Page 50 of Twilight Tactics

“And Elena’s wrist. And knee. And ribs.”

She shook her head. “Get inside and make yourself comfortable. We’re going to be here awhile. You know where the first aid kit is.” He did. She had one in every cabin.

She hurried back inside, meds clutched in her hand. Sully thanked the sheriff for the ride and handed the man his phone back. “Our statements are saved like you asked.”

The sheriff nodded. “Thanks. That makes things easier. We might be small-town, but we’re tech savvy and love it.”

Sully shot him a quick smile. “You know where to find us if you need us.”

“Yep. In the meantime, I’m going hunting for two black trucks.”

“One of them will have a messed-up front end.”

“I know. I’m going to check with body shops too, but I don’t think they’ll be that dumb. They’ll lay low for a bit before they get that fixed in a shop.”

“Any of your mechanics make house calls?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Not that I know of, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

They shook hands, and Sully caught up with Elena on the porch. “You okay?”

“Just thought I’d wait on you.”

Six little words with the impact of a punch. When was the last time someone had waited on him just because? He couldn’t remember. And he had no idea why his heart was reacting so. Maybe it simply had to do with the person. The way she stood there, arms crossed against the chill, weight shifted to her good leg, watching him with those eyes that seemed to see right through his carefully constructed walls. Yeah, he was going to have to patch those walls, what with all the holes she was putting in them. He followed her inside, the scent of coffee and cinnamon rolls wrapping around him.

David Broussard stood in the kitchen with Piper, and Sully shook his hand. “Good to see you, man.” He nodded at Sully’s head. “Looks painful.”

“I’ve hurt worse.” In more ways than physically for sure.

His friend towered several inches over six feet, with the lean, disciplined build of a career soldier. His green eyes were always in surveillance mode and his auburn hair was cut military short. The freckles scattered across his naturally pale skin hinted at Celtic ancestry beneath the hardened exterior.The dude might be gruff and put some people off, but he was efficient.

Sully walked to the kitchen cabinet and pulled the first aid kit down. “I’m assuming Maya will use this when she’s finished with Ollie.”

“I can take care of this,” Elena said. She opened the box with her good hand. The ACE bandage was on top.

“Sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you,” David said, “but I had a client I had to tie things up with.”

“Not a problem,” Sully said. “How’s Ollie?”

“She just took her meds,” Piper said. “She’ll be all right.” She frowned at Sully. “You sure you’re all right?”

“I’m sure.”

“I still think we should have taken her to a medical facility.”

“Too risky,” Sully said, pressing a piece of gauze to his wound. “But we can just agree to disagree.”

“Right. Well, Maya never left her side, so at least she’s had excellent medical care.”

“And she’ll be fine, right?”

“Yes.” Her features softened. “Yes, she’s fine. Let’s keep it that way from now on?”

“Absolutely.” Sully looked at David. “You find anything on the footage as to who might have taken the meds? Assuming someone did?”

“We have three possibilities—meaning vets who were in the gym the same time Ollie and her backpack were—but no evidence any of them took them. We’re trying to be subtle. Not make accusations.”

“Understood. And I agree. If no one actually took them, then we certainly don’t want to be throwing around blame. Anything else?”