Page 148 of Chasing Infinity

Noah nods as if he agrees that it’s time. “I work for the FBI.”

“I know that. I saw your badge, remember? My dad had an identical one.”

“Yeah,” Noah says fondly at the mention of my dad. “I’m finishing his investigation.”

I sit back from him, my eyebrows furrowing together. “What?”

“Your father was here investigating my father,” Noah informs me. “And after I left, I eventually joined up with the FBI and reopened his investigation.”

The world begins buzzing around me, and a slight ringing in my ears begins. I’m almost afraid to ask, but I know I have to. “What has your father done?”

I don’t know much about Declan McCoy besides that he’s a grade-A asshole. Generally, I do my best to stay out of his way, keeping any interaction with him as short as possible. He’s just an unpleasant human.

Noah gives a humorless laugh. “Where do I start?”

“You said the case was closed? Was it because of my dad—?”

“Yes,” Noah says, sobering up. “After your dad died, they had nothing else to go on because if my father is good at anything, it's making himself look innocent. So the case was closed until I got there and reopened it. But…listen, there’s something I have to tell you about that.”

The ground beneath me feels shaky, like an earthquake roiling underneath us. Somehow I know that whatever Noah’s about to tell me isn’t going to be good. I’m feeling a little lightheaded as I say, “Okay.”

He takes a deep breath and straightens his shoulders as much as possible in his bed. With a dip of his chin, he looks me straight in the eyes and says, “Parks, I'm certain my father ordered that fire to be set. He’s the one responsible for your parents’ deaths.”

My vision tunnels, and the ground swallows me whole, my world slipping into blackness.

Chapter 37

Noah

My room is a flurry with activity as they try to revive Addison. As soon as I saw the color wash out of her face and her sway in her chair, I hit the call button to get the nurses in my room. They hurried in and were able to get her into a safe position on the floor so she wouldn’t fall over and crack her head open.

A sinking pit of worry settles into my stomach. I lean over the edge of my bed, watching helplessly as the nurses hover around her on the ground. Her curls splay around her head, starkly contrasting with the pale white tile floors. One of the nurses rubs her fist against Addison’s sternum, trying to bring her back to the present.

I wasn’t expecting the news to go over well, but I wasn’t expecting her to pass out. Usually, Addison is steadfast no matter what obstacle comes up. The nurses have a cool compress pressed against her forehead as she comes around. Addison’s face is pale. Her eyes glaze as she finally regains consciousness, her eyelids fluttering as her vision refocuses on the scene around her.

“What happened?” She asks, her voice weak. Her gaze darts between the two nurses crouched beside her before they bounce up to where I’m still stuck in my bed.

“You just fainted, honey,” the nurse closest to her says. “Have you had anything to eat today?”

“A coffee and banana,” Addison responds, and my stomach twists. “And I hadn’t eaten anything before that since lunch yesterday.”

The nurses all share a glance, and they help get her up. “We’ll get you a granola bar and some water, okay? Don’t get up too quickly. Your blood sugar is probably a little low.”

Addison nods as they get her back into a sitting position in the chair next to me. Addison meets my gaze, and she frowns. “I’m sorry,” she says, a sheepish undertone lacing her voice.

“Don’t be,” I tell her. Regret settles deep into my gut, knowing I’m partly to blame for her intense reaction. It’s been a crazy twenty-four hours. I should’ve waited to drop that bomb on her until things were a little more settled.

She presses a hand to her head and squeezes her eyes shut. The nurse runs into the room, carrying three granola bars and a water bottle. Addison takes them gratefully and opens one up, taking a tender bite out of the snack.

Her eyes avoid mine as she picks at her granola bar. Finally, she mutters a soft, “I’m embarrassed.”

“Why? It’s not like you could control it,” I tell her back, reaching my left hand across the bed toward her. She eyes it warily but finally slips her smaller hand into mine, tangling our fingers together.

“I’ve never fainted before,” she says as if that’s enough explanation.

“Well, I guess if you were going to faint, the best place to do it would be in a hospital full of medical professionals,” I try to tease her. She offers me a forced smile, and I squeeze her hand. “Hey, it’s not anything you can control. Things have been crazy lately, and your body probably just had enough. Your brain needed to reboot. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” She takes another bite of her granola bar. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I shouldn’t have dropped that on you given everything you’ve gone through.”

“I guess so. I just feel so stupid.” She presses her hand against her temple. “And I’m so tired.”

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