Page 62 of Hunting Justice

Raven held Noelle’s wrist and studied the picture. “There’s not much to go on, but I think I can give you the best places to start.” She wrote down several names and handed the paper to Noelle. “Try those. But watch out for Mack at the Red Rose. He’s a bit cranky.”

Jonah smiled. “Thanks, Raven.”

“Anytime, Doc.”

He strode with Noelle toward the door. “What do you say we head to your place and grab something to eat while we take a look online and see what we can find out about these shops?”

“I want to do a little research on tattoos as well. I don’t like going into a situation uneducated.” When they approached the door, Noelle signaled him to stop. “Stay here for a second.” She slipped on her sunglasses and exited the building.

For a moment, he’d forgotten about his attacker. He hated relinquishing his safety to Noelle. Not that he didn’t trust her with his life—he did. But he had a protective streak for her, and the situation had stomped all over it.

She opened the door and motioned him to join her. “It’s clear.”

He stepped outside and scanned the area.

The reality of his situation sent a shiver running up his spine.

One simple mistake or misstep and he’d be singing with the angels, or so his grandmother used to say. They had to discover who’d killed Ken and had Jonah in their sights, because he couldn’t live like this much longer.

THIRTEEN

WEDNESDAY, 6:30 P.M.

The hot shower had relaxed Jonah’s muscles from the stress of the day and cleared the fog from his brain. His own brush with death had had him reeling, but Noelle’s heart-wrenching description of her abduction had gutted him.

He used the hand towel on the counter to wipe the condensation from the mirror and ran his fingers through his wet hair. Noelle deserved a carefree evening.

Who was he kidding? She deserved a carefree life after what she’d endured. Mind made up, he nodded at his reflection. He’d put his worries and fears aside for the evening and focus on her. Once they finished researching the tattoo shops, he’d treat her to a date.

Jeans and a Henley T-shirt on and bathroom tidy to appease Noelle’s OCD tendencies, he tapped the doorframe on the way out. Tonight mattered. Failure wasn’t an option. The second date of her life had to be…not perfect, but had to make a statement.

“There you are. Feel better?” Noelle finished pouring two glasses of iced tea.

“I hope one of those is for me.”

“Yup.”

He placed a hand on the middle of her back and accepted the beverage.

She tilted her head and studied him.

He winked at her and smiled. The baffled expression made him want to laugh. Operation Second Date for Noelle had begun.

“I…um…shall we get to work?”

Her inability to string together a coherent sentence after a simple touch stroked Jonah’s ego. The woman hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she had little to no experience with romantic relationships. His expectations for the results of the evening had shot through the roof. Forget Operation Second Date. Operation Treat Her Like a Princess had commenced.

“Sounds like a plan.” Jonah placed his glass on the table, then pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. “Let’s get busy.”

She blinked. Her confusion was the cutest thing ever.

“Problem?” He did his best to remain serious.

“No.” Noelle sat and he helped her scoot into the table.

He took his seat and popped open his laptop, ignoring her stare. “We have five shops to research. You start at the top of the list, and I’ll take the bottom. We’ll meet in the middle.”

“Okay.” Noelle slid her laptop in front of her and opened it. “Why did you do that?”

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