Page 74 of Hunting Justice

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Jonah tucked himself behind the partial wall of the kitchen and resisted the urge to step beside Noelle. It went against every protective fiber in his being to let her stand between him and danger. But he wouldn’t interfere. The woman he’d admired for the past year and who he’d come to care about more than he’d like to admit was an Elite Guardian. He trusted Noelle with his life.

Not having a line of sight made his pulse race. He closed his eyes and listened.

The door opened and footfalls hit the entry tiles.

“Freeze. Hands up!”

A scream filled the air.

“Raven?” Noelle’s question had him joining her by the door. “What are you doing here?”

One hand covered Raven’s heart, the other shaking as she held a travel carrier of coffees. Her breaths came in pants, and her bag and envelopes lay scattered on the floor. “You scared me.”

Noelle holstered her weapon, then hurried to close the door. She turned and tapped in the security code before the alarm blared.

“I brought some yummy goodness from Bitty and Beau’s along with Jonah’s mail and extra clothes.” Raven offered the cardboard carrier to Jonah. He took it.

If not for the stoppers in the cups, small puddles of coffee would have lined the interior of the tray. “Thanks for the drinks.” He placed them on the table and returned to where the women stood.

Raven gathered the items from the floor. “I thought you’d still be at the scene. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Oh, you surprised us all right.” Noelle smirked.

“When I heard about the accident, I had just left Jonah’s house.” Raven gave him his mail. “By the way, your cat is fine. A little needy, but Samson’s a sweetheart.” She put the duffel bag next to the couch and collapsed onto the cushions.

“I appreciate you taking care of him.” He wished, not for the first time, that his little angel with claws was with him. He’d adopted Samson soon after losing Cara. He was man enough to admit the furball had helped with the gut-wrenching pain. And now Samson eased the stress from a hard day at work. Better than blood pressure meds.

“Are you two okay?” Raven asked.

Jonah handed Noelle her coffee and spun his to see what Emma or whoever made the brew had written on the cup. Believe in yourself. He loved Bitty and Beau’s. Anytime he needed a lift in his day, they never failed to deliver.

“Thanks.” Coffee in hand, Noelle lowered herself next to Raven. “There was a moment I didn’t think we’d make it, but as you can see, we’re good.”

“Phew. I’d hate to break in a new office manager.” Raven grinned.

Jonah eased onto the recliner and took a sip. He groaned at the rich chocolate-infused brew.

“Yo, Doc, would you like a moment alone with your coffee?”

He lowered the cup and glared at Raven. “Haha. Very funny.” The woman had a wicked sense of humor, that comment only a peek into what lay beneath the surface. “Are the others ready for the conference call?”

“It’s all set. I have everything scheduled for an hour from now. Will that give you enough of a break before diving in again?” Raven clutched a throw pillow against her abdomen.

“This and a little food will do the job.” Noelle lifted her cup before taking a sip.

“Is there anything you need me to do? Oh, wait.” Raven rummaged through her purse, which looked more like a beach bag, and pulled out a large manila envelope. “Alana got the video footage from the restaurant. I pulled stills and printed them for you.”

“Perfect.” Noelle took the packet. “We’ll look at these in a bit.”

Raven tucked the pillow behind her and stood. “I’ve got things to do, unless you need something else.”

“I think we’re good. Thanks again for taking care of Samson and getting my stuff.” Jonah walked her to the door.

“Sorry about holding you at gunpoint.” Noelle cringed.

Raven waved a hand like shooing a fly. “I don’t blame you after all the chaos. I’ll announce myself next time. Let me know if I can help with anything.” With that, she left.

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