room with a tray she places on the coffee table. The guys grab water bottles. “I’m not sure I want a security system or doors. I have guests who return late. I don’t want to give them the impression they’re not safe.”
“Most of your guests probably have home security systems,” Eliot responds. “They likely wonder why you don’t. The system we’ll install can be set up to use temporary expiring codes. You can issue them for the length of the stay using the application we’ll install on your computer.”
“That’s all fine, but the only way to resolve this situation for good is to find out who’s behind the threat and eliminate it.” Stone’s voice is low and commanding. “We’re here now, so that should be the focus. Not that we shouldn’t fix her security posture, but we can’t wait for this guy to come to us. What do we know?”
“Not enough.” I rub my hands along my thighs to keep from balling them into fists. “Big guy with dark hair. Driving a gray sedan with no front plate. Amy didn’t see his face.”
“He was in the hardware store. I guess he followed me from here?” She shivers, and I hold my hand out to her. She settles next to me on the couch and her nearness, her trust, eases some of my guilt.
The guys go back and forth, discussing how they can find out more about this guy. They finally decide to stick close to the inn, and Amy goes nowhere alone.
“We can take turns patrolling. Make sure no one lurks nearby,” says Cade.
