Page 72 of Hunting Justice

“I figured you’d prefer taking care of your upper arms in private.” He pointed to the tears in her sleeves and shrugged. “And don’t you mean who’s after me—not us?”

“Maybe. But what if the two sets of cases are linked?”

“We considered that. Remember the markings?” Jonah examined the cuts.

The commands and comments of EMS workers and the hum of heavy equipment droned outside. She sat in her own little world and stared at Jonah with morbid fascination while he worked. “I know that. I’m thinking a deeper connection, not just a copycat.”

“Talk me through it.”

“Honestly, I’m probably grasping.” Jonah tweezed out a piece of glass, and she sucked in air through her teeth. “It’s more of a gut feeling than solid proof.”

“I trust your gut.” After dousing her right arm with saline solution for a final clean and smearing ointment on the wounds, he wrapped her forearms like the professional he was. “I vote we go to your place and call the others instead of holding a meeting at the EGA office.”

Her head did hurt, and her body ached. She’d be shocked if Jonah’s torso didn’t have bruises that he was hiding. “I like that plan.”

“I’ll take care of the rest of the cuts once we get there.” He cleaned up the mess and set the supplies aside. “I’ll talk with one of the officers on scene and get us a ride while you fill out the refusal of transport paperwork.”

Unable to summon the energy for more than a nonverbal agreement, she nodded. She appreciated the fact that Jonah hadn’t pushed her to go to the emergency room.

A few moments later, the paramedic handed her a clipboard. “I’m not even going to ask. Go ahead and sign it.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “You’re in good hands with Doc.”

She scribbled her name on the line. “You know him?”

“Who doesn’t? He was—still is—one of the best ER doctors around. We lost a good doctor at the hospital when he left.”

A vise tightened around her heart. He’d thrown away a career he loved because he couldn’t let go of the perceived failure. “If you get a chance, let him know that.”

The paramedic studied her, then grinned. “Will do.” He glanced at the forms. “You’re good to go.”

She accepted his hand and stepped from the ambulance into the bright sun. She squinted, wishing she knew where her sunglasses had landed in the wreck.

Jonah strode toward her. “Officer Adams is going to take us home. Plus, he has your things.”

“All of them?” She quirked a brow. When the officers had arrived on scene, she’d mentioned her backup gun in the center console of the car.

“Yes. He said since you hadn’t fired it, there was no need to log it into evidence. And of course, your law enforcement privileges helped as well.”

Reality came crashing down on her. The near-death experience had scrambled her thoughts. Even with officers on the scene, Jonah’s safety took priority. She had to get her act together. “I want you out of here and behind closed doors.”

“My, my, Miss Noelle. Whatever do you mean?” He fanned his face. His fake Southern-belle accent and high-pitched tone made her laugh.

She playfully smacked his arm. “Not like that, you dufus.”

He chuckled. “Let’s get out of here.”

They slid into the backseat of Officer Adams’s cruiser, and she rattled off her address. “I appreciate the lift.”

The officer glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. “My pleasure.” He pulled away from the chaos and aimed the vehicle toward her home.

Noelle retrieved her phone from her pocket and called Raven. The admin promised to fill in the others and set up a conference call for later. Noelle glanced at Jonah. He’d leaned his head back, but his gaze darted along the sides of the street through the tiny slits of his lowered eyelids. If only they both could rest. But the day’s events had her mind spinning.

Her attention shifted from the side mirrors to the surrounding neighborhood, not letting her guard down, as the officer made his way to her house.

“Ms. Burton. Dr. Harris. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Officer Adams pulled his squad car next to the curb.

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief. A few more minutes and she’d have Jonah safely inside with the security system on. “No, I think we’re good. Thank you.”

Jonah straightened.

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