Page 41 of Chasing Infinity

Charlie puts down his fork and turns to face me fully. “I’m well aware, Noah. I had the same debriefing as you, you know. But us rushing into things and making sloppy mistakes is only going to hurt us in the long run. You know this.”

I look behind the counter to ensure Addison isn’t nearby hearing all of this. I’m not ready for her to be in the thick of it, not just yet. “I think we need to take some risks to start the ball rolling.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“We’ll agree to disagree then, Sully,” I growl. “But this is my case.”

“And this is my town,” he protests back, his face taking on a severe expression, informing me he’s not playing around. “You brought me into this because you wanted my help. So maybe just take a walk and cool off, and we’ll reconvene later. I’m trying to eat here, and my biscuits are getting cold listening to your bullshit.”

I turn away from him and grab my coffee mug, glaring into the brown liquid, fuming.

“What are you boys up to today?” Addison asks in a singsong tone, sauntering over with a coffee pot in her hand. She looks between the two of us expectantly as she refills our drinks.

“Noah’s going to come with Eli and me to the shooting range,” Charlie informs her. Addison gives me a smile that lights up her hazel eyes, and I fight off a groan at how excited she is that I’m spending time with her boy toys.

“That’s great! I think that will be a lot of fun. You’ve been cooped up in here for the last week covering for me, so you could use a break. You’ve earned it,” Addison implores me, leaning across the counter in my direction.

Charlie is watching his friend, his brows pulled in at the center. I can see he’s trying to piece together what’s changed in our dynamic with each other, similarly to how Grace was earlier. There’s no hiding that Addison and I are on better terms today after our discussion yesterday, especially from observant people like Charlie or Grace. They seem to have a personal interest in what goes on between us.

“Right,” I say, scooting away from her and trying to deter Charlie’s knowing gaze. “Well, Sully, enjoy your cold biscuits. I’m just going to run upstairs and change and get my stuff together. Shoot me a text when you’re ready to head that way.”

Charlie nods, still looking between Addison and me as if he’s trying to fill in the blanks or put the pieces together on a puzzle. I grimace internally. Nothing happened last night other than words, but Grace and Charlie are looking at us as if we’ve been caught red-handed for something much worse. I excuse myself from their questionable gazes and go upstairs to shower.

About an hour and a half later, I get the text message that Charlie and Eli are ready to go. I rifle through my old bag, looking for my gun, and secure it in my waistband, not bothering with a holster. When I go downstairs, I see Eli has claimed the front seat of Charlie’s patrol car, which means I have the privilege of sitting in the back like a criminal. There are a few hellos from the two men up front as I situate myself on the hard plastic seats before we take off.

“You ever been to the range before, McCoy?” Eli sneers at me over his shoulder from the front seat. “Or was daddy too busy showing you how to hit clay pigeons out of the sky to show you how to really use a gun? Clay pigeons your only expertise?”

Charlie shifts, and I can see him getting ready to inform Eli of myactualexpertise, but I cut him off and let Eli run his mouth. It makes no difference to me. “Yeah, I guess. Something like that.”

I notice Charlie eyeing me in the rearview mirror, one brow raised, silently questioning what the hell I’m doing. I smirk and shrug a shoulder back at him. We’ll see where this goes. It could be fun jerking Eli along.

We have to travel to the next town from Willow Heights to get to the range. It’s about a thirty-minute drive, and not even five minutes in, I feel like banging my head against the window listening to Eli talk. He’s muttering this and that about plans for his date with Addison now that she’s feeling better. They’re all terrible ideas, and I wonder if he even knows her at all, despite being one of her oldest friends.

It’s not my place to bring up the conversation I had with her last night. The ball is in Addison’s court now. And I must admit, it’s weird not knowing what she’s going to do with that. From what I’ve gathered, she’s still weighing pros and cons, which she happens to be a professional at. I’m sure she’s got a written list stashed somewhere to effectively make an informed decision.

Still, I’m anxious to see how everything will play out. I don’t want her to stay with Eli, but it’s not my place to say otherwise if that’s what she chooses. I look out the window as we drive, watching the scenery pass by, trying not to fall into a rabbit hole of unwanted thoughts.

We get onto the highway, and something off in the distance catches my attention.

“That place is still empty?” I ask Charlie as we drive past the old, worn-down Witch House. Growing up, the place was the source of countless cheesy horror stories told with a flashlight under your chin at parties.

“The Witch House?” Charlie asks, looking out the window at what I’m referencing. “Yep, still empty. I always assign some guys to stand guard around Halloween, so kids don’t get too ambitious with their dares. The place should be condemned. It’s a safety hazard—practically falling apart.”

“Do people still believe it’s haunted?”

Charlie laughs and nods his head. “The officers I assign usually prefer to stay in their cars when they have to post there. The guy this year swore up and down that he could hear ghosts when he was up there.”

I frown, the gears in my brain working with the new information, and continue to stare out the window. “Is it still for sale?”

Eli laughs at my question, jumping into the conversation with full force. “Why are you looking to invest in real estate? Find a cute little house to build a family in?” I glare at him but don’t design a response. He’s on a roll, though, and continues to run his mouth. “I’m sure the future Mrs. Noah McCoy would love nothing more than to realize her hero of a husband bought her a broken-down shack for her wedding present.”

“Eli,” Charlie warns his buddy, and I grit my teeth together.

Eli chuckles again and taps his knuckles against the window. “I’m just messing around, Charlie. No one would want to marry Noah anyway. He looks like a homeless person.”

I roll my eyes at the jab and pull out my phone, sending a few quick texts and opening my email. I’ve decided I need to find out more about that Witch House. I had completely forgotten about its existence, but now, it’s raising a few red alerts in my head. I type out an email to a realtor in Willow Heights, asking if I could set up a time to look at the old house in the next week. It couldn’t hurt to do some sleuthing.

When we get to the range, Eli, for some reason, attaches himself to my side, insisting that he wants to shoot with me in my lane. Charlie sends me an apologetic shrug but strides down the aisle to his own lane without further fussing. I grit my teeth and walk with Eli to our assigned space.

---