Page 50 of Jolene's Justice

“Who?”

He shrugged, but she could tell he had a name in mind. He just wasn’t ready to voice it out loud. His ex-wife came to mind. From what he’d told her about the woman, she was unhinged. But would she go to these lengths? And for what purpose?

She’d been impressed with the skill with which Finch had handled the crisis. If it had been anyone else, she wasn’t so sure the outcome would have been so positive. She wondered what he’d been like on missions in the Air Force. Something Matt said came to mind just then.

“Can I ask you a question?”

He looked up at her with curiosity. “Sure.”

“Matt mentioned you served together,” she started.

“We did.”

“He also hinted that you were kind of legendary. That you used to take the risky missions without hesitation.”

He dropped his gaze. “Yeah.”

This was the part she was going to hate learning the truth about. His home life had been miserable. Would he have done anything to escape it? “Why? Was it because of her?”

Finch ran his finger over a line in the wood grain of the table, seeming to think over his answer. He remained quiet for so long she wasn’t sure he was going to answer.

Then he drew in a deep breath. “I would fool myself into thinking it wasn’t. That I volunteered for those missions because I was the best person for the job. And don’t get me wrong, I was the best,” he stated with a cocky grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes and quickly dropped away. “But I was lying to myself. There were days when I would have done anything to escape my life with her.”

Jolene felt the sting of tears. Since the moment they’d met, Finch had seemed larger than life. A big personality full of piss and vinegar. He was kind, giving, and oh, so funny. It made her a little sad now to realize some of that had been a coping mechanism. A way to hide the pain he was feeling.

She rapidly blinked back the threat of tears. Standing up from her chair, she walked toward him, the scent of fried bacon mixed with the faint aroma of coffee. She lowered herself onto his lap, feeling the warmth of his body and the softness of his shirt against her skin. His steady heartbeat as she leaned in to kiss him comforted her. They sat in silence for a moment, lost in each other’s embrace.

“These last few days have been the best of my life. That’s because of you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were going to change my life. I’m just so sorry it took me so long to pull my head out of my ass.”

His palm was warm as he cradled her cheek, and she leaned into him, savoring the sensation. “You’ve changed my life, too. I will be forever thankful for you,” he said just before taking her lips in a soul-consuming kiss.

A kiss that soon turned explosive. He reached for the hem of her shirt, and she was up for it. From the feel of it, he was “up” for it as well. She smiled against his lips.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Is it possible to have too much sex?”

“Like you said, a little indulgence never hurt anybody.”

She threw her head back and laughed, which quickly turned to a gasp when he stood with her in his arms. He took the stairs two at a time and sent her soaring.

Chapter 21

Ithadbeenrainingfor three days straight, with no signs of stopping. The town of Sunnyvale was in trouble. Rivers were threatening to swamp their banks. The land was already saturated, and there was nowhere for the water to go. People’s basements were flooding. A great many houses along the riverbank were vulnerable.

Finch and Jolene were doing all they could to help. Jolene was volunteering at the high school. Safely situated on higher ground, it had been turned into a temporary shelter. She was working with other area chefs to keep the displaced residents fed.

Meanwhile, Finch was doing more grunt work. With the looming threat of a flood, he and others worked tirelessly to fill as many sandbags as possible. The rhythmic shoveling of sand and the thud as each bag was filled resounded around him. Sweat and rainwater dripped down his face as he heaved each heavy bag onto the truck, his muscles straining.

Removing the work gloves he’d borrowed from Dante, he took a breather, wiping his face off and downing a bottle of water. He looked down at his calloused hands. The roughness was a testament to the hours he had spent scooping up heavy, wet sand with a shovel. Looking around at the others working as tirelessly to save their town, he felt a sense of exhaustion. The rushing sound of the nearby river was a constant reminder of the impending danger, and there was no guarantee their efforts would make a difference.

The hard work was a preemptive strike against the force of the water that threatened to destroy everything in its path. The possibility of mudslides was now a major concern as well. Finch had called Graham, hoping the Nighthawks could come down to help evacuate people if needed, but they had been deployed to Kansas after a devastating rash of tornadoes decimated a community there. After participating in a training seminar in Atlanta, Brodhi was en route to Sunnyvale to lend a hand.

In the late afternoon, Finch got a ride to the high school to meet up with Brodhi. And he was anxious to see Jolene as well.

The cafeteria was abuzz with activity as people chatted in groups and children played around them. He leaped over a remote-control car that was headed on a collision course. A parent shouted at a kid to be more careful. Finch smiled at the sheepish boy and waved away his apology.

As he entered the kitchen, the scent of onions greeted him first. He spotted Jolene immediately, and something inside him eased. At least until he saw her face. There were tears streaming down her face as she stood at the counter, knife in hand, expertly cutting vegetables. Filled with concern, he rushed to her side.

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