Page 20 of Fractured Memories

The comment earned him a laugh, as he hoped. Some of the tension eased from her shoulders. Noah took a dripping plate from her, waiting patiently. He’d learned a long time ago that sometimes she just needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts. He’d expressed support. Now it was up to her to accept the offer or not.

Felicity handed him another dish and used the back of her hand to swipe at a loose curl. “I’m mulling over the possibilities. Gene could’ve been hired by someone to kill me. Kurtis is a criminal court judge. Is it possible they crossed paths that way? Or am I reaching for an explanation because I dislike Kurtis?” She swiped aggressively at a coffee mug. “I can’t stop thinking that he manipulated us today. Sent us searching for Jeremy, who had a blood-stained item that is probably going to come back linked to Brooke.”

“How would Kurtis know that you’d remember Jeremy? Or that Jeremy still had that shirt?”

“He wouldn’t.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “That’s what I mean. My visceral dislike for Kurtis is clouding my logic. That argument he had with Brooke… I can’t stop thinking about it. He was angry and verbally vicious, but people get mad. Couples argue. It doesn’t make him a killer.”

Noah prided himself on following the evidence, butthere was a place for gut instinct too. Felicity had witnessed Brooke’s murder. Maybe her emotions were trying to communicate something her brain already knew. “Right now, Kurtis isn’t at the top of our suspect list, but I didn’t like the way he handled our interview today either. There’s a guy at the police department who’s fantastic at digging into people’s backgrounds.”

Detective Jax Taylor had been a top-notch research analyst for the FBI before coming home to take care of his aging parents. His skill set with the computer and financial data couldn’t be matched. “I’ll ask Jax to check for a connection between Kurtis and Gene.” Noah reconsidered. “Actually, it might be a good idea to see if Brooke’s brother and Gene know each other. Daniel was forthcoming during our interview, but he owns a handgun similar to the one used to murder Brooke. It’s worth digging into a bit more.”

Felicity handed him the last plate and then popped the drain so the water could run out. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He folded the dish towel and set it on the counter.

“For… everything. This would be much harder to handle if you weren’t with me.”

The woman had a way of making him feel like a superhero. “Aww, Fee. Come here.” Noah pulled her into his arms, her strawberry-scented shampoo teasing his senses as he kissed the top of her head. Felicity sighed, nestling her face in the crook where his neck met his shoulder. Her breath was warm against the exposed skin along his collar.

The embrace was supposed to be friendly, a way to comfort her, but Noah couldn’t ignore the way she felt in his arms. It was… right. He absently rubbed the knots in the muscles along her neck. Her skin was silky smooth. Noah could’ve stood there all night holding her, but it was getting late and they both needed rest.

With regret, he released her. “I should go.”

She walked him to the front door. Noah lingered in the entryway. He didn’t like leaving her alone in the house all night, even with a trooper stationed at the end of the driveway. “Would you like me to sleep on the couch tonight? Or I could call Cassie? She and Nathan would come in a heartbeat.”

Felicity’s mouth turned up at the corners. “That’s a kind offer, but no thank you. I can protect myself.” She gestured toward the window. The outline of a trooper’s vehicle parked on the street was visible through the gauze fabric. “And I’ve got backup. I’ll be okay.” Her hand landed on his chest. “Go home to your daughter, Noah.”

He cupped her fingers with his own, stepping closer until they were mere inches apart. Giving in to his desire, Noah brushed a curl away from her forehead. Felicity inhaled sharply. Her gaze lifted to meet his. He trailed a finger across her cheek and down to her chin. “I’m a phone call away if you need me.”

“I know.”

She rose on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. It was quick and spontaneous, but his heart rate spiked. He was tempted to capture her lips with his own, but that one move could put their entire friendship at risk. Noahhesitated. Felicity froze. Their gazes met. A mixture of emotions was buried in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes. Desire tangled with fear. In that instant, Noah realized that whatever attraction he was feeling, she shared it. These worries about screwing everything up were ones she had as well.

It’d been a long day. They’d nearly died twice. Once in the fire yesterday and then today at the gas station. It wasn’t smart to kiss Felicity. There were a dozen reasons this would be a colossal disaster—starting with the fact that they were working a case together—but Noah didn’t have the strength to resist any longer. To fight these feelings for her that’d formed over the last year and were growing with every breath. Especially not when Felicity was looking at him with so much yearning.

He leaned forward, brushing her lips with his. Testing. Hesitant. Giving her time to back away if she thought better of it. She didn’t. He persisted with a series of featherlight kisses that sent his pulse racing and swallowed his senses so that all he knew was her.

Felicity’s arms wound around his neck and he pulled her closer, finally deepening the kiss.

And just like that, he was lost.

FOURTEEN

The next morning, Felicity nursed a cup of coffee. Her eyes felt gritty and exhaustion weighed on her, but she couldn’t imagine going back to bed. The case—and the kiss with Noah—had caused a restless night’s sleep. She’d finally tossed the covers off at five. The first trail of sunshine drifted across the tile floor while she reviewed the case file.

Had Brooke been involved with Triple 6? It was hard to believe the kindhearted woman who’d cooked her pancakes for breakfast was part of a ruthless criminal organization, but Felicity had learned early on in her career that people were not always what they seemed.

She turned to a photo buried in the file. It was of Brooke and Kurtis. He had an arm slung around the young woman’s shoulders in a possessive hold. The other hand held a beer. Brooke’s smile was wide, but there were signs of strain around the edges and tension in her posture.

There was no date on the photograph, so there was no way of knowing when it’d been taken. There also weren’t any notes about the item in the case file. Felicity had no idea why it was there, except… maybe the former chief didn’t quite believe Kurtis was as innocent as he claimed.

Suspicions and questions. That’s all Felicity had at the moment. She flipped to Gene Webb’s mug shot. His stony stare iced her blood. It wasn’t difficult to imagine him killing someone for money. Is that why he was hunting her? It was the most logical answer. Hopefully, Noah’s colleague would uncover a connection between Gene and someone else on their suspect list.

God, help guide us to the right answer. Use me as Your instrument to get justice and stop a killer before?—

A knock on the front door interrupted her prayer. Felicity’s heart rate spiked as her head snapped up. Through the gauzy curtain covering the living room window, a shadow lingered on the porch. She slid up to the door, one hand on her weapon, and peeked out. Then breathed a sigh of relief. Cassie and Leah.

She swung the door open wide. The scent of warm cinnamon tangled with a blast of humid air. Cassie, her growing belly encased in a dress, smiled brightly. In one hand, she held a box of pastries. Leah hefted her daughter, Sophia, higher on her hip. The little girl wore shorts and a T-shirt. One hand was coated in drool and slimy crumbs as she gummed a cookie. At the end of the driveway, Tucker and Nathan were talking with the trooper guarding the house.

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