Everly visibly swallowed. “Brute force attack. He would’ve done whatever he intended to right there.”
Heat rose through my body, filling muscle and sinew, pouring into my blood. What the hell had Ian done to Everly?
Hadley cleared her throat. “You’re sure he doesn’t want you back home with the rest of your family? Maybe he decided to force that. You and Cammie look a little bit alike. Maybe he thought she was you.”
Everly let out a chuckle, but it had a bitter air to it. “Trust me, the last thing Ian wants is for me to be home with him.”
I hadn’t thought about it until now, but Cammie and Everly did look alike. Same hair color, similar builds. Whoever this was, obviously had a type. “For now, everyone just needs to be careful.”
Hadley set her coffee down on the counter. “Yeah, yeah, buddy system at all times.”
I sent a pointed stare in my sister’s direction. “If I find out you’re not holding to that, I’ll tell Mom about the time you snuck liquor out of the cabinet for that bonfire and were sick for days.”
Her mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t.”
“Test me.”
“I know a few things about you, too, Bubby. Careful before you start a war.”
I slid my phone into my pocket and palmed my keys. “You know I have far more ammunition on you.”
She looked to Everly for help. “He’s right, dammit.”
Ev pressed her lips into a firm line to keep from laughing. “Better wave the white flag now.”
“Listen to her, little sister.” I moved through the space and acted on instinct, dropping a kiss to the top of Everly’s head. “Call if you start feeling worse. Your pain meds are on the counter.”
Her eyes widened a fraction. “O-okay. Thanks.”
I nodded and ignored the mischievous grin on Hadley’s face, heading for the door. As I drove to the station, I swore I could still feel the silk of Everly’s hair and smell the hint of jasmine that always seemed to float around her. I was screwed. And not in a good way.
As I passed the hardware store, a familiar truck caught my eye, and I hung a quick right. I parked a few spaces down from the older vehicle, turned off my engine, and stayed seated, waiting. It didn’t take long for him to appear. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Ian was alone. Maybe without Allen whispering in his ear, I’d finally get the truth.
I slid out of my SUV and started towards him. Ian caught sight of me in seconds and scowled. “I’m starting to think you’re stalking me.”
“Was just driving by and saw your truck. It saves me from having to drive out to the ranch later this morning.”
He balanced a bag in one arm. “What now?”
“Where were you between nine and ten last night?”
Ian stiffened. “You’ve got no right to ask me that. I don’t buy into your authority. I don’t answer to—”
I held up a hand. “Save me the spiel. I’ve heard it all before. Just tell me where you were, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“No.”
“I’ll take that to mean you don’t have an alibi.”
“It means I don’t tell pigs shit.”
I dialed in to everything about Ian at that moment. His fingers wrapped tightly around his keys. The set of his jaw. Anything that might give me any sort of clue when I relayed the next bit of information. “Someone attempted to abduct your sister last night.”
His eyes shifted to the right, his hold on the keys tightening. “What are you talking about?”
“Someone tried to grab her outside the vet’s office a little after nine.”
A muscle in Ian’s jaw ticked. “That’s what happens when women go out on their own, unprotected. Maybe a little scare will finally show Everly her place.”
“You think it’s your job to give her that scare?”
Ian’s eyes narrowed on me. “I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I only report to God and my family.”
“Somehow, I don’t think God would be too pleased with some of the things you’ve done, Ian.”
He set his bag on the hood of his truck. “What did Evie tell you? Whatever it was, she lies. Invents all sorts of stories.”
There was a slight edge of panic to his tone. That simple fact had ice sliding through my veins. “Everly hasn’t told me anything. But why don’t you share what would have you running scared, all of a sudden?”
“I’m not scared of anything. Not her. Not you. No one. Fuck off, pig.” He grabbed his bag and jumped into his truck, the tires squealing as he pulled away.
Everly had something on Ian. And the fact that she was back scared him. I just needed her to trust me enough to tell me what it was.
26
Everly
“I’m not going to lie. I’m relieved to have you back, and not just because it means you’re feeling better.”
I winced as I watched Miles rise from our break room table and throw away what remained of his lunch. “I’m sorry I left you in the lurch for a few days.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I’m just so sorry this happened. And right outside, too. I had some new floodlights installed. That should help discourage any lurkers. And you and Kelly aren’t to lock up alone anymore.”
“I hate that you had to go to all of this extra trouble.”
Miles met my gaze. “It’s not trouble when it comes to keeping you and the rest of my staff safe. You’re an asset to this team, Everly, and I’m lucky to have you.”
“Thank you. I love working here.”
There wasn’t a dishonest word in my statement. Even two days away had left me twitchy. But the way Hayes had set Hadley and Shiloh on me, I hadn’t had a chance to do anything but watch movies or play cards. When my forty-eight-hour prison sentence was up, I’d practically run back to work.
Miles gave me one of his warm smiles. “I’m so glad you do because we’ve been a little lost without you. And I think Kelly was ready to throttle Tim and me.”
A small laugh escaped. The other vet tech and I had really found our stride and made a great team. “I owe her a cup of coffee, at least, for covering for me.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind that. I’m going to get a jump on paperwork before our next patient. Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
“Thanks, Miles.”
I turned back to the salad and chips I’d packed this morning. It wasn’t an egg salad from Spoons, but it did the trick. I reached into my bag and pulled out my small bottle of Tylenol. I had the stronger prescription but didn’t want to take that while working. Acetaminophen would have to cut it. Swallowing two pills down, I rubbed at the back of my neck.
Dr. Balicanta had told me that, even though my concussion was mild, it could take weeks for the symptoms to go away completely. It was mostly a dull ache running through my skull, but I sometimes got dizzy if I moved too quickly. And I didn’t have weeks for that. I needed to be back to helping Shiloh build some shelters for different animals.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” It slowly swung open, and a familiar face peeked in. “Addie?”
She hesitated in the doorway. “Hi, Evie.”