Page 151 of Chasing Infinity

Despite the conversation I know we’re about to have, Vincent, laughs. “A water will be fine, thank you.”

I motion for him to sit at the kitchen’s little table while I get us both a glass of water. It’s a little uncomfortable. I’m still getting used to doing everyday tasks with only one usable hand at the moment. Still, I manage to hand him his glass without any significant casualties happening.

After I take my seat across from him, I motion for him to get on with it.

Vincent breathes in deeply, his shoulders rising. “You know I really, really don’t want to do this, but I’m going to need you to turn over your badge and weapon.” Though I figured that’s precisely why he’s here, I open my mouth to protest. Vincent effectively shuts me up with a wave of his hand. “You knew the deal, Noah. The order is coming from higher up; unfortunately, I have to follow it. I’m sorry, but you’re done.”

“So what does this mean for the case, then?” I ask him between gritted teeth.

Vincent studies my face. Then he gives a noncommittal shrug and diverts his gaze. “I don’t know. They’ll probably reassign it to another agent.”

“But it’smy case,” I growl at him. “I’ve done all the work and pulled everything together. I need more time, and I think I can finally catch him.”

“My hands are tied, Lockwood,” Vincent tells me. “Your badge, please.”

I grumble under my breath as I push the wooden chair back away from the table. I storm into the bedroom and find my badge and gun inside the drawer. Stomping back out, I set them on the table in front of Vincent.

“I think this is a mistake,” I tell him.

He sighs. “I think you’re right, but there’s nothing I can do right now. If I find a way to get you back on the case, you’ll be the first to know.”

I clench my teeth, feeling the muscle in my jaw spasm from the force. “Is that all?”

“I’m afraid so,” he says, getting up from his seat and pocketing my badge. He puts my holstered gun inside his briefcase after ensuring the safety mechanism is on and then turns to me. He extends his hand, and I begrudgingly take it.

Despite him completely ruining my day, I respect Vincent enough to shake his hand when he offers.

“I hope you heal up quickly, Noah. We’ll be in touch once you’ve been cleared by your doctors to return to work. We’ll need to set up a time to meet and discuss what happens next.”

I follow him out, giving him a nod of my head as he waves before disappearing. As soon as he’s gone, I close the door and rest my forehead against the cool wood. This has just put a major wrench in all of my plans. Without the government’s backup, there’s not much else I can do. At this point, my best bet would be to join up with Charlie and try and catch him committing a crime around town, but my father isn’t that dumb.

His crimes range more on the national and global scale than sticking to petty small-town misdemeanors, and yet he always finds a way to keep his hands clean of any involvement.

A sense of apprehension rolls over me. I’m not sure what this means for the future, but there’s nothing I can do at this point. I’ve been stripped of any and all power I had. I just have to hope that everything will work out, one way or another.

Chapter 38

Addison

The following few days are quiet. Noah spends a lot of time resting, letting his body heal from the accident. His pain has been getting better over the last few days too, and he’s been able to use regular over-the-counter medicine instead of the heavy prescription stuff. It’s such a relief seeing him get better each and every day that passes.

I’ve been spending most of my time at home, trusting Jack and Grace to handle everything at the diner downstairs. I only have Grace for a Noah’s fully capable of taking care of himself, but something deep inside me tells me I need to stick close to him when I can. Something about him has been off since he came home from the hospital. He told me about how his boss visited him that first day he was home, but he didn’t go into many details. I can only assume that it wasn’t for a friendly chat.

We’re sitting at the table now, Noah reading a book and me working on the weekly crossword puzzle. He hasn’t bothered shaving since he got home; the dark stubble there before is now much longer and thicker. He keeps his dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail at the back of his neck to keep it out of his eyes.

This morning when he woke up, I could tell that he was really starting to feel better because the gleam was back in his eyes. We’ve spent a lot of time together the last few days, just the two of us, but we haven’t really taken advantage of it. I still have many questions burning in the back of my mind but I didn’t want to cause him any extra stress by asking. Maybe today, he’ll be feeling up to getting out a bit.

I relentlessly tap my pen against the table, trying to get his attention. Finally, Noah looks up, arching an eyebrow at me.

“Is there something you need?” he asks, amusement hinting in his tone.

“How do you feel about going for a walk?”

Noah raises an eyebrow at me. “It’s freezing outside, Parks.”

I shrug my shoulders and grin. “And? We have coats. I just think that getting up and moving around will be good for you.”

“Well then I guess we’re going for a walk,” Noah says, his eyes gleaming. “I better be a good patient and do as my nurse tells me.”

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