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Cole couldn’t say that Raymond Dodge possibly using an alias surprised him, but would it surprise Jo? “Do you know what his real name is?”

“No. If you have a photo you could share, that would help.”

“You mean you were working without an image?”

“You were kind of preoccupied. Given that Jo has been in hiding, she too has avoided taking pictures or being in pictures, and so no chance of me finding his image on her social media because she doesn’t have a social media account and never did, as far as I can find.

If you send me an image, I’ll run it through all the relevant software, though we still might come up empty-handed.

So what’s the plan? Are you going to tell her? ”

He slumped against the wall. Jo so did not need to hear this—that is, if she didn’t already know. “I’ll handle it and let her know.”

This could be a blow to her, depending on how much she knew. Her reaction would tell him a lot, and whether she withheld the truth from him, but he believed she would be surprised.

“And that’s a wrap,” Allison said. “I’ll keep you updated as I learn information.”

Cole ended the call and dropped his hand to his side as he gripped the cell and continued to stare out the window.

Jo came to stand by him and offered him a mug of black coffee. “What will you let me know?”

He turned, took the mug, and gave her a soft smile. “How do you know I’m talking about you?”

“I don’t. But the way you’re looking at me now ... you have news I’m not going to like.”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“How much you already know.”

“You know everything I know, Cole. Please, just tell me what she said.” Jo glowered.

“Raymond Dodge isn’t your father’s real name.”

She stepped back as if punched. “Oh. Well.” Her chest rose and fell with her heavy breaths. “What is it, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“Does Allison know?”

“She doesn’t. She would tell me if she did, and I would tell you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Wait ... you think that I somehow knew this?”

“I wouldn’t blame you. After all, you were hiding here.

He brought you here with him where he appeared to have been hiding.

” From danger. Someone had found him, and that’s why he left.

Cole would let Jo work that out on her own.

“You shared that your mother had created a fake passport for you with a new ID. So it’s not a stretch. ”

“Well, I didn’t know!” Her cell dinged with a text, and she glanced at it with a gasp. “It’s Pop!”

The words were in all caps, and he could easily read them upside down.

BOMB! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!

Cole grabbed Jo and yanked her with him out the front door.

She snatched her sling bag from the coatrack.

They leapt off the porch, rushed to his Yukon, and scrambled inside.

He quickly started it, then shifted in reverse and floored it.

The tires spun out, slowing their egress, but this would take them farther and faster.

Finally, the wheels gained traction, and the vehicle raced in reverse along the path through Mrs. Crawford’s property.

Time slowed for him. The tiny house exploded. The walls burst outward. The roof splintered, chunks of it flying into the air in multiple directions. Debris rained down, landing in the pristine forest. Jo screamed. He might have screamed too.

A chunk of wall nearly hit the Yukon, bouncing on the ground near where he’d braked. Maybe he should have continued putting distance between them and Spruce Hollow, but the bomb had gone off. Now he sat in shock.

Watching.

The Land Rover sat off to the side and had escaped damage—that he could see from here anyway. A fire erupted. Had the bomb been an incendiary device? Or had the destruction caused a gas leak and subsequent explosion and fire?

Jo had stopped screaming. He pulled his gaze from the complete decimation to look at her.

Tears streamed down her stunned face. He had to get her out of here.

He never should have agreed to let her stay at Spruce Hollow and should have fought harder.

The tiny house had obviously been discovered by the wrong people.

The text from her father remained forefront in his mind. Bile rose in his throat at the thought that the man had , in fact, brought danger to Jo. He continued backing away from the house.

“Cole, what are you doing? Where are you going?”

“I’m getting you out of here.”

Mrs. Crawford ran out of her home, and he stopped. Lowered the window. “Get in!”

She stood in shock. Cole hopped out and grabbed her hand, but she resisted. “I have to find my dog. Gizmo’s gone! I let him out—”

“I’ll find him.” He ushered her into the back seat, and then he pulled away from the property and steered up the road before he stopped.

“What are you doing?” she protested. “I have to find Gizmo.”

“I promise I’ll find him,” he said, “but your safety is a priority.”

“I’m calling 911.” Jo’s voice sounded high-pitched.

Mrs. Crawford cried in the back seat. “What is going on? What is happening? Was it an earthquake?”

He could barely understand the words through her sobs, so he was unsure if he heard correctly or how to respond. Jo informed emergency services about the explosion and gave her address. She ended the call and slumped.

Cole parked on the shoulder.

“Jo.” He got her attention. “You get in the driver’s seat and head to Cedar Trails Lodge.”

Pain etched her face. “Where are you going?”

“To find Gizmo.”

She frowned but nodded and got out. He hopped out so she could climb into the driver’s seat.

Cole peered at Mrs. Crawford in the back seat. “It’s all right. We’re safe now. We’re going to find out what’s going on. I’ll get Gizmo.”

“You’re a stranger,” Jo said. “What if he won’t come to you?”

“He will.” Cole wasn’t sure, but he would try. “Go. You need to get somewhere safe. We’ll let the authorities figure things out.”

Like who planted the bomb and how her father knew to warn her about it mere moments before it went off.

“What’s to figure out?” Jo eyed him but didn’t say the word bomb .

“I’ll let Hawk know,” he said. “He and Remi are on a date tonight. She can meet you at the lodge.”

Jo hesitated, pressing her hand over his. “No, I won’t leave you.”

“You need to take care of her.” He gestured to the back seat. Jo wouldn’t resist protecting her neighbor. “She’s upset. Take her somewhere safe. Cedar Trails it is.” For now.

She dug in her bag. “Here’s the keys to my Land Rover. You can use it. Or call me, and I’ll come back to get you and Gizmo.”

“I’ll be all right. Please, Jo, just go.”

Fear twisted her features, but she nodded, understanding she couldn’t stop him.

He watched her drive away and then jogged to the back of Mrs. Crawford’s house.

He unholstered his handgun and called out for Gizmo.

Mrs. Crawford said she’d let the animal out, and honestly, he feared the dog might have come across whoever had set the bomb off.

The authorities could determine what kind of bomb, if it was on a timer or triggered by a simple cell phone.

If Raymond—or whatever his real name was—hadn’t warned them, they would be dead. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. This had been a close call. They could have died instantly. Fury burned through his core.

What had Raymond gotten his daughter into by mere proximity?

Cole hadn’t come here to dig into Raymond Dodge’s life, but he was almost inclined to push Mira Cattrel’s investigation completely aside for now.

Yes, she needed justice, but she was with Jesus in heaven and in a better place. Her justice could wait.

“Gizmo? Here, boy. Gizmo!” By calling out for the dog near the woods around Mrs. Crawford’s house, he was calling attention to himself if the person responsible for the bomb had remained behind to watch his handiwork and see if Cole and Jo had died.

If so, then Cole would be ready to take him down.

He crept through the woods, hiding behind trees, using them as protection even as he called the dog, which seemed counterintuitive.

Letting his gaze search the dark woods, he remained completely aware of his surroundings.

Cold rain dripped on him, and he figured that would put the fire out as well.

Sirens erupted, and finally the volunteer fire truck rumbled up the path to the destroyed home, along with a deputy driving a county vehicle.

While he wanted to talk to them, he’d told Mrs. Crawford he’d find her dog, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.

Cole continued to search the woods, looking for two-legged creatures in addition to Gizmo.

She hadn’t mentioned what kind of dog he was looking for.

Maybe he should have asked. Through the trees, he could see that another emergency vehicle had arrived.

Then he spotted Gizmo—a medium-sized brown poodle—emerge from a hole in the crawl space under Mrs. Crawford’s house.

He raced across the yard to the familiar face, who bent over to pet the dog.

Cole tucked his gun away and jogged forward to meet his brother, who stalked toward him holding Gizmo in his arms.

“We have a problem,” Hawk said.

“You think?” Cole gestured to the destroyed house. “Would you believe that we’d be in that pile of rubble right now if Jo’s dad hadn’t warned us in a text about the bomb? You’d be digging me out right now or searching for pieces of me.” And Jo.

God in heaven , thank you ... thank you . Cole was still unsteady on his feet, and when the adrenaline crashed, so would he.

Hawk’s face twisted up. “Stop. Don’t say any more. You’re alive. Let’s focus on that.”

“Did you hear me? Jo’s dad warned us.”

Hawk’s brows lifted. “That’s telling.”

“Who is this guy?” Cole asked. “You’ve spent more time with him than I have.”

“Not really. People work. They live their lives. I didn’t see him that much.”

“Are you telling me that you saw Gizmo enough, he knows and trusts you on the scariest day of his life? You saw him more than Jo’s dad?”

Hawk shrugged. “I met Gizmo twice. Once was all it took for him to trust me. I never had a long conversation with Ray.”

“You never needed your vehicle repaired?”

“Once. Remi’s twice. The other mechanic took care of it.”

Cole watched as the volunteer fire department put out what was left of the fire, and two deputies stood back, talked, and looked at the devastation.

“And you never suspected anything was off with him?”

“Dude, there’s a lot off about people around here, but no, he’s just the local mechanic and auto-body guy. He knows how to fix cars inside and out, from what I’m told. Been here for almost thirty years, if not more.”

“Well, apparently, he’s much more than the local mechanic,” Cole said.

“That aside, we have another problem.”

“Well, what is it?”

“A reporter showed up at Cedar Trails looking for Jo. Her safe haven is blown.”

And I just sent her there.