You’ve done your best, Greg. She’s fit, she’s strong, you’ve taught her to fight, she’s smart and she pays attention.

But if she crosses paths with the wrong guy, it may not be enough.

If she crosses paths with the wrong guy, there’s a good chance he’s going to be the one running away screaming.

“You were the light of his life,” Adam said softly. “He never stopped talking about you. Or worrying about you.”

“And I never stopped worrying about him,” she answered. And then, with acerbity back in her voice she added, “For all the good that did.”

And so the truce seemed over. And Adam tried to tell himself he should be glad it had happened at all, even if it hadn’t lasted.

Chapter 8

Now that Foxworth had clearly taken over...whatever this was, Adam was pondering what to do. He should have been well on his way home by now, probably through the pass and halfway there. He opened the weather app on his phone, since they somehow had a strong signal even out here. Better than at home anyway. Which was just as well, kept him from buying fancy, expensive phones. They had decent internet at the house and barn, but out on the Palouse, good luck with any kind of connection.

The storm that was still pouring rain on them here was already dumping snow in the mountains. The camera at Snoqualmie showed a near whiteout. Right now they were letting people through with snow tires, but from the look of it they’d be requiring chains soon. And the thought of wrestling chains onto his truck mostly one-handed was enough to make him groan inwardly.

Stop the pity party, Kirk.

“Thinking about tackling that?”

Hayley’s voice from behind him snapped him out of his thoughts.

“More thinking about not tackling it,” he admitted.

“Wise decision, I think.”

Hayley came around the chair, sat in the one next to it and handed him a cup of coffee. Adam took it gratefully. They’d moved back downstairs when they’d reached the point of rehashing the same ground again and again and accomplishing nothing. Until they knew who or what Pix referred to, they were at a loss.

“You’re going to keep digging into this?” he asked.

Hayley nodded. “If only for Amanda’s sake. Because he was obviously working on it when he was killed, it’s important to her.”

Adam glanced toward the small kitchen, where Amanda was with Quinn, apparently putting together some kind of lunch.

“He’s been looking out for her ever since, hasn’t he?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “My husband is hardwired that way.”

“So it wasn’t just...what happened to his parents?”

“That only solidified it, I think. Gave him direction, and determination.”

“He told me he wanted an organization that wasn’t hamstrung by regulations or politics, like cops are.”