Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (good fiction books to read .txt) 📕

He focused on the ground. “Something’s bothering me, but I can’t pinpoint it. Let me get you inside and make sure you’re safe. Pack up whatever you need for a few days. I’m going to go pick up a change of clothes, make some calls, and be back here in an hour, before nightfall.”

As they stood in the doorway to her room, the only real home she’d known for the last fifteen years, her eyes and nose burned at the thought of Bobby being shot and struggling under water, the way she’d found Henry…

“I’m sure Bobby will turn up.” Henry’s voice seemed tight and short. The tenderness they’d shared in the tunnels had vanished. The law enforcement ranger determined to prove himself had taken his place.

She shook her head and the damp braid whipped around and slapped her chin, keeping her together. She rushed forward and pulled out one of Bobby’s specialty sandwiches—one she’d kept in her fridge for dinner—and a bottled water for herself and Henry. “Take this to go. I think we both need some sustenance to help us think straight after the day we’ve had.”

And the night ahead, she reminded herself. She grabbed a knife, split the sandwich in two, and handed the drink and food over.

“I need you to call your aunt and tell her to stay put for now.”

Nora nodded, averting her eyes. Why did the change in his demeanor hurt so much? She should’ve been used to it after the years since their breakup, but she’d felt so close to him after the events of the week. She bit her lip, not trusting that her untamed emotions wouldn’t begin spilling over. If Maya was right, and they were all in danger, the only way the plan would work to take the drug ring down would be to go in hiding. Nora’s chest tightened at the thought. What was the Lord doing?

When the walls seemed like they were caving in while they were stuck in the mines, she’d been challenged that it was time to go after the dreams she’d all but forgotten. And now? She might spend months, if not longer, hiding and waiting without anything or anyone she loved. She cleared the emotion from her tight throat. “What’s going to happen to Maya after she officially gives her witness statement?”

He blinked. “If we get you somewhere safe, and we do this right, she can get a lawyer and probably negotiate a pretty good deal for herself.” He leveled his gaze. “But she’s probably going to have to serve some time, Nora.”

“I know.” She’d hoped there would be another way, but the truth steeled her nerves. She’d be spending a lot of time praying for Maya’s protection and heart through it all. “I guess I needed to hear it, though. Do you know where I’ll be staying?”

His eyes flickered with gratefulness as he accepted the sandwich and water from her. “Not yet. Possibly my place at first. But only as a last resort,” he added. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She flinched and watched his back retreat down the hallway. He spun around. “Lock the door behind you, Nora.”

She nodded and closed the door. Staying with him would be a last resort? She’d felt alone for most of her life, but never this alone. The two people she had loved most and lost had both been in front of her today as a reminder of what she could never have. “At least You’re still with me,” she whispered to God as a prayer. “I could really use some of that peace right about now.”

* * *

Henry ate with one hand during the straighter portions of the drive to the field office. At least he’d found his spare, a set of keys magnetically hidden inside one of the U-channels in his roof rack.

The top priority was to get the appropriate gear and backup law enforcement set up to properly protect Maya and Nora. He debated calling the DEA—which might take some time to arrive—or an old friend in Coeur d’Alene, Deputy US Marshal Kurt Brock. The man had kept a federal judge and his granddaughter safe despite a private militia contract to take them out. He would probably help him find a safe house for Nora and Maya as a favor until the DEA stepped in. He just needed to find the man’s number—since his personal cell phone had also been in his gear belt, now at the bottom of the river.

His arms twitched, wanting to take the turn that would take him to a fresh set of clothes and a hot shower. But Nora was right. The food and water must have been what he’d needed because he was regaining a new focus. He glanced at the clock. Sunset would be here before he knew it and, other than the dispatch radio in his truck, he had no way to contact anyone if he went home. The field office would at least have a phone and new gear, so he stayed on the county highway.

Never before had he been closer to solving Tommy’s murder. Bringing in other law enforcement to make it happen stung, but it was time for him to let go once and for all and be a team player without his ego getting in the way. He exhaled a long breath. Ironic that the more confident he grew of his career and value, the easier it was to lay down his pride and let disapproval from others roll off his shoulders. If only he’d had that perspective when he’d first started his career. He’d probably be married to Nora by now.

The sudden regret was like a knife to his heart.

He hoped whoever was to be in charge of the drug ring investigation and Carl’s involvement would at least give Henry’s thoughts some consideration. Perry didn’t seem like a real suspect, but he had been there at the time of Tommy’s death and certainly had the type