Page 16 of Hooking a Firefly
“Is that all you like about me?”He lifted a brow.
Pink tinged her cheeks.“That’s all I am admitting to.”
She fell silent and didn’t speak again.They reached the truck, and he unlocked it with his key fob, then opened the door for her.She slid inside.Harrison hopped into the driver’s seat.He wanted to ask her about her vision, but he’d get that answer later.When she spoke to whoever Charles was.He could wait.Harrison had a lot of patience, and he’d been waiting for Ashlyn to realize they were meant to be together for a long time.That patience might be about to pay off, and not a moment too soon.
Ashlyn unlockedthe door and gestured for Harrison to walk inside.She had tried to get him to leave after bringing her home, but he insisted on staying at least until her guest arrived.As if Lieutenant Netom was someone she entertained often… She would have met him somewhere else if she hadn’t lost consciousness earlier.Ashlyn felt safer at home.Perhaps Harrison had the right idea, insisting he come inside.She’d never blacked out for that long before.
She shut the door after he entered.What was she supposed to do until Lieutenant Netom showed up?She had called him Charles on the phone because she had hoped Harrison would think she was meeting with him for more personal reasons.That hadn’t worked… Either he didn’t care or he cared too much.Ashlyn wasn’t certain which she preferred.“I’m going to make a cup of tea,” Ashlyn told him.“Would you like some?”
He nodded.“Sure.”
Ashlyn wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she was surprised he’d said yes.“You can make yourself comfortable.I won’t be long.”It wasn’t as if she was going to bring in an entire tea service.She’d didn’t do teapots.He’s get a bag of tea in a mug of hot water the same as her.If he wanted something else, he would be sorely out of luck.She wasn’t even offering sugar, lemon, or cream.Ashlyn didn’t particularly feel like being hospitable.
When she returned with the large mugs in hand, she found Harrison lounging on her sofa.He patted the seat next to him.“Join me.”
She narrowed her gaze.“No, thank you,” she replied in a curt tone.Ashlyn handed him a mug and then settled into the chair near the sofa.It was still too close to Harrison for her liking, but at least she wasn’t directly next to his enticing heat.
He leaned back and sipped his tea.His lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile, but he said nothing.Harrison didn’t complain or even pretend to be anything he was not.He drank the tea and was content just being there.It unnerved Ashlyn more than she wanted to admit.“You’re being too quiet,” she complained.
“Am I?”he lifted a brow.“What would you like me to say?”
Nothing, damn it all.“I don’t know.I don’t like this.”She waved her arm around.“Tension.”
“My apologies,” he said smoothly.“I didn’t realize my quietness equalled stress.I’ll aim to be less silent.”
She opened her mouth to reply to that, but the doorbell chimed at that moment.Ashlyn frowned, but then stood to answer the door.She wanted to get her meeting with Lieutenant Netom over with, then she could also send Harrison home and have some peace.“Good, you’re here,” she said to the lieutenant.“Come inside.”
Lieutenant Netom strolled inside.He stopped short when he noticed Harrison.He nodded at him and said, “I didn’t realize you two were acquainted.”
Harrison smiled.“We’re old friends.”
“I see,” the lieutenant replied.
Lieutenant Netom frowned and turned his attention to Ashlyn.She didn’t like his reaction to Harrison’s claim.Harrison wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t right either.They had known each other for many years; however, saying they were friends was a bit of a stretch.“Please sit,” she said.
He sat in her chair.She wanted to scream, but it wasn’t the time or the place.Maybe she would stand until he left.That might work… “I had a vision about Zoey.”
The Lieutenant flipped open his notebook and Harrison sat forward.He didn’t say a word but by the grim line his mouth formed, she could tell he wasn’t pleased.He wasn’t upset about the vision, but probably because she hadn’t told him what it had been about.She should feel bad about that, but she didn’t want to discuss it more than necessary.
“What did you see?”Netom asked.
“She was in a room by herself.There was a small bed, not a twin…smaller.”She nibbled on her lip.“Almost like a toddler bed.”Zoey was too old for that size bed, but she didn’t want to dive into the mind of a kidnapper.That had to be a dark place to be.
“What else can you tell me about the room?”He wrote down the information.
Ashlyn took a deep breath and then closed her eyes so she could visualize it more.“There was a sound, almost like a train whistle that went off in the distance.The room was small, too.There were some toys, but they seemed geared more toward a boy.Trucks, little cars, a race track…” She focused harder, trying to squeeze out all the information.“The man came inside and gave her food.She cried, and he told her to shut up.He had a mark on his hand—maybe a birthmark or weird tattoo.It was reddish in color and shaped like a knife or dagger.”She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.“Zoey is scared, but appears unharmed.There’s nothing else I can tell you.”
“That’s more than we had before.I’ll add this to the case files and see if it matches up with anything we have…which isn’t much.He has had her for weeks now and hasn’t called to make any demands.That leads us to think he plans on keeping her or using her for some other purpose later.”
Harrison’s gaze darkened.“Let’s hope you find her soon then.”
Lieutenant Netom nodded at him.“I’ll leave you two to whatever you were doing before I arrived.”He glanced at Ashlyn.“If you have another vision or remember anything else, call me immediately.”
“I will,” she promised as she walked him to the door.He opened it and exited.When she turned, she found Harrison standing right behind her.“What?”she asked.
“Would you have told me if I wasn’t here?”
She swallowed hard.“I don’t know.”
