Page 24 of The Jade Stone Sleuth

He waited as she rounded a bend and almost plowed into him. Her eyes widened, and she stopped and glowered at him. As much as a sweetheart like her could glower.

Her jade eyes sparkled like green jewels in the morning light. He knew how genuine her beauty was, but he’d missed seeing it up close this past month.

They were at an impasse in this narrow canyon. It was like their relationship, or lack thereof. He was jolted by being near her again. His memory didn’t do justice to her authentic beauty and the allure of those jade-colored eyes. He needed to be with her, and he needed to be close for the case. It was the only way to move things forward and somehow figure out what she was doing to his mind and heart.

He reached out for her but retracted quickly, shaking out his arm and glancing at his wristwatch.

“So you’re finally going to face me, not just stalk me every morning.”

And every evening. He’d let her see him in the morning, but she didn’t expect the evening shadow. She thought she was free because she knew he stalked her in the morning.

“I wanted to hike and explore your valley. I figured following you was the best way to do that. Since you are the expert at hiking Jade Valley and all.”

“Don’t try to act like it’s not creepy that you’re following me.” She stepped closer and poked her finger into his chest. She was so adorable it was hard not to smile. “Stop it.”

He wrapped his hand around hers. It was instinctive but not a smart move. His thoughts scattered and he only wanted to hold her hand, draw her closer, let her cuss him out, and then seize her lips with his. The tight canyon walls framed them in. They were in their own world, and he didn’t want to leave it.

“You don’t want me around?” he asked, not releasing her hand.

“I didn’t say that.” Her jade-colored eyes captivated him. “I don’t want you skulking behind me.”

Brex studied her. “But we both agreed a relationship between us is not a good thing.”

He wanted a relationship with her, and not for the sake of pretending to be her boyfriend or solving this case. That scared him, but he didn’t back away. It was laughable that a month ago he’d claimed Clara Gem was ‘not his type’. If he still trusted in his Father above, he’d believe Clara Gem had been created for him and all the shallow relationships in the past were not his type.

She studied him for a few beats, and he had the unnerving feeling she could see clear through to his soul. Finally she nodded, muttered, “You’re right,” and pulled her hand free. They stood there for a beat, and he didn’t know if he should beg herto give him a chance or turn on his heel and get out of here. He couldn’t decide which was making him an uncertain headcase—the undercover work, this particular job, or Clara Gem herself. Maybe a combination of the three.

“How are you tracking me?” she asked.

“Device inside the bumper of your car.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I work for Aiden Porter. I’ve got a lot of devices.”

She didn’t appear upset. She’d obviously known he was tracking her. “Why are you really here, Brex?”

“Here?” He gestured around the tight canyon, his heart thumping quick against his rib cage. What had she guessed? What could he tell her? He didn’t believe Clara could kill anyone. If only he could confide in her without committing a breach of trust. The Hendrys were the clients, not Clara.

“Why are you in Jade Valley? From what I know of Aiden Porter’s operatives, they don’t waste time training small-town police forces.” She planted her hands on her hips and gave him a challenging look. “Are you stalking me because I’m in danger? Are you here tracking down a drug or a trafficking ring?”

His breath shortened at how close to the truth she was. But the angel in front of him was supposedly the dangerous criminal. It didn’t fit, and he had no idea how to respond. They were in this tight canyon, face to face, at an impasse. He was stuck.

“I can’t tell you why I’m really here,” he finally settled for. At least it was the truth.

“Am I in danger?”

He looked her over. If she was the murderer, she was the best actress he’d ever met, and he’d met many. If someone else had killed those men, Clara might be in danger. Yet the murderer could’ve hurt her any of the times he or she had killed, and they hadn’t. “I don’t believe you’re in danger, but I want to watch over you anyway.”

“Why?”

“You’re important to me,” he said before he could stop himself. Truth again. If only everything could be the truth. Could he be her ‘pretend’ boyfriend like he’d come up with? There was nothing pretend or false about Clara. Only about him.

“You don’t even know me.”

“I like what I know.” He liked everything he’d learned about her, most importantly that she was real. Clara had no idea that she’d changed how he saw the world.

She raised a challenging eyebrow. “But you can’t date me.”

He pushed out a breath. “There is that.” His fake dating idea was all he had left. The investigation was at a standstill. Could he date her to solve the case? It had been an okay plan to earn the million dollars. Now he didn’t want to trick her or hurt her, but he desperately wanted to be close to her. What a muddle.

“Why toy with me?”

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