Page 42 of Mountain Defender
“Jesus, Tripp. What’s going through your mind right now?”
“What can you tell me about that?”
“Zoe and I stopped at a cabin and when she went for some firewood, she found the woman dead. Then she found the man in the outhouse.”
“Both murdered. Isn’t that what the report said? Not a murder-suicide.”
“Now Iknowwhat’s going through your head,” Rafe confirmed.
Tripp dug his knuckle between his brows over a point that ached with tension. “How often are people killed in pairs, Rafe? As a couple?”
“It’s a small town. The cops probably don’t see anything more than some petty crimes in the area. Nothing of this caliber.”
“My thought too.”
“The FBI isn’t involved in your niece’s case, is that right?” Rafe asked.
Tripp didn’t want the image on that photograph he demanded that Alexia show him to pop up into his mind, but there it was in technicolor. He forced it away and focused on Rafe.
“No, they aren’t involved. But we potentially have to bring them in. It’s unusual for people to be killed in pairs, and we’ve got what appears to be a second couple here.” He pivoted and stared through the darkening trees at the place where the body lay.
“I’ll make the call. Let the FBI know what’s going on. I’m sure they’ll want to at least look into it.”
“Thanks. We’re just waiting on the forensics team to show up.”
“Must be getting dark there, it is here. I guess that means you’ll be getting another hotel for the night…” He trailed off.
“Yeah, looks like it. Why?”
“Another night with the pretty detective, huh?”
He snorted. “You’re not even going for subtle insinuation, are you?”
“I call it like I see it.”
Tripp snorted. “We’re not all sleeping on mountainsides with women we plan to marry.”
“Hey, you guys pulled that story out of me. I didn’t volunteer it.”
“You bragged, Rafe. Having sex in a portaledge? We’d all be bragging if we were in your shoes.”
“And all you get is a crappy hotel bed.”
“It’s not like that with me and Alexia.” He looked at her again. The windshield reflected the dark purple sky, but he wondered if she was looking back at him.
Whatwasgoing on with Alexia? He liked teasing her. Wanted his mouth all over her body and his cock buried deep.
Now the tight sensation in his chest suggested that the protective feeling wasn’t just a fleeting thing.
“Sure it’s not like that. Keep telling yourself that, Tripp, but my instincts are blaring over here.”
He turned to stare at the home where his niece and her boyfriend thought they’d spend their years raising a family. Life had no guarantees for anyone, and Tripp lived, ate, breathed and slept danger.
“I’m finished with this conversation.”
“So am I. Be safe out there. Keep me updated. And Tripp?”
“Yeah?”