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"Wiz, Erin's out running." His heart sped with terror. "I don't know where. I'm getting my car." Ryan sprinted for the house. He had to find Erin before Cust did. He entered the code on the alarm pad and bounded up the stairs. Arm, keys, weapon. He ran back down the stairs and out the door, almost slamming into Erin on the porch. He grabbed her by both arms, his left one glancing off.
"Ryan, what's wrong?" Her friendly smile changed into alarm.
"You're okay, right?" His heartbeat almost deafened him.
"I'm fine. What's going on?" Erin's brows almost met above her wrinkled nose.
Erin was safe. She hadn't even seen Cust. Ryan panted and let go, collapsing against the doorframe. He'd had a death grip on her arm, with keys and weapon jammed into one arm, grasper pressing against the other. "I'm sorry—that's probably going to bruise." He took a deep breath, then another, trying to regain some sanity. "Cust was here, looking in the coffee shop window. I told him to leave. He threatened me, but Wiz came out, weapon in hand. When Cust mouthed off to her, I thought he was dead." He dropped his hands to his knees and took a few breaths. Erin was okay. He stood up. "Cust left, but Wiz said he was armed. I was going to look for you."
Erin stared at him with both brows raised for a moment, then let out a breath. "I'm fine. I saw Chaz; he yelled something at me and shook his fist. But there were a ton of people and cars out there today. He’s not going to attack me in broad daylight. He’s a bully, but like most of them, a coward.” She shrugged. “I had my phone out, ready to call 911. But I’m more concerned about Wiz. I'll check on her. I want to make sure she's all right."
"Good idea. Wiz was scary. It's better that I stay away." Erin jogged to the shop. She was fine; he could stand down, stop worrying. Except he'd better worry about himself—he was acting like an idiot. Weapon and keys jammed into his right hand, left arm on but not quite straight. Which was kind of tough to do. He laughed, but it sounded a little... off. Guess he should start practicing at the firing range again. He'd done some one-handed shooting as part of his therapy but not much since then. He carefully shut the front door and collapsed on a kitchen chair. Whew. When he thought of what Cust could do to Erin, out there on the trail... Come on, Walsh. There were a billion cars going by, lots of runners and bicyclists too, especially on a weekend. And even if Cust got Erin into his car, it's not like she was some helpless wallflower. Still, the thought made him crazy. He was so screwed.
He stared up at the ceiling. Yeah, he wanted Erin, but it was because he loved her. When did that happen? Sure, he'd thought she was hot the very first time he saw her, but he didn't even know her back then. Now, he'd only been around her for a short time, but he couldn't imagine life without her. Guess love didn't take long.
Yep, this is fantastic. He was head over heels, like a teenage boy, and had a snowflake's chance in the desert with her. Ryan laughed, the sound echoing through the house. This time, it didn't sound off, it was downright despairing. Get it together, Walsh. If Erin walked in now, she'd want to know why he was upset, and he'd end up blurting out, "I love you." She'd let him down gently and it would kill him. Better to keep his mouth shut, and then he could pretend that he had a chance someday. Desperate, he tried the rhythmic breathing exercises the shrink suggested.
When Erin returned, he'd calmed his breathing, if not his heart. He took one more deep breath, repeating "Erin's safe" to himself, then remembered why Erin had gone back to the shop. "Wiz okay?"
"Yes, she’s fine." Erin smiled. "I expected to find her curled up in a little ball somewhere, but she was calmly downloading the surveillance video segments with Cust on them so I could email them to Sam. Which I did. I pressed Wiz a little, and she said she felt powerful and strong for the first time in a long time. All her training paid off. She also said she definitely wanted to live in Montana because our gun laws are better." Erin chuckled. " She's going to look for property or houses, and I told her I'd be happy to check out anything for her in person."
Ryan laughed with Erin in sheer relief. "That is a good sign. I was absolutely sure you'd find her hiding in her van or in the back corner of the shop or the apartment. I wasn't looking for her. I figured she'd hear my footsteps, know they were a man's, and off me. But I guess I wasn't very fair to her."
"Better safe than sorry. Besides, it's my business, my responsibility." Erin shrugged one shoulder.
He nodded. He'd like to share the responsibility with her, but that would never happen.
Erin smiled, a little sadly. "Anyway, Wiz took off for home.” She frowned. “She said she was going to research Cust—his remarks about dangerous friends bothered her. I’m sure he’s grandstanding.” She waved, like she was brushing away Wiz’s concerns. “Want to go for your workout or go to Missoula?"
He huffed a laugh. "My heart got enough pounding. Let me change, and we'll go shopping."
"Sure. Take your time." She filled a glass of water. “I need a shower.”
He ran back up the stairs, took a fast shower, and changed. He also switched to his "polite" arm, grabbed his wallet, and ran back down. "Let's go."
He'd offered to drive his car, but she said they'd need the truck for her Costco run. He stared at the side of the Sapphire Mountains, trying to find a good spot for Wiz to live, but he kept replaying the morning.
Just before Missoula, Erin poked his shoulder. "We should hit the farmer's markets first. I threw a cooler in the back."
"Sure. Maybe grab something to eat there too." There, he sounded normal.
"Yep, they have great food stalls and trucks." She nodded her head.
Ryan had nothing to talk about. He couldn't get the terror of the morning out of his head. All the cars around them made him nervous, like he was expecting an IED. Which was ridiculous in Missoula, Montana.
A few minutes later, Erin asked, "Traditional farmer's market with veggies and other food, or did you want to hit the more arts and crafts markets?"
He swallowed hard. "Whichever you want. I'm along for the ride, mostly."
"All right, farmer's then. And if you get bored, you can go over to the downtown hiking store while I browse."
"Okay, good idea." It was, but Ryan still couldn't stop thinking about the what-ifs. He had to stop; get out of his head. But he kept reliving the terror of knowing Erin was out there alone with Cust gunning for her.
At the market, fresh problems meant letting the old ones go. In the crowds, he scanned for suicide bombers and found escape routes, edging through the crowd with his head on a swivel. Erin told him about the market's history and found different, delicious foods for him to try. By the time they'd walked the first aisle, her care let him relax enough to enjoy the food and the location next to the Clark Fork River. Erin handed him bags and packages, treating him like a pack mule. But she fed him something with every bag, so it wasn't so bad. They visited the hiking store too but didn't find boots that fit.
Erin went to Costco while he went across the street to REI. He found a great pair of boots on sale and bought a better sleeping pad with the savings. He wore the new boots to break them in. It wasn't much of a walk, but starting short was smart.
Ryan leaned against Erin's truck, the noon sun beating down. He could get a drink, but it wasn't worth the effort. She'd be here soon, and then he could watch her walk across the parking lot. He squinted at a tall stack of big boxes rolling toward him, red hair popping around the side occasionally. He laughed and threw his old shoes in the back of the pickup, grabbing the front of the cart. "That is you behind all those boxes."
