Page 294 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I’ll take the victim angle and research Genevieve Adams’ life again to see if I can find any other commonalities between her and the others.” She opened a file folder and started reading.

Excitement buzzedthrough the man as he stared at a picture of his next girlfriend. He’d pick Emily up on Friday and they would keep each other company for a full week. Then he’d arrange for her knight-in-shining-armor to find her remains. Everything would go smoothly. Easy peasey.

That Brunner guy believed keeping her in his fortress of a house would protect her, but he’d soon learn it was impossible to shield anyone from danger twenty-four hours a day.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When Emily emerged from the master bedroom for her morning run, she hurried down to the kitchen hoping Wade would be joining her again. Disappointment left a hollow feeling in her stomach when she saw Gavin at the table reading the paper. “Good morning.”

“Hey. Sorry you’re stuck with me and Ruger this morning. Wade decided to get an early jump on work.”

“I heard him come home last night. It was after midnight. I would’ve thought he would still be here.”

“He thinks he’s nearing a breakthrough.”

“Let’s hope so. Even wannabe superheroes need to sleep from time to time.”

“If you want to run, I can join you.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

A few minutes later, she found a comfortable pace, but she would’ve preferred running alone. If not, she wanted Wade beside her. Gavin was a great guy, but everything about him screamed bodyguard.

She was glad when the run was over. “Thanks for running with me. I imagine you’re not used to going slow.” She was sure of it, since he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“You might be surprised.”

“I’m not the only girl you’ve gone running with, am I?”

“Nope.”

“I sense a story, but I won’t pry.”

He grinned in response.

“I’m going to grab a shower, but I’ll be down shortly.”

As she trudged up the stairs, she couldn’t help wondering if Wade’s absence had more to do with her than it did the case. Her refusal to agree that he was worth taking a risk for might be the true reason he was staying away.

Emily stood at the lake.She shook off the eerie feeling of being watched. It was Gavin, and he was there for her protection. It irked her more than she wanted to admit that she preferred having Wade act as her bodyguard. She desired far more than protection from him.

Bending down, she searched the ground for a smooth rock. After selecting one, she skipped it across the lake. Five bounces. Not bad. A memory surfaced of her and Wade skipping rocks at Ridley Creek State Park. Nora had tagged along. She could picture the day clearly. The sun filtered through the leaves on the trees and shined patterns on the creek surface. Wade was wearing his favorite Phillies ball cap and a pale blue t-shirt. Nora drew hearts on the ground with a stick. It was one of the last memories she had of her sister.

Her radio came to life with a call. An injured hiker. She jumped into her SUV and drove toward the trailhead for FourthRun Trail. She noticed the dark SUV following her down Boulder Field Road. Gavin. Having a shadow was going to take some getting used to.

If they had the right guy locked up, she wouldn’t have to get used to it. She could go back to her regular life. Shaking her head, she considered her ‘normal’ life. Did she want to go back to it? A life without Wade. Or did she want the whole package. Husband and children. White picket fence.

What was happening to her? She’d ended things with Austin when he brought up the idea of having kids. She pulled in behind him and rubbed her temples.

She greeted her friend with a smile. “What’s going on?”

“The caller thinks his friend broke his leg,” Austin said.

“How?”

“Lost his footing and fell down a steep bank.”

“How far down the trail?”

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