Page 20 of Shadow Justice

Holly led the way out before she could think better of it. The rain had softened to mist, leaving the sidewalks damp and the air cool against her cheeks. Sanctuary’s patio chairs gleamed with water, and the string lights overhead swayed lightly in the breeze. Blue trotted ahead, nose working, thrilled by puddles, leaves, and the possibility that the entire town existed for his investigative needs.

Reid walked beside her. He kept his hands free, his gaze moving without being obvious about it. He checked parked cars, reflections in windows, the mouth of the alley beside the bakery, the couple stepping out of the pharmacy, the man smoking under the awning near the courthouse annex. He didn’t make a production of it, but Holly noticed. It put her on edge.

“How often do you take this route?” he asked.

“Most days.”

“Same time?”

“Depends on the rush.”

“But usually after lunch, right?”

She tightened her grip on Blue’s leash. “Is this a cross-examination?”

“I’m not trying to scare you.” He glanced at her, then back to the street. “I’m simply assessing the threat level.”

Threat. Right. “Yes, always after lunch, unless he’s at daycare.”

They reached the park, a small square of grass, benches, and dripping trees tucked between the courthouse annex and a row of old brick offices. Blue inspected the base of a maple with deep professional interest.

Reid watched the park while Blue treed a squirrel.

“You’re wasting your time,” Holly told the dog. “That squirrel has legal counsel.”

Reid’s mouth curved. “Does Blue ever negotiate first?”

“Definitely not. This is his park. The squirrels are trespassers.”

They started back toward Sanctuary a few minutes later, Reid walking on the street side. A car passed, splashing water toward the sidewalk, and he gently moved her out of the way.

The quiet courtesy made her chest ache in a different way from the fear. It reminded her of old memories she didn’t want softened—Reid giving her his jacket on the Fleming porch when she was cold, or fixing the chain on her bike without making her feel foolish for not knowing how. Reid, younger and still serious, listening when she talked and asking her questions that showed he cared.

She’d built a life around not needing him. Now he was back, and need had become a safety issue.

They reached the corner across from Sanctuary. The shop glowed through the mist, warm and familiar, Maya moving behind the counter. It should’ve looked like refuge. Holly felt the emotions piling up. “Do you really think I’m in danger?”

Reid didn’t answer quickly. That was answer enough to make her stomach sink.

Blue paused at the curb and looked up at them, ears perked.

Reid’s gaze moved from Holly to the rain-dark windows of Sanctuary, then to the street behind them. “Before I saw the loyalty card, I thought your shop was connected to the investigation, and you were simply caught in the middle of it.”

“And now?”

His eyes came back to hers. “Now I’m not so sure.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Holly had asked if he thought she was in danger. Reid had given her the only honest answer he had.

He could tell she wanted to argue with him. She stood beside him on the corner across from Sanctuary Coffee, one hand wrapped around Sweet Blue’s leash and the other curled into a fist. Mist had gathered in her hair, turning the dark blonde strands near her temples damp and making them curl, and the dog stood at attention while traffic moved slowly along Main Street.

Through the shop windows, Reid saw Maya wiping tables, the warm glow of pendant lights, and the kind of ordinary afternoon that should’ve belonged to soup, coffee, and customers lingering too long over second cups.

Before the loyalty card, he would’ve classified Holly as a possible collateral target, someone connected to a location the offender was using. After the card, the assessment changed.

The message had been left inside her shop, phrased around the name she’d chosen, and placed where she’d find it. That didn’t guarantee the offender was focused on her personally, but it took the possibility out of the theoretical.