Page 86 of Montana Manhunt

“I’m ready for anything you need.”

Her smile faded. “Not fair, Noah.”

“What isn’t fair?”

“Making me fall for you even faster than the slippery slope I’m already on.”

He kissed her lightly. “I refuse to apologize for something I desperately want.”

She froze. “Noah?”

“Later, all right? I want to focus only on you when we talk about this.”

Her grip tightened on his shirt. “Promise me we’ll talk today. Waiting will drive me crazy.”

“Today,” he murmured. “I promise.” After another brief kiss, Noah threaded his fingers through Violet’s and walked toward the exit, with Rayne and Grant trailing behind.

Minutes later, Grant cranked the engine and drove from the mall’s parking lot. “What’s next?”

“Morrison Funeral Home,” Violet said. “I have an appointment to complete the arrangements for Cami’s funeral.”

“Does anyone need me to swing by a coffee shop?”

Rayne twisted in her seat to look at Violet. “What do you think? Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?”

“Hot chocolate.”

“Sounds great to me. Noah?”

“Coffee.”

“You got it.” Grant guided the SUV into the drive-thru lane of a coffee shop one block from the highway. He pulled back into traffic moments later and headed for Morrison.

While Violet sipped her hot chocolate, Noah kept his hand wrapped around her free one. He didn’t press her to talk. If he’d been in her shoes, he wouldn’t have been interested in talking much, either. Hopefully, his presence would provide comfort for her.

Following Violet’s instructions, Grant parked in the lot beside the funeral home.

Rayne twisted in her seat to look at Violet. “Do you want us to go inside with you?”

She shook her head.

“I’ll stay with her,” Noah said. “You and Grant locate Charity Bradshaw and Lauren Gilmore. I want to talk to them before we confront Melton again.”

“Is this what you want, Violet?” Rayne squeezed her teammate’s knee. “Grant and I want to help if you’ll let us.”

“Finding those women is helping. The sooner we trace all the leads, the faster we’ll uncover the killer.”

“If you change your mind, I can be inside in less than a minute.”

“Thanks, Rayne.”

Noah circled around to open Violet’s door. He helped her out and took the bag from her hand. “When do you want to schedule the funeral?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

He nodded. The timing would give their black ops teams time to fly in to support her provided Fortress didn’t send them out on another mission. Noah opened the door and ushered Violet inside the funeral home.

A woman dressed in a black jacket and skirt paired with a white blouse greeted them. Her smile morphed into an expression of shock. She rallied and held out her hand to Violet. “I’m Patricia Montclaire.”

---