Page 51 of Into the Fire

Whether he’d end up helping her solve the puzzle Les had left remained to be seen, but one thing was for sure.

If she got stuck while trying to solve this case, or if someone really was trying to wreak havoc in her life, Marc was standing by as her backup.

That was comforting.

Nevertheless, as she paid her bill and the attendant handed over her key, Bri sent a silent plea heavenward that her future encounters with the charming ATF agent would be confined to the Les Kavanaugh puzzle rather than the consequences of someone bent on playing sick practical jokes—or worse.

TEN

MARC FINISHED RESPONDINGto a text from his boss, hit send, and glanced toward the doors in the lobby of the medical office building.

No sign of Bri yet.

He pocketed his cell and leaned back in his chair.

Catching her on the fly to discuss the Kavanaugh puzzle wasn’t ideal. A leisurely chat over another round of coffee and treats would have been far preferable.

But with the week he’d been having, this was as good as it was going to get—and it was better than a phone call.

The doors whooshed open, and Bri entered on a gust of late-afternoon autumn air.

He rose from the seat he’d claimed near the fountain in the center and waved to catch her attention.

Smoothing a hand over her wind-tossed hair, she hurried toward him. “It’s blowing a gale out there. I think a front is moving in.”

“That’s what the meteorologists are predicting. Sorry to bring you out in all this.”

“I’ve been in worse weather. You want to sit here, or talk somewhere else?”

“Here is fine.” He motioned to the chair beside his.

“Everything okay with your grandmother?” She took the seat he’d indicated and set her tote bag and purse beside her.

“TBD. They x-rayed her wrist. Now she’s waiting back ather doctor’s office for the verdict—and none too happy about it, either. She thinks I overreacted.”

“I don’t.” Her response was instantaneous and adamant. “If someone I loved told me they’d lost their balance and fallen, I’d do the same thing. Especially if they were dealing with repercussions from surgery and radiation.”

“Thanks for that.” During their earlier phone call, Bri hadn’t asked for more information beyond the quick briefing he’d given her on Nan’s diagnosis and treatment regimen, but her support was comforting. “She’s the only family I have, so I’m extra careful.”

“I hear you. Family is everything. My brother and sister and I hovered over my mom too after her heart began to fail. Her deteriorating health was one of the reasons I moved home.”

A woman with strong family connections.

Nice.

She pulled a notebook out of her tote and flipped it open. “I don’t want to tie you up in case your grandmother needs you.”

In other words, she was redirecting the conversation away from personal subjects.

Nothing new there.

“I know you want to keep the momentum going with the Kavanaugh case, and I have a packed day tomorrow. More packed than ever since I’ll have to make up for this unexpected blip in my schedule. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to drive out here.”

“I didn’t mind. But we could have talked by phone.”

True. Except in person was far better. With the cell pressed against his ear, he wouldn’t have been able to see her expressive blue eyes or catch a whiff of the faint, spicy fragrance that wafted his direction with every shimmer of her blond locks.

Selfish, yes, but maybe she was enjoying this face-to-face visit as much as he was.

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