One More Time (Red Hook 1) - Page 33

Noah sat back down and called the rehab center. Hopefully they had some insight as to what had turned Jeremy Slater into a violent criminal.

Chapter 17

Alana took a short break. She sat with Adam at a table against the wall and away from the large window. She remembered those pictures taken of her, and it gave her chills. The thought he was out there staring at her through a telescope lens scared her. She saw him in her dreams, but she never got a clear look at him. Noah had showed her a mug shot this morning, but he looked like an average person. No one thought he would walk in here, but no one had thought he would ever contact her again either. The wondering was driving her crazy and making her feel nauseous.

Adam’s hand touching her wrist brought her out of her morbid thoughts.

“Hey, you look like you are about to faint. Liam is the one with medical knowledge. Should I call him?”

Alana smiled and shook her head. She took a calming breath. Noah and the others would find him.

“No. I’ll be okay. Just the thought of him running loose in our town is a scary thought. I never saw him clearly, Adam. He had a dark hat and dark clothes. What if he walks in? Will I know? Will I welcome him and show him to a table? I saw his tattoo, but he can easily cover that.”

“Between Noah and everyone looking, they will catch him. There are pictures all over town,” Adam reassured her. “Meanwhile, you are safe here. Any stranger will stick out like a sore thumb. He wouldn’t dare walk in here, Alana.”

“I know, Adam. If I stay busy, that will help,” she told him, standing up. “There is nothing like a little drama to get business booming. I swear everyone in town has been in here once today. We haven’t been this busy in ages.”

“I know.” Adam grimaced. “It got a little scary when Nina and Hattie both came in at the same time. I am not ashamed to say it was a scary moment for me. I thought of hiding behind Alicia.”

Alana laughed. Two women he had dated in the past came in together scanning the whole place because someone told them Adam was here. It scared him into hiding in the kitchen with Ray. Ray put him to work, and Adam hid in there until they left the restaurant.

Alana got busy waiting on tables with Marissa and David, the two servers on duty. A lot of people seemed to just want to come in and ask her questions. Posters of the wanted man were all over town. People were nervous and on edge just like her. She tried to brush it off, but the pressure and the stress of the day gave her a headache.

Adam drove her back to his house. Noah was still at the station but would be home soon. Liam called to say he was picking up a few pizzas for

dinner.

“Awesome.” Adam sighed, plopping onto the couch when they got home. “My feet hurt. I must be out of shape.”

Alana laughed, sitting next to him and slipping off her shoes. She tucked her feet underneath her and yawned. “I just want to relax, too. It has been a long day.”

“Noah will be home soon. He wanted to come by the restaurant, but he got caught up in work,” Adam said and looked at his beeping cell. “Liam is outside. Let me help him with the pizzas.”

Adam went out the front door, and Alana leaned her head back against the cushions. She closed her eyes and thought she dozed off for a second. She lifted her head and smelled smoke.

“I thought you brought pizza?” She walked into the kitchen, and it was empty. She glanced out the window above the sink and saw an orange light. She opened the curtain and saw flames coming out of the grill. They looked high and out of control.

She turned and fled back to the living room with her heart thumping in her chest. She opened the front door. Adam and Liam were on the porch holding several pizza boxes in their hands and talking together.

“There’s a fire in the backyard!” she yelled, sounding hysterical.

They set the pizzas on the porch chair. Adam handed her his cell. “Call nine-one-one and stay inside.”

Liam grabbed a bat from the porch and followed Adam to the back. Alana went inside and locked the front door. It could be a distraction—lure the boys to the back and come in and get her.

She dialed with shaky fingers and reported the fire. She held on to the phone. She wanted to go back into the kitchen and check on Adam and Liam, but her legs felt like they were made of lead. She couldn’t move. She felt tears roll down her face, and she wiped them away. She forced herself to breathe and set the phone on the coffee table.

Sirens could be heard, and they were getting closer. Adam’s firehouse was less than a mile away. She heard doors and sounds of people talking, but she stayed where she was. She heard someone knocking on the door, and she jumped with fright. Should she open it?

“Alana, it’s me.”

“Noah,” she whispered. She ran for the door and unlocked it. She threw herself at him, and he caught her. His arms around her made her feel a hundred times better.

“You okay, baby?”

She nodded and wiped away her tears. “Are Adam and Liam okay?”

“Yeah, the fire is out. The grill was a loss, but the guys put it out,” he explained, looking more concerned about her than the fire.

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