Page 33 of The Jade Stone Sleuth

Brex nodded. He shook his wrist and glanced at his watch, not even seeing the time. “It seems suspicious. Would you mind if I interviewed you about everything, took notes, and had Aiden’s people do some deep dive research? I can talk to my friends at the police station too. If there was foul play, we should be able to figure it out.”

“You’d do all of that for me?”

“I’d do a lot more than that for you.” He tried to be charming and tease, but his gut was churning. He was doing this to clear Clara’s name and get closure for her and the men’s families, but he was also doing his job. When could he tell her the truth about that?

His muscles tightened, and he feared there would never be a right time. Not if he didn’t want to hurt her, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

“Thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Brex got wrapped up in the kiss and prayed he could find the perpetrator and keep Clara in his arms and heart.

It was a tall order for a new security operative who’d never thought anything would be more important than success, money, and social standing. Who’d never fallen in love before.

What was he doing?

With Clara in his arms … he didn’t care about anything else.

Chapter

Eleven

Clara could not complainabout spending more time with Brex and his insight and expertise as they spent hours talking through each death and anyone suspicious associated with her and her boyfriends. When he found the information about Harrison having purchased the stone, according to his friend Jason, and the police thinking it fell out of Harrison’s pocket, it made them both wonder if there was a copycat killer after that first accident.

Sometimes it still felt like Brex was resisting kissing her or growing closer. He’d expressed concern that they had to go their separate ways, but she wondered if there was something deeper, maybe something in his past that kept him from wanting to fall for her. She hoped he’d confide in her, but she prayed for patience and her love for him deepened every day.

Often when they were alone, he dumped any resistance and they kissed with wild abandon. She replayed those moments over and over again in her head. Soon they might only have the memories. Going their separate ways wasn’t something she liked to dwell on, but him being killed like Harrison, Kyle, and Malikwas her biggest fear. She warned him often to be careful, and he’d reassure her he was, but she couldn’t rid herself of her fear.

It was Saturday, one week before she was supposed to fly to Angola, and Brex had insisted they do the Vortex hike. She’d avoided any hikes that had sharp drop-offs and high elevation.

He parked his fancy SUV, smiled reassuringly at her, and came around to get her door. Taking her hand, he led her to the trailhead.

“Brex.” She dug her feet in, and he stopped and turned to her. “You know this hike has game-ending drop-offs?”

“Exactly why we’re here.” He flashed her a cocky smile. “It’s obvious to the entire valley that I’m your boyfriend.” He said the word proudly. Then he lowered his voice and leaned in. “If the deaths weren’t accidental, we need to draw this guy out.”

Her heartbeat picked up. “I don’t want to risk you.”

“I’ll be fine.” His smile was placating, and she didn’t appreciate it.

“Brex, don’t act like you’re invincible. I can’t lose you.” She could easily recall Harrison, Kyle, and Malik’s broken bodies. It had taken years and loads of prayers to heal emotionally. Seeing Brex broken would devastate her. He was a bright shining star and had so much to live for. The world needed more protective, brave, and honest men like him.

His smile became more genuine, and he searched her eyes with his deep-brown gaze. “I’m not taking my own safety lightly,” he said softly. “I don’t want you to lose me either.”

She let out a garbled laugh.

He gave her a quick, hard kiss and then tugged her forward. She didn’t resist, even though she wanted to force him to drive to a different trailhead, a safe trailhead where he couldn’t fall and die. But other accidents could happen. Look at Harrison dying on a mountain bike.

They walked hand in hand until the trail became too narrow. Then Clara led the way since she’d been on this hike many times.

Walking in front of him on the sandstone cliffs as their elevation rose higher and higher, she glanced back. He was fit, his defined muscles gleaming in the morning light. He still looked like a ‘pretty boy’, but it was obvious he was tougher than most. Still, she wanted to protect him from danger. It was laughable that she thought she could, but the image of Brex dead on the rocks below made her throat feel like it was closing off. The drop off to her right was at least two hundred feet and the loose rocks and sand on the smooth sandstone made the trail unstable. On her left, the cliffs rose toward the morning sky. She edged to the left, but the smooth rock gave her nothing to hold on to.

Her heart beat high and fast. She stopped and took a long drink of her water bottle, splashing it down her chin. Wiping it off with the back of her hand, she turned to Brex and squeaked out, “I think we should pray.”

He tilted his head and regarded her. He didn’t say much about his faith, but he came to church with her and had been part of her family prayers at mealtimes.

“Pray about what?” he asked in a quiet voice that made warning bells clang in her mind.

“Keeping you safe.”

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