Page 26 of Unexpected Danger (Mountain Justice #2)

Londyn held a special place in her heart for the woman who’d once been her family’s neighbor and whom she’d known most of her life. “It’s nice to see you too.” Please, Lord, please don’t let Dustin hurt her.

Mrs. Rumberger shifted her floral needlepoint purse on her forearm and squinted. “Is this your boyfriend?”

“Yes, I am. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” said Dustin, his countenance suddenly changing from a threatening demeanor to the charming man Londyn had once thought him to be. He released his hold on her, and Londyn debated running.

But she couldn’t. Not with Mrs. Rumberger at risk. Londyn had no doubt Dustin would make good on his word to harm her.

Dustin smiled broadly at Mrs. Rumberger, his piercing eyes temporarily lighting.

“Well, that’s nice.” Mrs. Rumberger directed her gaze to Londyn. “I’m happy for you with your new boyfriend, but I always wished you’d marry Brodie. You two make such an attractive couple. Whatever happened?”

Londyn wanted to dispute Dustin’s comment about him being her boyfriend and to assure Mrs. Rumberger she and Brodie were still somewhat friends—or at least she hoped Brodie thought of their relationship in that way after she’d broken his heart—but the narrowing of Dustin’s eyes and a sharp pinch on the underside of her bicep prompted her to refrain. So she said nothing.

“Well, I best be on my way. Do come over for dinner sometime. I’d love to catch up.”

“I will. Thank you, Mrs. Rumberger.”

The woman shuffled away with her cane and umbrella, again leaving Londyn and Dustin alone. His eyes darkened, and his malevolent demeanor returned. “It would be so easy to run her over.” He shrugged. “At her age, she’s a drain on society anyway.”

His words caused Londyn’s temper to flare. All life was precious from womb to grave.

“Would you like the old woman to die because of you, Londyn?”

Unfortunately, Mrs. Rumberger was such a slow walker that Dustin could hop in his truck and mow her over before she reached the other side of the buildings.

“Leave us alone.” She attempted to wrangle from his grasp, and he tightened his hold on her arm.

“Just think. If you scream, Mrs. Rumberger will come back and attempt to help you. Would be a shame for her to die for being so heroic. And no one else will hear you.” The hiss of Dustin’s words pricked the back of her neck, and she shivered.

He was right. Mrs. Rumberger would turn around and do what she could to assist Londyn.

He was also right that it wouldn’t take much for him to harm her.

“I have my trusty knife and will use it if I need to. Now get in the truck!”

With his free hand, he gripped the side of the cab, and with the other, yanked her closer to the vehicle.

Lord, please help me .

She knew if he succeeded in getting her into the truck, her chances of survival were slim.

Dustin was perceptive and astute, making any scheme more challenging. Additionally, she lacked sufficient time for a well-thought-out plan.

Lord, please give me wisdom!

Dustin sized her up, his gaze roving over her, lingering before settling on her face. It was a game of cat and mouse, as the saying went, and from his devious expression, Dustin enjoyed every second of his malevolent plan.

She caught a glimpse of his hand on the inside of the truck doorframe. He clutched the area near the foam insulation strip, likely for leverage as he attempted to shove her inside.

Dustin tugged on her, Londyn’s feet stuttering along the pavement. A feral flash of teeth reminded her of the seriousness of the situation.

As if she needed a reminder.

Her chest tightened as worry snaked through her. She struggled to breathe normally, to think clearly. To react efficiently.

Hooking two fingers on the door, Londyn slammed it as hard as she could, directly onto his hand.

“Ah!” he thundered, his immediate response followed by a string of the vilest profanities Londyn had ever heard.

She didn’t wait to see what would happen next. Launching into a run, she scrambled to the optometrist’s office, her sore body begging for mercy.

Londyn flung open the door to the Pronghorn Falls Eye Center. She heard the sound of squealing tires and saw the flash of maroon as Dustin barreled out of the parking lot. A plume of thick black smoke lingered in the air, the only evidence he’d been there.

Except for the claw marks on her tricep and the nonstop pounding of her heart.

“Londyn?”

Aileen pivoted from her place at the front counter. Londyn’s shoulders slumped with the overwhelming release of tension. She stumbled forward, her toe nearly catching on the gray vinyl flooring.

“I need to call Brodie.” The urgency in her tone belied her slow movements.

Aileen clutched her elbow and guided her to one of the chairs in the waiting area. “What happened?”

“Dustin was outside.” With trembling fingers, she fidgeted with the zipper on her purse until finally, she disengaged it and removed her phone. After calling 911, she dialed another familiar number.

Brodie was on his way back from Lyleville when he received Londyn’s call three miles outside of Pronghorn Falls. There was no sign of Dustin Haack by the time he arrived. Two officers joined him at the parking lot of the Pronghorn Falls Eye Center. The fear in Londyn’s eyes shook him.

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but he prayed it would be the last.

Of course, until they caught Haack, such wouldn’t be the case.

“I want someone at the ER monitoring whether or not he shows up there,” Brodie commanded.

Officer Robinson, while not his employee, eagerly obliged. “I’d like to catch this scumbag.”

The other officer took Londyn’s statement. Her voice quivered as she spoke.

“Why don’t we take you back to the clinic and have you checked out?” Brodie suggested.

“No, I’m fine. Just rattled is all.” She rubbed the underside of her right arm.

“Did he hurt you?”

“Just a pinch. Can we just go home?”

The fact that she referred to the ranch as her home always warmed his heart. She was as comfortable there as he was.

“Mom?”

“I’m fine. Just worried.”

He knew Mom feared for Londyn’s safety, as did he. “All right, then, I’ll check your SUV and then follow you back.”

“How did Dustin know about my follow-up appointment?” Londyn’s eyes drooped, dark, half-moon circles beneath them. She’d been unable to rest much after the car accident and attempted strangulation before having to deal with Haack again. The sooner Brodie caught this guy, the better.

“I’m not sure, but I aim to find out.”

Normally, Brodie would say he loved a good mystery, but this one was far too personal.

He stood and offered his hand to Londyn. She accepted his offer, and he held her hand a few seconds longer, wishing the closeness was due to something other than helping to ease the fear that rippled through her.

Mom returned to the counter to make her subsequent appointment. “Brodie?” Londyn asked, her face only a few feet from his.

“Yes?”

“I—” tears welled in her gray-hazel eyes. “I can’t put your mom and your family at risk.”

He knew what she was saying. Knew her heart.

Knew her compassion for others. And knew the close bond she shared with Mom.

“Everything will be okay.” But even as he said the words, statistics drummed through his mind.

Yes, Mila had nearly lost her life to crazed gang members who were bent on destroying her.

Yes, Pronghorn Falls experienced an explosive growth of fentanyl and meth in recent years.

Yes, it was no longer the town he’d grown up in, with the infiltration of new people moving in every day.

But that didn’t mean the Lord wouldn’t still keep those Brodie loved safe.

That the Lord wouldn’t guide him with wisdom and discernment as he sought to seek justice.

Although if he were honest, this entire turn of events with Londyn and a man named Dustin Haack unnerved Brodie and left him with an unfamiliar, unsettled feeling of distress and frustration.

Brodie followed Mom and Londyn home, his situational awareness skills on overdrive. At least Haack had no idea where Londyn was temporarily residing.