Page 71 of The Hero She Loves
She carefully searched around. There was no sign of Olson. Two men—fishermen, she guessed—stumbled out of a bar. One was singing at the top of his lungs, while the other wavered on his feet. They were clearly drunk. She glanced up at the sign above—The Taphouse.
“Maybe Olson wanted a drink?” she suggested.
Park held the door of The Taphouse open for her, and they stepped inside.
This place wasn’t fancy, but it had a decent crowd. She saw a server setting plates topped with huge crab legs down on a table. At the bar, several men were sipping beers with Valdez Brewing written on the glasses.
She and Park found a high table, and she leaned against it, looking around the bar discreetly.
“I’ll buy us some drinks, to help us blend in.” Park headed for the bar.
Jenna saw tourists, fishermen that she guessed came from the commercial boats, and a few locals. She hadn’t really expected to find Olson here, but a bar was his favorite hunting ground.
The pressure was on him. Maybe the urge to kill would get the better of him.
Park returned with two beers, and she made herself take a sip.
“Did you see him?” she asked.
Park shook his head. “The bartender hasn’t seen him either.”
At a table nearby, some of the fishermen got rowdy, and started singing. A female server hurried past, balancing a tray full of drinks. Across the bar, there was a man with a black knit hat on his head. He turned and his gaze locked with hers.
Olson.
Her pulse kicked into gear. “Park.”
He lifted his head and spotted Olson.
More people rose and joined in the singing. They blocked Jenna’s view of her quarry.
“Dammit.” She shot to her feet and pushed through the crowd.
Then she spotted Olson again. He turned to a fisherman and swung his fist. He punched the man right in the face.
That was all it took.
With a roar, the fisherman swung, but instead of hitting Olson, he hit another man.
“What the fuck?” the recipient of the punch bellowed.
A brawl broke out.
Jenna couldn’t get through. Across the chaos, Olson smiled at her, then slipped out the back door.
Park shoulderedout of The Taphouse.
They were only seconds behind Olson, but that was all he needed.
As they chased after Olson into a back alley behind the bar, he noticed a nearby dumpster, a parked truck, and a couple of shipping containers he guessed were for storage. “Dammit, I don’t see him.” Jenna put her hands on her hips as she looked around.
Park sensed something. “That way.” He turned left and took off at a run. His entire focus narrowed in on chasing Olson.
It ended here.Today.
Olson had put Ghost Ops to shame, and Park wouldn’t let it stand. Most of all, he wanted Jenna safe.
Jenna kept pace with him. They ran out of the alley and onto the street. There were several tourists walking on the sidewalk. Across the street was an empty lot with some RVs parked in it. A double-story building that housed several shops lay just beyond that. Cheery, colorful flower boxes decorated the front of it.