Page 78 of Hunter or Hunted

I couldn’t argue, so I nodded. “I guess, yeah.”

“Our outreach department could use more hands, if you’ve got time,” she said. “You’d get paid, of course, and I’d make sure it didn’t interfere with your hours at Maple & Thyme.”

Squinting, I cocked my head to the side. “Like, what Simone was doing when I got here? Traveling, talking to women. Helping them get out?”

“Or just getting back to emails if you don’t wanna travel.” She shrugged. “But yeah, same thing Simone was doing before she got too busy with the salon.”

“Wow,” I murmured.

So many women, all across the country, all escaping shitty men.

But what if they didn’t have to escape? What if I eliminated their enemy, and their life could go on? What if they didn’t have to run to the ranch because I killed what they were running from?

“I’m definitely interested,” I said. “Do I fill out an application, or⁠—”

“Come down an hour early before your next session.” She squeezed the cherry off her cigarette and stowed the rest in her pocket. “We’ll work out the details. But I gotta get back down to town. Let me know if you need anything.” She nodded toward the cabin. “Or if they do.”

“Sure,” I said, starting for the house. “Thanks for the offer.”

Just a smile in response.

I was halfway up the steps when she said, “You know what’s funny, kid?”

“What’s that?” I looked at her over my shoulder.

That smile spoke a thousand words now. “Delilah had a cat named Samson.”

“Huh,” I said, returning the smirk. “That is funny.”

25

GWEN

In the morning, I juggled Samson back into my bedroom to get Honey outside to do her business. He’d slept on the pullout with Simone and Junie. As he had last night, he hissed and snarled at Honey while I carried him back there. Once I shut the bedroom door though, he cozied up in my blankets and shut his eyes again.

Junie stirred as I skirted around the bed to start a pot of coffee. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and asked what I was doing. I told her I was gonna drink my coffee while Honey did her business outside. She asked if she could come. Since Simone still snored on the pullout, I saw no reason to argue.

So she stepped into her boots and put on her coat. Just when we started out the door, she said, “Gwen?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“Can I have some coffee too?” She grinned. “Mommy lets me sometimes. And it’s so cold out there.”

Doubting that, I chuckled. “How about some hot chocolate?”

Grinning still, she nodded quickly.

I microwaved some milk, stirred in a premixed packet, and we headed outside. I clipped Honey on the long lead and sat on the icy steps with Junie.

Propping her elbows on her knees, the way I did, she held her steaming mug before her face. “This is the life.”

I laughed, watching Honey flop onto her back and roll through the snow. “Can’t complain myself.”

“Mommy says one day, we’re gonna get a little house like this.” She blew onto her mug like that’d cool it enough for her to take a sip. “I’d like that. I want a yard.”

“When I was a kid, I lived in a lot of apartments too.” Cheeks burning in the cold wind, I took a gulp of coffee. “It was nice when me and my mom lived in a trailer once. Having a yard was nice.”

“Yeah,” Junie agreed. “But I think that’s gonna be a long time. Mommy used to say it’d be soon, but the other day, she said we’d be here a while longer.”