“Like I said, I made some calls. There’s a company that needs a training instructor, on site, days only. And I don’t need to live in Anchorage. I didn’t understand that when I first took the job with the K-9 Unit. I get sent everywhere. As long as my home base is within an hour or so from the headquarters, that’s good enough.”
“What are you saying?” Ivy’s voice cracked.
“I saw you light up whenever you were out in nature. You’ll want to share that love with Dylan. That survivalist company is in Palmer, less than an hour from Anchorage. Super small town surrounded by wilderness, next to Lazy Mountain and the Matanuska River.”
She held her breath, refusing to consider what really did sound perfect. Rose-colored glasses, likely. She needed some time away from him. She braced herself, determined to ask the question most on her mind. “And how does where you live factor into this conversation? Dylan and I are a package deal, Sean. He calls me Mama—” She turned away to get a glass of water.
“I’m not asking you to give up being a mom, Ivy.” His voice sounded more tender than she’d heard in years.
She couldn’t look at him, so she continued to face the sink. “Then what—” She shook her head. “Even if you’ve come to your senses and realized you’d be a great father, we still had problems. I mean, look at us now, arguing...”
He placed his hands on the back of her shoulders. “We’re not yelling at each other. We never have. We’ve disagreed, sure—”
“They were fights, Sean.” She turned to face him, a little caught off guard that he didn’t step farther back. “Let’s call them what they were, and face the fact that happy couples don’t...” She let her words fail her, shocked by what had almost slipped out of her mouth.
Sean raised an eyebrow. “Happy couples don’t fight? Is that what you were going to say? Ivy, is that what you thought about us? Was that part of our problem?”
“No. I mean, I know it’s good for couples to disagree.” Ivy averted her eyes. Logically, she knew that, but she didn’t want to admit how recently she’d learned, thanks to her foster parenting classes, disagreements were actually healthy. How would their marriage have been different? Not that the answer would do any good now.
“I know I was guilty of not telling the whole story when we did argue.” He exhaled. “That wasn’t fair.”
She braced herself to meet his eyes. “Are you telling the whole story now? What exactly are you implying about moving? What are you asking me?”
His eyes dropped and eyebrows drew together. “I...I’m not sure yet. I just know that I want to keep you safe. I want to keep both of you safe.”
Despite her best intentions to keep her guard up, his admission was like a knife spearing her heart. The only reason he wanted her to move was for their safety. She’d hoped for things she could never have.
A door creaked open behind them. Helena stepped out, her lips pinched. “I’m sorry if I’m interrupting.”
They both faced her. Ivy plastered a fake smile on her face. “No, we were done talking. Can I get you anything?”
Helena shook her head and turned to Sean. “Fiona just called me. The two businessmen just checked out of the inn and left town.”
Sean bolted into action. He threw his uniformed shirt back on over the navy T-shirt he’d been wearing during dinner. “I’ll see if they’re still at the airport.”
“We can’t force them to help us, Sean,” Helena said.
“I’m fully aware, but I at least have to try to convince them.” He grabbed his holster and made fast work of wrapping it around his waist.
Grace looked at Dylan before glancing at Sky. Her eyes seemed to say, Take care of him while I’m gone. Her white tail curled and her spine was alert. The Akita clearly understood she needed to go to work. She leaped after Sean before he even tapped his side, and they disappeared out the bunker door.
Ivy didn’t need further explanation. The sting operation wasn’t happening. She wasn’t safe in Nome, and her heart wasn’t safe with Sean. The only way to survive would be to take Dylan and run away. But even then, would they really ever be out of danger?
THIRTEEN
Sean paced outside the bunker. The morning air and movement helped him think, especially since he was short on sleep after the late night at the Nome airport. The two investors had already grabbed the last commercial flight to head back to Anchorage that only happened twice a day. And from there, they would journey on to Seattle.
He wasn’t even afforded the chance to ask who they’d told about the sting before they left. For now, he would stick to the plan and hope there was a chance that their suspect would still show at the B and B. As he stewed on it, he realized the B and B owner might be able to shed light on the investors’ fast departure. He texted Helena, who was still packing up in the bunker. She replied with Fiona’s number.
“Well,” Fiona said after answering, “we pride ourselves on guest privacy, but I will say they seemed awfully spooked before they left here last night.”
“Spooked? How so?”
“It was odd. They had dinner, and I applauded them on all the research and hard work they’d done. Told them maybe if all the miners had done their due diligence, then maybe there wouldn’t be so many failures. Then I listed all the recent districts that have shut down. Next thing I knew, they were giving each other looks like daggers. Hudson said something about danger and cons and stormed out of the room, mumbling about mutual funds looking better every second. They left thirty minutes after, clearly annoyed with each other.”
Sean didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “Did you by chance mention anything about the Bozsan mining district?”
“Oh, yes! That was probably the third one. It’s an interesting one because it used to be a huge success, but it’s all dried up now. Sad. The owner was a respected man but a loner. No family that I knew of. Died alone after spending his fortune on trying to find more gold, ironically.”
“Do you know if Evan and Hudson met or talked with anyone in the last hours they were there?” he asked.
“Just you.”
“You’ve been a great help, Fiona. Thank you.”
“I don’t know how I could’ve helped, but you’re welcome. After you and the officers are done with your little stakeout, you come in and get some hot cocoa, okay? It’s supposed to snow today.”
Sean shook his head in disbelief and signed off. At least Minnie had kept her promise and not shared with the family the details surrounding the case. If Fiona knew they were after a murderer, surely she wouldn’t refer to it as their little stakeout. And yet he already felt fondness for everyone he’d met in the community. No wonder Ivy enjoyed small-town life.
At the thought of losing her, his insides twisted in knots. So why couldn’t he ask her to give them another chance? Why did he have to dance around it?
The door opened and Helena and Luna strode out, heading for their SUV. Ivy ran out behind her, Dylan on her hip and Sky on one side. Grace made a pawing action. The husky reacted by sitting at attention, waiting patiently, as if it were perfectly normal to take orders from a K-9.
Ivy thrust a thermos toward him. “I wanted you to take this with you. It’s full of hot cocoa. It’s supposed to snow later this morning.”
“Would it surprise you to know Fiona offered me hot cocoa, as well?”
She laughed. “First snow of the season demands cocoa.”
Dylan beamed at him, then turned and put his palm on Ivy’s cheek. Sean’s insides melted at seeing the interaction. He wanted nothing more than to pull them both into his arms. Instead, he nodded curtly. “Are you sure you feel safe here?”
“I’ll put the security system on the moment I’m back inside. I have Sky with me and weapons.” They stared at each other for a second until Ivy’s eyes widened and she tipped over, straight into his arms. He caught her easily, pulling th
em both to his chest. “Something pressed into the back of my knees. I think Grace pushed me over!”
He peered over her shoulder to find Grace avoiding eye contact, standing directly behind her feet. “That move is only for taking down dangerous suspects, Grace.” The dog seemed to roll her eyes and sway her hips as she took a long arc of a walk around until finally back next to him.
Ivy straightened but Sean hesitated to fully release his arms from around them. The kiss they’d shared had been burned into his memory. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded, her blue eyes peering into his. Dylan had twisted so he could stare at the two dogs below them. Sean felt the tug to draw her closer once more, and he lowered his face toward hers...
“You better get going,” she said softly.
Her words jolted him. He dropped his arms and stepped away. “Sorry about Grace.” Affection had never been their problem. Ivy had always been his biggest cheerleader. Until she stopped. But she hadn’t just stopped cheering him on, had she? She’d stopped living her days with joy altogether. Was it at the same time as he’d started putting walls around his heart?
“I’m sure it was an accident.” Her cheeks flushed a glowing pink that matched her lips. She waved and ran back into the bunker. Sky jumped up and trotted after Ivy without being beckoned. Maybe the husky was the right choice for them. She certainly was a smart dog.
Sean waited until he heard the grinding of metal to be certain the extra door was sealed before turning to his partner. “I don’t need any matchmaking skills from you.” It was hard enough not to kiss Ivy without his dog throwing them together.
Grace harrumphed, clearly unconvinced, and trotted back to their waiting SUV. Helena offered a thumbs-up from the inside of her SUV and started her engine.
Sean opened the door for Grace. “Let’s go get this guy.”
* * *
Ivy cleaned to the sounds of Sky’s paws tapping across the length of the bunker, running after the tennis ball Dylan had thrown from inside his portable crib, followed by the tyke’s giggles when Sky dropped the ball back inside the crib. Good thing she had a change of fresh sheets on hand before he took his nap. But the extra work was worth the smiles and bonding time between the dog and Dylan. At least it confirmed her suspicions that Sky loved people. She knew it the moment the poor thing had tried to find help for her owner.
Even Sean had seemed to recognize that it was a good decision. She spun around in a slow circle. Wasn’t there something else she could clean? She didn’t want to think about her conversation with him last night, the danger he was in today. Her fingers drifted to her lips.
He had almost kissed her. Again. And she was ashamed about how disappointed she was that he hadn’t. They had unintentionally gotten back to a few of the routines they used to share. Cleaning the kitchen together, for instance. They’d done that whenever he was home for dinner. It was habit to kiss back then. Plain and simple. Didn’t mean anything.
Then why wouldn’t her racing heart slow down whenever she replayed that kiss in her mind? How many times would she allow her heart to soften? She’d almost thought he was about to ask them for a second chance last night. Only to find he wanted to serve as a part-time security guard for them. For a split second, she’d allowed herself to believe they could truly try again.
Why do I want that but also want to grab Dylan and run away? She closed her eyes ever so briefly in prayer. The tennis ball hit the top of Ivy’s shoe and bounced to the back of the bunker, close to the laundry. “Mama!” Dylan laughed so hard that he lost his grip on the edge of the crib and fell back to sitting. He rolled over, still laughing, and crawled back up to standing.
Her heart burst and she picked up the little boy and kissed his head. “I love you.”
Dylan’s humor disappeared, only to be replaced with an intense frown. “Doggy?”
The dog backed away from the ball at the back and turned tail and ran past them, scratching at the front door. She studied the dog. That was odd. Maybe the laundry room scared her? “Do you really need to go out?”
It hadn’t been that long since Sky had been out before Sean left, and Sky had definitely taken the opportunity to get things done. Ivy had promised Sean and Helena that she’d stay indoors while they were gone, with the security system engaged. She glanced at the lit panel that operated the system. It was still lit as secure. She leaned closer to examine it. Yes, both the front door and the emergency hatch in the back showed as locked and engaged.
Still, it was a very weird reaction from the dog. Ivy unlocked the gun case, mainly to calm her own nerves. It would only take her a second now to grab a weapon if needed. She lifted a silent prayer that it wouldn’t come to that.
Sky’s voice continued to warble in sorrowful, urgent tones. She turned and scratched at the door a second time. “Okay, fine. I need to call Sean like I promised, and if he says okay, you’ll have to wear a leash. It’ll need to be fast, and I can’t go chasing after you if you see a moose you want to meet.”
She grabbed the satellite phone to dial Sean, but it started vibrating and released a shrill ring. She almost dropped it in surprise. The number wasn’t one she recognized, but it could be someone from the trooper post giving her an update. Dylan was also getting increasingly annoyed that Sky wasn’t playing fetch anymore. She placed him back in the crib and apologized to the very nervous husky. “One more minute.” She picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Ivy? Oh, good, I finally reached you!” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but the satellite phone didn’t offer the best reception. Sky practically howled.
“Sorry, it’s a bit busy here. Who is this?” Ivy picked up the leash and hooked it to Sky’s collar. Maybe that would calm her down for just a second until she was given the all clear to take her out. Any moment now, her kidnapper would be caught.
“Anastasia.” The phone cut in and out. “Social worker?”
Ah, that was why the voice was familiar. “Of course. Listen, I don’t have the best connection, but I have been meaning to talk to you.” Ivy rolled her head from side to side, the knot in the back of her shoulder starting to make a reappearance. “Even if the troopers catch the suspect today, I’m considering taking a job in a different area of Alaska. Just to be safe and start somewhere fresh.” She paced as she spoke.
Even though she wasn’t taking Sean’s suggestion to move to Palmer and apply for that survivalist training position, the idea of getting back to the job she loved in a new area was strongly appealing. Besides, she really wanted Dylan to grow up somewhere closer to people. Ideally, she sought a small-town community located near vast expanses of wilderness but not as remote as the mission apartment. Nome simply didn’t have that type of employment for her within the town limits. “Can we talk later about the process of how I would relocate while still fostering Dylan?”
She glanced at Sky, who had at least given her the courtesy of stopping the howl but was scratching with newfound tenacity at the door. Maybe she should put down a towel, just in case. Poor thing. She wanted to let her out, but she didn’t want to be foolish with their safety, either.
“Of course. Just some paperwork, but that’s not why I need to talk to you. I received a call a while back and I’m starting to second-guess myself. You said your ex-husband was a state trooper, right? And he was the one who was taking up your protection detail.”
“Yes.”
“He called and said you weren’t picking up. Which I can see now is pretty valid since it took me a couple times until you answered.”
“The satellite phone doesn’t always work flawlessly,” she admitted. The tension in her neck increased and now her stomach joined in. Something didn’t sit right. Sean had been trying to call? Why would he contact the social worker?
“He said he needed directions to meet up with you. And that he knew you were headed north out of town but lost you.”
<
br /> Ivy’s mouth went dry. “You gave him directions to the bunker?”
“Yes. I hope that was okay?”
Ivy’s eyes darted to Sky again. She knew something. She was trying to warn her. Could Sky smell the murderer? “No, no, no. It wasn’t my ex-husband.”
“What? Oh, Ivy, what should I do?”
“I...I have to go.” She hung up and her shaking fingers hit the preprogrammed number for Helena instead of Sean by accident. The call didn’t go through. She cried out in frustration and Dylan’s face crumpled in fear. “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry. Mommy is just a little stressed.”
She moved to press Sean’s number again, but the security panel lights flickered. If she hadn’t been standing right next to the door, she would’ve missed it entirely, especially since the perimeter alarm hadn’t gone off. Ivy felt her eyes widen as she leaned forward. The lights of the security system flickered again and then went dark.
Sky spun around, looking past her, and released a deep, guttural bark that echoed against the steel walls. No sign of anyone inside. Could Sky hear him approaching from outside? Ivy dropped the satellite phone and wrenched open the gun case. She would trust her instincts. And this time, there was no option to run away and hide. She needed to stay and protect her son no matter what the cost. She grabbed the loaded weapon and stuffed it in the pocket of her jeans. She stepped forward to gather Dylan. Then she’d try again to call Sean.
“I’d put that gun down if I were you.” The man stepped out of the shadows from the laundry room, holding his own gun, aimed directly at Dylan.
FOURTEEN
Sean kept his eyes trained on the two men passing each other in front of the B and B. The plainclothes officers didn’t so much as glance at each other or the unmarked vehicles stationed around the place. They’d walk around the back where another Nome PD car awaited before making the same loop around the place, this time on the opposite side of the sidewalk.
Arctic Witness Page 16
