Page 91 of Adam's Rising

Adam shook his head. “Not on my watch.”

Peter took a shaky breath. “Is Claire…”

“She’s okay. Clara Mae has her — or she has Clara Mae. They’ve both been a basket case since you went missing.”

Peter blinked back tears. “I was so scared, Adam. They just kept asking about the money. About drugs. But all I knew about was the little bit we had. They wouldn’t be chasing that amount of money. And where are the drugs? I never saw any drugs.”

“One of the guys smelled like perfume.”

Adam’s mouth twisted. “Lala.”

He’d known the scent Claire remembered wasn’t random. It might be popular, but not in the deep Denali forest.

“Why would Lala?”

“Her father, maybe?” he said. “I’m thinking Boyd might have been the first connection, but Lala was the real hook up. Boyd confirmed enough, but only to me. Still his word against mine, and both times he was drunk or under duress — according to Sheriff Wheelan. Please tell me you saw someone?”

Peter tried to sit up. “They put a hood over my head. But the first moment it sounded like they left, I got out. You know ties can’t hold my skinny wrists.” He breathed out a shaky breath. “No one found them?”

Adam pressed his shoulder down gently. “We’ll find them. But right now, you rest. You’re safe. One way or another, we’re gonna find the head of this snake and chop it off.”

EPILOGUE

ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER…

The cabin was quiet.

Not the one where Claire and Peter had nearly died, but the one they had spoken of so often — Adam’s parents’ place.

She sat in a rocking chair on the porch, wrapped in a thick flannel blanket, a cup of weak herbal tea in hand. Adam came out carrying a toolbox, then paused, taking in the sight of her.

“You should be resting.”

“I am resting. I just happen to be doing it out here.”

Adam chuckled and set down the toolbox. He knelt to check one of the porch boards, but his eyes drifted back to her.

Claire watched him with the same focus.

“I’ve been thinking about the future,” she said.

Adam sat back on his heels. “Always.”

“You know it, honey. This place could be beautiful again. Stronger than before. I want a bigger barn. Not a huge one. Just enough room for Bolt and Buttercup, and maybe a few more horses.”

Adam grinned. “Already ahead of you. We’ll start sketching plans tomorrow.”

She smiled, but her gaze drifted south. “Do you think it’s really over?”

“No,” Adam said. “But I think we finally have the upper hand. Something must have stopped them. All funny business has stopped at the ranch. Lala hasn’t been seen since we found Peter.”

Peter stepped out, his eyes clearer than they’d been in years. The last two years had been good for all of them.

Although he was still running Clara Mae’s farm, at least once a week, the three of them came to Falcon Run and worked on building their new home.

Well, Adam and Peter were building.

Pregnant with their first child, Claire wasn’t lifting anything. Having almost lost her… twice, he wasn’t taking any chances with her or their unborn baby. She’d been having way too many complications with the pregnancy.