Page 71 of Hunting Justice

A pulse. But was it his or hers that thumped against his skin?

FIFTEEN

TUESDAY, 12:30 P.M.

The whoosh of blood pulsed in Noelle’s ears, but it was the hand on her throat that made her heart race. She snatched the person’s wrist and clamped down. No way would she allow anyone to strangle her again.

“Easy. It’s only me.”

“Jonah?” She opened her eyes. Why was the roof of the car below her? She searched her memories, struggling through the fog in her brain. The train. The accident. “Are you hurt?”

Noelle released his hand. What if the guy who’d tried to kill them stopped and lay in wait to finish what he’d started? She had to get outside now and protect Jonah.

Jonah removed his finger from her throat. “Nothing a few ibuprofens and a couple of ice packs won’t fix.”

Her fingers fumbled with the seatbelt release. Coordination wasn’t her friend right now.

“Here. Let me. Brace yourself on my shoulders so you don’t fall.” Jonah placed her hands on himself and clicked the button.

Her knees hit the steering column on the way down, and she bit back a cry. Once crouched on the ground, she took inventory of her surroundings. The front windshield had cracked and popped out, the side windows had shattered, and the hood had sustained the majority of the damage. It was a miracle they could walk away from the accident with only minor injuries.

Thank You, God, for the protection.

Who had targeted them? Her mind wandered. Why? Her thoughts kept floating away. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. She blinked to clear the haze. The world snapped into place.

“My gun.” She tapped the small of her back. Her holster and weapon in place, she exhaled. “Stay tucked in here. I’m going to make sure the area is clear. I don’t want this guy succeeding in killing you.”

Jonah cupped her cheek. “Be careful.”

She nodded, drew her Glock, and crawled from the crumpled vehicle. Sirens whined in the distance. Her muscles relaxed a smidge, but until the cavalry arrived, she had to maintain her vigilance. After a sweep of the area, she sagged against the car.

“Is he out there?” Jonah poked his head out the broken window.

“He doesn’t appear to be. But stay there until the police show up.” She had no desire for him to come out in the open until she had backup.

Twenty minutes later, sitting on the bench seat in the back of the ambulance, the ache where the seatbelt had caught her across the shoulder intensified.

Noelle would feel the full damage from the car accident tomorrow. She’d survived—and make no mistake about the gratitude she felt—but the slices on her forearms from the debris caused her stomach to roil. More scars to add to her collection. Wouldn’t her mother be proud.

A humorous laugh fell from her lips.

“What was that for?”

She lifted her gaze to Jonah, who sat beside her in the ambulance. The man hadn’t left her side. “Just thinking about my parents.”

His eyebrow arched.

“A story for another time.” She lifted her hand to her temple and probed the bandage that covered a gash from the wreck. “How did he find us?”

“Well, we were asking a lot of questions. Maybe one of the employees at the tattoo shops tipped him off.”

Noelle waved a hand, dismissing his suggestion. “If the owner of Body Murals is correct, my serial killer isn’t around anymore. So who is after us?”

Jonah commandeered the supplies from the paramedic and took over cleaning her cuts.

The young guy shook his head and hopped from the medic unit. “I’ll be right out here if you need anything, Doc.”

“You just kicked him out of his own ambulance.”

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