Page 62 of Juan

It was just like Amber to be concerned for others. She questioned her strength, her bravery, but she was every bit as strong and brave as the women she admired. Hers was quieter, for sure, but unquestionable.

“They’re at the clubhouse already. I called Dulcie on my way here in case we needed to send someone for them, but Clara is working on your garden, and Adrian is in the garage with Philly and Wesson.”

Amber frowned as she swung the packed bag over her shoulder. “The garage?”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Turns out she knows a thing or two about restoration. She’s looking at our newest project.”

Amber paused, then shook her head. “I’m parked there,” she said, pointing to her car, four cars down from his bike. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve having Clara and Adrian in my life, but I wonder if I can convince them to stay in Mystery Lake when, well, when this is all over.”

He kept his eyes peeled as they walked toward her car. “They seem pretty settled in Virginia, but they also seem pretty attached to this one,” he said, poking Zoe in the stomach and eliciting another giggle. “We’ll never know unless we ask,” he said. She squeezed his hand. He thought she might like the sound of “we” as much as he did.

He saw the two settled in Amber’s car before heading to his bike. As requested, she waited until he was ready before backing out of her spot so he could follow her home.

He felt a little chagrined about his anxiety when they pulled into the parking area without incident. Still, he’d felt better having them in his sights. And Amber was the furthest thing from reckless. Once she heard the news he had to share, she’d be cautious going forward.

“I gave her a cup of milk on the drive, but I think it’s nap time,” Amber said when he joined her beside her car as she unclipped Zoe from her car seat. “Can whatever you have to say wait?”

He nodded, taking the diaper bag from her hand. “Now that we’re all here, it can wait.” He trailed her upstairs and distracted Zoe as Amber changed her diaper and clothes, slipping her into a footless onesie for her nap. Then, so as not to be a distraction, he kissed them both and headed downstairs.

By the time Amber rejoined him, Clara, Adrian, Philly, Dulcie, and Dottie were gathered in the lodge room. “Do we need to wait for the others?” she asked.

Juan shook his head. “I called Mantis earlier. He let everyone know.”

“Know what?” Clara asked.

“That Anthony hired a PI to find you two and Zoe,” Juan answered. Then setting his eyes on Amber, he added, “And I was watching the cameras at his place just before I called you. The PI paid him a visit and now he’s looking for you, too.”

Chapter twenty-nine

Amber’s stomach pitched like a dinghy in a hurricane at Spencer’s statement. If she were honest with herself, she’d expected this all along. Even so, the news sucked the breath from her lungs.

“We won’t let anything happen to any of you,” Spencer said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. “Security here is good, and I’ve already asked HICC to come in and work with Superman to see if we have any blind spots.”

She nodded automatically, hearing his words but not really processing them.

“I also called your lawyer to let him know what’s going on,” he added as she sank onto the couch.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Clara said, taking a seat on her other side. Adrian joined them on the other side of her mom. “I know it seems scary now, and admittedly, it would be easier if Anthony hadn’t taken it into his head to try to track any of us down. But there is a silver lining.” Amber looked over. “He’s nervous. Nervous people make more mistakes.”

Adrian huffed. “Mom, you sound like a bad movie. What she meant to say, Amber, is that he only has one PI looking for you. For the four of us. Whereas we have this.” She cast her arm out and waved it around the room. There weren’t that many people in it, but Amber got the point. One PI against all the Falcons wasn’t much of a threat.

“And we don’t know anything about the PI,” Spencer added. She turned her head and searched his eyes in question. “There are plenty of shitty people out there; everyone in this room knows that. But for the most part, the majority aren’t. We don’t know what Anthony’s told him about Clara and Adrian. He may think he’s looking for someone who stole something from Anthony. Or maybe he’s been told Clara and Adrian are long-lost relatives. If he manages to find us, we should be prepared for his intentions to be unfriendly, but we shouldn’t assume it.”

“Meaning he may not know the kind of person Anthony is?” she asked.

Spencer nodded. “I’m sure he did a basic background check on him before taking the job, but we all know nothing would pop up on that. He may think he’s dealing with a stand-up guy.”

Clara snorted, and the odd sound pulled a smile from Amber. “What do we do now?” she asked.

“Leo’s already looking into him,” Spencer answered.

“And he and my lovely goddess of a wife are on their way over as we speak,” Philly said, holding up his phone. Amber was too far away to see the screen, but she assumed he flashed a text thread from Callie.

“What about Sabina?” she asked. She didn’t doubt Callie’s and Leo’s abilities, but Sabina wasn’t the boss for nothing.

Philly typed the question into his device. A few seconds later, it dinged. “She’s caught up in something, but Leo has an update from the lab on the drugs.”

“Okay,” Amber said, drawing the word out as she rose. “Since we have a few minutes, I’m going to make a little snack. I managed to keep Zoe fed today, but sort of forgot myself. Anyone else want anything?”