Page 64 of Smoldering Nights
She sat at the small kitchen table, cradling a mug of lukewarm coffee between her hands.It was her third cup.Maybe fourth.She’d stopped counting sometime after three in the morning when the silence inside the cabin grew louder than the wind, and her swirling thoughts of just how she had gotten into something like this.She was an average girl, woman, trying to earn a living with a small-town flower shop.Granted, she didn't have a mortgage to worry about; she'd inherited the shop from her father when he passed.And she lived upstairs, planning to one day earn enough money to buy a little farm outside of town where she could grow a lot of her flowers.The greenhouse worked for now, but she had big plans.Now, she was being hunted by a man with delusions, her greenhouse was damaged, and she'd need to pay for repairs.She lived like a nomad on the run, her clientele was scattered, and her life seemed too chaotic to ever put back together.And, Sadie.They were okay after a spat.But they hadn't gotten to the point where it was like it was before, and her life was a mess right now, too.
Mitch paced quietly in the living room, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other holding his phone to his ear.It was his third call to Jayson since midnight.
She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but this cabin was small, and the stillness made everything sound closer.
“Any activity?”Mitch’s voice was a low rasp.
A pause.
Izzy strained to hear Jayson’s reply.
“Nothing on Noah,” Mitch said, his jaw tightening.“Still off-grid.”
Another pause, then Mitch gave a short nod.“Understood.Send me the file.”
He hung up and turned toward her.Their eyes met, and she tried to offer a small smile.It didn’t quite land.
“You should be resting,” he said softly, moving to refill her cup.
“I tried,” she replied.“My brain’s not cooperating.”
He poured the coffee and slid it across the table, then settled across from her.“Mine either.”
They sat in silence for a beat before he spoke again.“Jayson had something on Travis.Thought you’d want to know.”
Her pulse ticked up.“Go on.”
“They found texts between Travis and Delilah.More than just flirty crap.It looks like she was paying him for cash drops.Possibly using his night job as cover for it.And she’s been threatening to go public with the affair and his illegal activity if he backs out.”
Izzy’s brows lifted.“So he’s being blackmailed?”
Mitch nodded.“Which might explain why he stuck around even after things started heating up.Jayson’s digging deeper into the payments.If they can trace anything back to the drugs found in Delilah’s salon, Travis could be looking at serious time.”
"But Delilah will be as well."
"Yes.They'll both be in jail."
Izzy exhaled slowly.“Sadie’s going to be heartbroken.”
“Yeah.But she deserves to know the truth.”
They sat in silence again.The soft hum of wildlife had returned outside, a squirrel darted past the window, a bird chirped from the tree line, and a chipmunk chattered to its family.
“Think he’s gone?”she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Mitch shook his head.“I think he’s regrouping.He made a move last night that didn’t land.Now he’ll adjust.”
She wrapped her hands tighter around her mug.“Then we’ll be ready.”
He gave a small smile.“That’s my girl.”
She barely smiled, but his calling her "my girl" sent a shiver through her body.She looked into his eyes, "What was in the envelope Noah left?"
Mitch shook his head slightly."I haven't heard from Trey yet.I imagine they have their protocols to follow before information can be exchanged.He's good though, and always lets me know when he can."
Despite the exhaustion, despite the weight in her chest, warmth bloomed at those words.She wasn’t just being protected.She was part of this.Part of him.
Mitch’s phone buzzed again, and he rose to check it.“Jayson’s sending security footage from last night.Something about a figure near the shop after hours.He wants me to review it before looping in Fielding.”
