Emily had gone through Sandy’s clothing and picked out a white and red pinstriped short-sleeved shirt to wear over a pair of blue jeans and red low-heel pumps. Her hair was freshly washed and brushed out, and she’d put makeup and lipstick on. I’d showered, too, and I was wearing a blue polo shirt over faded jeans and running shoes. We were standing at the big picture window looking at the view of Three Arch Rocks. Emily had her arm around my waist and her head against my shoulder. I had my arm around her and held her against my side.
“You ready?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
“I don’t think we can stay here,” I said. “Not after today.”
“What’s going to happen after you take me back?”
“We’ll see what Sandy has to say about whether someone is stalking you. If so, we’ll deal with that. Then I’ll make a decision about what to do about Peck. I can’t just let him keep coming after me. Eventually he’ll catch me with my guard down. You could get hurt if you’re around me when that happens. You should think about that.”
“You’re trying to scare me off,” she said.
“I’m not.”
“Then don’t try to push me away. I can take care of myself.”
“Like no other,” I said.
“Okay, then,” she said.
We kissed for a long time in front of the big window before I reluctantly picked up Sandy’s shotgun and collected our pistols and cell phones from the kitchen counter. “Are you going to tell Marshal Fullmeyer about what happened today?” she asked.