Page 7

Haven nodded. “We’re trying.”

Reaching across the bar with the soda gun, she refilled his glass. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, you just say the word.”

Haven tipped his head to her, appreciating the offer. Ember seemed to be a kind woman. It was no wonder Zeke wanted to marry her. He glanced back to check on his charges. Aiden and Angela were still talking with the group, and Fallon continued to sleep. People were mingling about, and the sound was a little overwhelming. Turning back, he lifted a brow at Ember. “I can’t believe you invited everyone in for a weekend.”

Ember laughed, giving him a sideways look. “Well, let’s be clear. I did not. Lost and Found did. And you’re not all staying at my house. I’m just hosting here at the bar.”

“Still, that seems like a lot of work.”

Ember shrugged, smiling, and nodded toward Zeke. The man was grinning and laughing. “It’s worth it to see him be the social butterfly.”

Haven choked on his swallow of Coke, and laughed when he caught his breath. “He’s two-hundred and seventy pounds of muscle. Did you say butterfly?”

Grinning, Ember nodded. “Look at him. He loves this!”

And it was obvious Zeke did. Haven knew he was probably finalizing wedding plans now that he had everyone in the same room. “So, the mingle thing tonight, there’s a poker game slash football game tomorrow night, and the formal dinner Saturday. What else is going on?”

“Well, anyone that’s free is meeting at Willow’s house tomorrow for lunch. But it’s also a surprise baby shower for Shannon.”

Ember’s dark eyes glinted with excitement, and Haven almost laughed out loud. They were all here for her secret wedding, but she was excited to be planning a secret shower for someone else. How funny.

“And she has no idea?”

Ember shook her head, using a bar cloth to wipe a glass. “Nope. Not a smidgen.” She pointed a finger at him. “And don’t you say a word!”

“I would never,” he said, holding up his right hand in a cub scout salute. “Is it another boy she’s having?”

Ember shook her head. “No, a girl. That’s why she needs the shower. Some hand me down boy stuff is okay, but she needs more for the new baby.” A soft look entered Ember’s expression, and he tried to remember if she’d mentioned having more than just the one boy. He didn’t think so.

There was the slightest brush of something across his mind. At almost the exact same instant he felt it, Fallon woke up whimpering. People began to crowd around the baby, but Angela was already there, lifting her from the carrier. He caught Aiden’s gaze. It’s outside.

With a nod, Aiden headed for the front door. Haven headed for the back, weaving through the kitchen and through a large stockroom before he found a back door. An alarm went off as he cleared the door, but he didn’t pause.

Snow swirled around the building, but he didn’t feel the cold. His body was on alert, searching for some… presence. Or a moving body. He scanned the parking lot to the West. Something was drawing him in that direction. Aiden was moving in the front parking lot, parallel to his own path.

The shopping mall wasn’t big, but there was traffic running through it. A vape shop was getting a lot of business. That was where his attention was drawn. A black four-door car with blacked-out windows idled in one of the spots, steam from the exhaust curling up behind the car. As soon as he looked at the car, he could feel the entity-person- inside, menacing and dark. It was no one he’d met before. He would have remembered.

As if the person could feel his scrutiny, the car pulled out of the lot, cutting off a Jeep. The Jeep horn blared as the big sedan sped away.

Haven cussed a blue streak. As soon as his attention focused on the vehicle, he should have taken on camouflage, but it hadn’t occurred to him. Besides, snow was one of the hardest backgrounds to fade into.

“Did you get a plate?” Aiden gasped beside him.

Haven shook his head. “Didn’t have time.”

They stalked back to the building, the cold sinking into their bones. Haven had hung his coat on a hook by the door, and he hadn’t been able to grab it before he bolted. As they neared the front door, he realized it was now guarded by two men, 9 millimeters in hand. He recognized the men from the party, but had no idea what their names were. They held their weapons like they knew how to use them, though.

“Stand down,” Aiden said. “They got away.”

“What the fuck was that,” one asked. The guy was stacked with muscle and tattoos, and the cold didn’t seem to be bothering him.

“Someone who’s been watching us,” Aiden told him, before pulling open the door.

Inside the Frog Dog, the atmosphere had changed. The music had been shut off, and every available man and woman had circled the most vulnerable. Shannon held Fallon again, who sucked in a shuddering breath, like she’d been crying. How long had they been outside? Angela stood in front of them, her own gun in her hand.

“It’s okay, everyone,” Aiden said to the group. “Whatever or whomever it was, they’re gone now.”

Moving to Angela’s side, Aiden pressed a kiss to her forehead, then headed toward Fallon. The baby gasped in a breath and waved her arms as Aiden took her from Shannon. She calmed, her little breaths catching in her chest as she snuggled into her father. Haven wasn’t sure why she’d cried out, but it had sent terror through him. The thought of losing her while she was under his care…