Page 165 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“Yep. Groceries, tent, bedding, everything’s ready. Oh, got some mail for you too.” Webb handed over a couple of letters.

Ammo nodded as he put the letters into his pocket. “Good. Find anything?”

He knew the two men had canvassed her neighborhood when they first arrived, looking for any cameras that might have captured footage of the person who had firebombed her house.

“No. Nothing.”

“A tent? Groceries? Where are we going?” she asked as he lifted her up into the truck.

Ammo grabbed the seatbelt and pulled it over her, testing it once it was buckled in. He was aware that both Webb and Eli were giving him strange looks, but he didn’t care.

“To a cabin that Kirsten’s got. She said her grandfather built it, that it’s off-grid and can only be found if you know where to look.”

“Wow, she never told me about that.”

“Which is good. If no one else knows about it, then no one will find us there.”

“Do you think that’s really necessary?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, at least Kirsten will be looked after. I was worried about her.”

Ammo grasped hold of Aimee’s chin, then leaned in to kiss her lightly. “You need to stop worrying. Let me do the worrying.”

“Easier said than done.”

“No, just do it.” She rolled her eyes at him and he tapped her nose.

“Someone woke up with a lot of sass this morning, didn’t they?”

Secretly, he was pleased to see it. She had a bit more color in her cheeks, and while her voice still sounded raspy, her oxygen levels had come back up, which was a huge relief.

The doctor had told them that she needed to take it easy. No exercise, no stress, lots of hydration and good food. He also wanted to see her in a few days to check her over.

“I don’t think it’s sass. I can’t just turn off my worrying.”

“You should know that I am going to do everything necessary protect her, so there was really no need for you to worry.”

“Has anyone ever told you how arrogant you are?”

“Yes,” he replied.

Closing the door, he walked around to the driver’s side and started the truck. He already had the directions from Kirsten about where to meet her, so they could collect Kevin, then follow her up to the cabin.

“What about Kevin?” she asked. “I need Kevin.”

“Yeah, Kirsten’s meeting us with Kevin. She’ll show us where the cabin is, and then she and Eli will head back to her place.”

She nodded and turned to look out the window. She was quiet for the rest of the trip, which was unusual for her. He realized that he’d gotten used to her chatter.

He didn’t like that she was quiet and contemplative. She should only ever be happy and cheerful.

Ammo took some of the back roads, keeping away from the more populated areas of Greasy Knob. Part of him wanted to pick up a tail so he could have a chat with these guys. But not while he had precious cargo onboard.

Suddenly a deer ran out in front of the truck, and he slammed on the brakes at the same time as he flung out his arm over her chest, keeping her pressed against the seat.

She let out a loud cry.