Page 51 of Christmas Crisis

When she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, she glanced up, expecting to see Brady.

But it was Joe standing there, eyeing her with concern. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, gesturing at the screen. “A woman named Lisa died. The last time I saw her, she was being cradled in her husband’s arms. I thought she would be okay. I—wasn’t expecting so see her name on the list of victims.”

“I’m sorry.” Joe’s voice was low and husky.

He needed to stop being so nice to her, or she’d never figure out how to get over him. She drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It’s okay. The shooter is responsible for this. I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t move his hand, his gaze holding hers. “We’re going to find him.”

“I know.” She turned her attention back to the task of making breakfast. Maybe watching the news hadn’t been such a good idea.

Joe’s hand lingered for a moment before he pulled away. “You need any help?”

“No. I can do it.” Her appetite was gone. The nausea was back, but it wasn’t because of seeing blood. No, this time it was simply the loss of innocent lives that made her sick to her stomach.

She began making bacon. Then paused and glanced back at the guys. “Maybe you should dig deeper into Henry’s background from a personal perspective, not just as a skater. It could be that the shooter had intended him to die all along, and maybe he was even the real target.”

A flash of admiration brightened Joe’s blue eyes. “You could be onto something. We thought Gabrielle was the first target, but the two of them were so close together, it could be that Henry was really taken out first.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she silently bemoaned her red hair and fair skin. A simple compliment from Joe shouldn’t cause her to blush like this.

When the bacon was almost finished, she made the eggs and toast. It didn’t take that long for her to finish the meal. When she carried the plate of bacon to the table, Joe grinned.

“Yum.” He rose to help her bring their plates to the table. “This all looks great, Elly.”

“Thanks.” His kind words warmed her heart.

When Brady opened his mouth, she quickly spoke up. “I’d like to say grace, Brady, if you don’t mind.”

He looked surprised. Usually the older siblings took on the role of praying before their meals. “Sure.”

Joe took her hand, causing her to momentarily lose her train of thought. Then she pulled herself together. “Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We ask that You comfort the victim’s families, especially Dan who recently lost his wife, Lisa during their time of grief. And we ask You to continue guiding us to the truth so that we may find this guy before he hurts anyone else. Amen.”

“Amen,” Joe echoed.

“Amen. That was great, sis,” Brady said.

When Joe released her hand, it took all her willpower not to hold on tight. He was a pillar of strength, but she couldn’t keep leaning on him for support. She needed to stand on her own two feet.

Elly picked up her fork and forced herself to eat. Considering the events over the past thirty-six hours, it would be smart to eat while they had the chance. If something happened here at the safe house, they may need to leave at a moment’s notice.

Brady’s cell phone rang, breaking the silence. He glanced at the screen, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood to answer it. He moved away from their table to other side of the room. “I hope you’re calling with good news, Marc.”

She wished she could hear the other side of the conversation. Joe was silent beside her, focused on eating. She worked hard to keep from watching him.

“You have good instincts,” Joe said.

His comment seemed to come out of the blue. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “From the very beginning of this nightmare, you’ve acted on your instincts. Running out to save victims, shouting at me to duck as the shooter took aim, and even now as we investigate the case in more detail.” He paused, then added, “I’m impressed.”

She tried not to gape. She impressed him? He was the tactical expert, the guy on the team that Rhy leaned on the most. She was about as far from a cop as anyone could get.

“I, um, thanks.” She took another bite of her eggs. “I appreciate you saying that.”

“I’m not just saying it,” Joe protested. “It’s true.”

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