On the run? But if they couldn’t go to the safe house, where could they go?
“How was it compromised?” she asked. “And where are we going to meet up with everyone now?”
“I don’t know,” Noah said. He shook his head. “They’re scrambling to find somewhere else. He sent me a quick text. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get someplace safe and call me back soon.”
“But how did the Imposters know where Liam and Seth were heading?” she pressed.
Noah shrugged. “It’s possible Snitch5751 supplied them with locations of Toronto-area safe houses. Or it was in the information they stole from Elias’s devices.”
Suspicion brushed her spine. “Or somebody told them. How much do you trust Mack, Jess and Liam? Is it possible one of them is Snitch5751? Or compromised?”
Something flickered in Noah’s eyes, a hesitation, like there was something he still hadn’t told her. Then the look hardened to resolve. “No, I know them and trust them with my life. Someone in law enforcement may have helped the Imposters, but not one of them. Not Seth, either.”
But how could he be so sure? Questions rattled in her mind, even as Noah started to slow the vehicle to turn and put on his indicator light. She looked up at the farmhouse. It sat alone, high up on a small hill, with what looked like excellent lines of sight in all directions. The house was three stories high, with peeling white paint and a green roof that seemed to be missing a few shingles. A trio of snowmen in mismatched scarves and hats, with crooked pebble smiles, greeted them with outstretched stick arms.
Noah parked the truck, then walked around and opened her door. He didn’t offer her his arm, not explicitly, but as she slid from the truck and her boots hit the snow, she found herself reaching for it. He let her take it and she felt the strength of his muscles under her hand. He reached past her and closed the truck door.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
They walked together across the snowy ground. The front door opened before they reached the porch. A woman stood on the doorstep, tall and willowy, in blue jeans and a voluminous white sweater with the sleeves pushed up past her elbows. Her pale blond hair was tied back in a bun. And if Holly hadn’t heard her story, and so knew she was in her mid-to late-thirties, she would’ve imagined her to be a lot younger.
Anne’s hands snapped to her hips as her gaze ran over Noah, with a look that seemed very sisterly, and a concerned one at that. Then her attention flittered to Holly’s grasp on Noah’s arm.
“I’m Anne. You must be Holly.” She gestured in welcome. “Come on in.”
“Thank you.” Holly detangled herself from Noah’s arm and followed her into the house. A large living room lay to her left, filled with a huge, real Christmas tree bedecked with homemade ornaments. Ahead of her, a wide wooden staircase led up to the second floor. She caught a glimpse of a young man at the top who she guessed was Drew. He was as willowy and thin as his mother, with a mop of jet-black hair. A small girl with blond curls peeked out from around his knees, likely Lizzy. Noah waved. The little girl waved back. The youth bent and whispered something in her ear, then took her by the hand and gently led her out of sight.
“I’ve asked them to give us some privacy while I got Holly settled,” Anne told Noah, “and promised them their Uncle Nah would be up to say hi as soon as I made sure his friend was okay.” Then she turned to Holly. “You can lie down in the den for now. I’ll join you in a sec. I just want to talk to Noah for a moment.”
She gestured to a door to her right, and Holly glanced through. Tall shelves of obviously well-read books lined the walls. A brightly colored quilt draped across the battered leather couch.
“You need a hand?” Noah asked.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it.” Holly shrugged her coat off into Noah’s waiting hands. But as she leaned down to untie her boots, she felt her head begin to swim.
“Everything okay?” he asked, when she straightened again.
“Actually, bending down like that was making me dizzy...”
“Here, let me.” He sank to one knee and untied the laces of her boots. She looked down at him. His hair was wet and tousled from the snow. His face was flushed. And as his gray eyes glanced up at her face, an inescapable thought made her heart skip a beat.
She was attracted to him. Very much so, judging by the odd fluttering in her chest.
No, it had to be the combination of adrenaline and the knock to her head. She’d never been one to have crushes on guys, and this was the worst possible time and place for such a thing. The idea of starting up a romantic relationship with Noah was laughable. It was inappropriate for starters, considering he was a witness protection officer and she was a witness. It could be weeks before she’d be out of witness protection and then, as soon as testifying at the inquiry was done, she’d be deploying back overseas. There was no way she’d give up her career to stay in Canada and be with a man. And no way she’d ever ask him to give up his career to follow her.
And yet, from the strength of character shown in how he’d dealt with everything today, to the curve of his mouth as he smiled, there was something about him that everything inside her was ridiculously drawn to. And when his fingertips brushed her calves as he helped her out of her boots, there was no denying the shiver that ran across her skin.
Help me, Lord. I’m losing my mind.
“Thank you,” she said, without meeting his eye.
She walked into the study, feeling Noah’s gaze follow her like a sunbeam on her back. She let the door swing shut, lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over her. She closed her eyes.
“What were you thinking, driving around like that with her in the vehicle?” Anne’s voice filtered through the door. “You let her overexert herself and potentially make her concussion worse, when she should’ve been resting?”
“I didn’t let her do anything!” Noah said. “I couldn’t stop that woman from ‘exerting herself’ if I tried!”
“You should have—”
“She climbed out a window onto a ledge three stories off the ground, in a snowstorm!” he retorted, exasperation mixing with something like awe in his voice. For a second his words seemed to hang in the air. Then he laughed, as if he’d suddenly heard what he was saying. “And then, like that wasn’t enough, she insisted she could climb up a wall onto a roof without my help. She’s...she’s impossible.”
“Sounds like she’s good for you,” Anne said. “Someone falls into your life who stubbornly won’t let you save her?”
“I don’t see how that’s good for me!” Noah’s voice rose.
Then their voices dropped again, just low enough that she could hear them talking, but couldn’t make any words out clearly.
Who did Noah think he was, to call her impossible? He had absolutely no idea who she was, what she’d been through or what she was capable of. And he never would.
“When are we going to talk about Caleb?” Anne’s voice floated back in range. “I have a potential buyer for the gym.”
“And I’ve told you I’m not going to sell it.” Noah’s voice was back, too. “We’ll figure something else out. I promise. Just not that.” Rock-and-roll music played. Noah’s phone was ringing. “One second, I have to check in with my team. Then as soon as they confirm the details, we’ll get back on the road.”
“You’re not taking her anywhere!” Anne’s voice rose.
“With all due respect, you don’t understand—” Noah started.
“I’m a doctor, and she’s my patient,” Anne cut him off. “So make yourself comfortable.”
“I’m telling you right now, she won’t agree to rest,” Noah said.
Anne didn’t even answer. Instead, she pushed through the door into the study. Holly sat up.
“How are you feeling?” Anne asked.
“Impossible, apparently,” she answered. “And don’t worry, I’m not about to run off into some hail of bullets just to spite him.”
“But you’re tempted to?” Something twinkled in Anne’s eyes.
“Just a little,” Holly admitted.
Anne chuckled, then grabbed a chair, pulled it over and sat. “Noah is the most stubborn man I know. Especially when he’s trying to solve everyone else’s problems instead of focusing on his own. But his heart is always in the right place. Now, let’s check you out.”
She ran smoothly and professionally through a series of tests, from checking Holly’s eyes to some simple coordination and word games. Even before she gave her verdict Holly could tell she was sluggish. It was like she’d been running on adrenaline and fear, and now that it was done she could feel her body wanting to shut down. Resignation swept over her, reminding her of the looks she’d seen in injured soldiers the moment they gave up fighting to survive, and realized it was time to switch to the hard work of getting better. “Let me guess. I’ve got a concussion.”
“Certainly looks that way,” Anne said.
Holly lay back against the pillow. Well, God, now what?
“Thankfully, it seems to be pretty minor,” Anne stated. “Your pupils are the same size and you’ve got no major lag in response time. Your verbal response time is slow, but your language skills are still coherent. You just need rest. I’m going to suggest you spend three days here, resting completely for the first twenty-four hours, and then if you’re up to it you can move to a new safe house.”
“But you have kids!” Holly sat up. “I’m a witness in a federal parliamentary inquiry. Plus, I have criminals after me.”
“It’s okay.” Anne gently pushed her back against the couch. “This isn’t my first rodeo.” There was an edge to her voice, strong like tempered steel, that reminded Holly of what Noah had said about Anne’s childhood. “I’m not in the habit of throwing people who need help to the wolves. Noah will sit up and keep guard at night. And while this house may be old, it has a state-of-the-art security system, reinforced locks on all the doors and windows, and a passage from the cold cellar that leads to the barn out back. Lizzy will sleep in my room and go to work with me during the day. She won’t leave my sight. Drew is almost eighteen and better in a crisis than most adults I know. Plus, he’s a crack shot with a gun, as am I, if it comes to that. But it won’t. Because nothing Noah’s told me about the people after you leads us to think they’re about to storm a farmhouse.”
“True,” Holly admitted. “But they might set fire to Drew’s school or your practice and show up dressed as firefighters.”
“Okay,” Anne said. “When you know your enemy, you can prepare against that.”
That was very true. Again, Holly wondered what kind of enemies Anne had faced in her life. Considering the type of cyber terrorists the Imposters were, and with the amount of time and energy it would take to process the data they’d stolen from Elias and prepare it for the online auction on Christmas Eve, it was more likely they’d wait and watch, like trappers, for Holly to reemerge.
“Okay,” she said, “but at the first sign of trouble, we’re going to leave. No argument.”
“Or I’ll take the kids and go,” Anne said. “Either way, we’ll wait and see. I’ll watch you carefully over the next couple of days for signs of any major complications. If something worsens, I’m going to insist on taking you to the hospital. But for now, I’m prescribing twenty-four hours of strict bed rest, followed by another forty-eight of easing you back into normal life.”
Right. It felt like the entire world was on fire. Prosecutors had to be questioning where their star witness had gone. RCMP had to have started letting hundreds of witnesses know their new identities were about to be auctioned off, giving them days to pack up and run. And here Holly was going to be lying around in the dark, not helping, not fighting and doing absolutely nothing. She was vaguely aware of Anne saying something comforting and leaving the room. But the frustration that burned inside her was so strong she could barely hear her.
What’s happening to my life, Lord? I did everything right. I served my country honorably. I stepped up to testify against General Bertie. Why is this happening to me?
She lay back on the couch, feeling her hands ball into fists. There was a soft rap on the door. She looked up as Noah leaned through the doorway. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” She shifted to make room for him. “I’m really sorry about all this.”
“I know,” he said. “And you can stop apologizing at any time. I mean, it’s no fun for me to stay annoyed at someone who’s this miserable.”
Despite herself, a laugh slipped from her lips. He sat down beside her on the couch. It sagged as his weight shifted the pillow, and she found her shoulder bumping against his.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“It’s fine.” He raised his arm and stretched it across the top of the couch, making more room for her. “I don’t mind if you lean against me. Just stretch in whatever way you need to be comfortable. Believe me, I’ve been crammed into smaller spaces with Liam and Mack than this.”
Yeah, but this man had no idea she was attracted to him.
“Either that or I sit on the floor,” Noah offered.
“No, it’s cool, thank you,” she said quickly. She shifted her position again and felt the strength of his forearm against her shoulder. It was strong, solid and soft all at once. The smell of him filled her senses. It was a warm and outdoorsy smell, like cocoa at night by a bonfire.
“I’m sure you’ve fought way harder battles than this before,” he said.
“Than lying around in the dark doing nothing?”
“Than overcoming and fighting your own instincts,” he said. “Believe me, I know that sometimes the hardest thing is doing nothing.”
She wanted to ask him what he’d meant by that. Instead she said, “Status update?”
“Lizzy said you’re pretty and asked me if I’m going to marry you,” Noah said. She felt a flush rushing to her cheeks. “Also, nobody made it to the safe house.”
He shifted and somehow his arm seemed to move even closer. It was way more distracting than it had any right to be. “When Liam and Seth got there, three police cars were parked outside and cops were searching the place. Apparently someone reported it as a drug operation.”
“How did they know which safe house you’d be trying to take me to?”
“They didn’t,” Noah said. “Apparently various threats were called in at various locations to local police in the area. Anywhere within an hour’s drive of Toronto. We’re talking fires, break-ins, children in danger, medical emergencies—dozens of false alarms. Authorities across the province are scrambling, trying to figure out who’s placing so many nuisance calls. It’s the biggest single waste of law enforcement time in provincial history.”
“It’s smart,” Holly said, “using law enforcement to try and flush us out. And since there’s no way to know where the Imposters are, it keeps me from going to get help.”
“It gets better, or worse, depending on your perspective,” Noah said. “Jess had the bright idea of checking herself into the hospital, considering she’s already wearing your jacket, and so anyone following her might think she’s you. Mack took her to an emergency room in Mississauga, still in that wig Seth gave her, and checked her in under ‘Hildy Ashes.’ Within ten minutes a nurse came over and offered to take her to a private room. According to Seth, our hacker friend the Wraith had planted an emergency alert in the computer system of every hospital in southern Ontario reporting that someone with a name similar to yours has a very contagious disease and would need to be quarantined. Needless to say they got out of there.”
“Wow,” Holly said.
“You sound almost impressed.”
“I just appreciate the Imposters’ tactics,” she said. “There are only two of them. Two! One that’s the tech genius and one that’s the heavy. It’s incredibly difficult for two people to take on something huge, especially while staying hidden, and hiring mercenaries to do your dirty work for you is risky.” She thought back to the three criminals someone had hired to threaten her out of testifying against General Bertie, subsequently driving her into witness protection. “So, they resort to guerrilla tactics and urban terrorism. Police aren’t equipped to handle it.”
“Well, it’s pushing us to accelerate our countertactics and proceed without debriefing,” Noah said. “Liam’s taking Seth to a new location now. Not a witness protection safe house, mind you, but somewhere only Seth knows. Then he’s going to start pulling on threads within the police to see what he can find. Jess is preparing to go back into work tomorrow morning, and Mack’s already gone underground to see what he can sniff out through criminal sources.”
Yeah, she’d heard all that back at the loft, but now that her head felt clearer it made even less sense. “But what about the cases they’re assigned to? What about their regular work?” She blinked as something Elias had said suddenly twigged at the back of her brain. “Hang on, I think before he died Elias said you weren’t even cleared to work.”
Was that true? It couldn’t be! How could she possibly forget something like that, even temporarily? Yet, as she watched, Noah sighed and pulled his arm away.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he murmured. “Something I should’ve told you a few hours ago.”
No. She shook her head. No, he wouldn’t have kept anything important like that from her. She’d trusted him. She’d let him bring her here.
“Elias was right,” she said. “You are on leave. I apologized to you, like, six times for not telling you about the concussion, and you kept that from me?”
“I’m not on leave—” Noah started.
She cut him off. “Then what did he mean—”
“It’s complicated—”
“Not good enough!” She heard her voice rise. “You asked me to trust you with my life.”
“I was offered a really big promotion a week ago,” Noah said. “A desk job in Ottawa coordinating a team of officers and protecting very high level federal witnesses. But it required a higher level of security clearance than I currently have. And I don’t want to apply for that right now because it means the feds go poking around, doing a deep dive into your life, looking for any potential vulnerabilities. So my boss suggested I use up the month of holiday time I’ve been banking to think it through.”
She blinked. “So, you’re on vacation?”
“Yup.” A wry smile battled the frustration in his eyes. “This is how I’m spending my Christmas vacation. Everyone I pulled together to help me is off active duty for one reason or another. Liam was beaten into a coma last summer when his cover was blown and he’s still on medical leave until March. Mack was suspended for six months for some personal reason he hasn’t told me the details of. And Jess was given the choice of a six-week suspension or human resources training following something that happened to her in the past. She’d taken the suspension, but now she’s going back in tomorrow and biting the bullet, in order to be our ears and eyes on the inside. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all this earlier, but I didn’t know how you’d react, and things have kind of been crazy ever since you and I met.”
Yeah, she could agree with that. She sat back on the couch and looked at him for a long moment. “So, you assembled a team of rogue RCMP agents to take down a pair of urban terrorists, root out a snitch in law enforcement and stop criminals from buying hundreds of witness protection identities.”
“I did.” He crossed his arms and something fierce flashed like fire in his eyes. “I also have a former criminal hacker on my team. And hopefully, a military corporal who, unless she turns herself in at an RCMP station fairly soon, people are going to assume is either dead or has walked away from witness protection.”
Now he told her. She eyed him thoughtfully.
He was every bit as stubborn, strong-willed and crazy as she was.
“So you’re saying that if I don’t report in to RCMP witness protection and get assigned to a new officer, they’re just going to think I ditched police protection?” she clarified.
“Yeah,” he said. “Happens all the time. People just disappear from the witness protection system. Thanks to Seth’s fake trail of bread crumbs, they’ll think you ran off to elope with a Mr. Smith, rent an apartment in Vancouver and travel to England.”
Was he trying to be funny?
“You should’ve told me all this before,” she said.
His chin rose. “I know.”
Then she reached for his hand. His arms unfolded and he enveloped her palm in his.
“I’m in,” she said. “Just don’t ever sideline me or keep anything from me ever again.”
“Deal.” He shook her hand, then released it. “And there’s one more major piece of the puzzle Seth’s looking into. He thinks Snitch5751 is also the person who hired those three criminals who attacked you and drove you into witness protection.”
He watched as her eyes widened. Fear washed over her features and both her hands began to shake. He reached out, but she didn’t let him take them. “You’re saying those three men who attacked me were hired by the same guy who gave the Imposters the information they needed to kill Elias and steal the witness protection files?”
“That’s Seth’s working theory,” Noah said. “He might not be right.”
“Every single life that’s being threatened by this auction has been because of me!” Her voice rose. “Every vulnerable witness whose secret identity is now on the chopping block to the highest bidder is because I agreed to testify against General Bertie about some missing weapons on the other side of the world.”
She was shaking so hard now she was shivering. And Noah wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around her and tell her no, it wasn’t possible, no, it couldn’t be true.
“Maybe!” he said. “I don’t know. It’s what Seth thinks happened.”
He stretched his hands out, palms up, willing her to take them. She slowly complied, sliding her hands into his. He wrapped his fingers around hers, and they held each other like survivors ready to pull one another up a cliff.
“Maybe Snitch5751 is more than one person,” he suggested. “Maybe he hoped those men would kill you, and when that didn’t work he used the Imposters to come after you in exchange for the files. Maybe a different criminal found the first criminal’s signal and used it to mask their identity. We can’t know.” He pulled her in closer, wishing he could hold her against his chest and wrap his arms around her. “But we’ll find out. We’ll stop that auction, we’ll save the witnesses and you’ll testify before the inquiry about Bertie’s crimes. I promise.”
“Okay.” And as her green eyes looked into his, he could tell she believed him. He just prayed he wouldn’t let her down.
Anne knocked on the door just then to let them know Lizzy’s room was ready if Holly wanted to lie down.
And Noah found himself spending the next three days playing with Lizzy, looking over Drew’s film school portfolio’s sketches and designs for special effect movie makeup and creature design, maneuvering his way around the difficult conversations Anne still wanted to have about Caleb, coordinating with his team remotely whenever possible and waiting as Holly rested and healed.
The work and family parts of the equation were fairly simple. Despite their best efforts, Liam and Mack seemed to be hitting nothing but false leads and dead ends. Jess reported that while the RCMP had their best officers on it, none seemed closer to finding the Imposters, and were focusing their energies on warning witnesses as they scrambled to find them new homes and identities on short notice. Seth confirmed that while the Imposters were lying low in the real world, they were busy online promoting their evil and despicable upcoming auction to every lowlife in the dark web world.
But if that side of Noah’s life was filled with frustration and darkness, spending time at the country house with the family was filled with all the excitement and joy of the impending holidays. He helped Lizzy bake cookies and Drew put up Christmas lights around the house. They built more snowmen and a series of tunnels and forts. Between Lizzy’s enthusiasm and innocence, and Drew’s quiet and intense creativity, Noah quickly realized just how deeply he’d missed them both.
No, it was that last part of the equation he found one of the biggest challenges—watching over Holly as she healed. Being there, day in and day out, seeing the frustration burning in her face as she painstakingly followed Anne’s instructions to do nothing for as much of the day as possible. He found himself pacing while she slept, waiting for her to reappear at the door. It was like something inside him kept tugging his heart, mind and attention toward her and he didn’t know why. He sat with her in the den, with the lights low, telling her stories about his cases, his childhood, what it had been like to grow up in a fostering family and the various foster siblings that had come through his life. He told her stories that made her laugh and stories that he’d never told anybody, because she told him listening to his voice helped her relax.
He enjoyed sitting beside her at the family dinner table, watching as she slowly drew his nephew out in conversation, enjoyed listening as she played dolls with Lizzy. On the second day, she sat with Drew for hours as Noah’s shy nephew showed her the drawings and designs in his film school portfolio, of monsters and fantastical creatures, and then sketched both the Ghoul and the Wraith as she described them the best she could from memory. Noah sent the sketches to Seth, who ran them through the database, but got no hits. Liam, Mack and Jess sent them dozens of pictures of potential suspects—both law enforcement and criminal mug shots—none of which Holly recognized, either. Then, when Anne signed off on it, Noah and Holly started going for short walks in the snow around the farmhouse, bundled up with hoods over their heads, shoulders occasionally bumping, as Holly got back her full health.
He liked her company more than he’d ever liked anybody else’s. He liked how she listened to people. He respected her inner fight and drive, and how she never complained.
Corporal Hildegard “Holly” Asher was an impressive, interesting, determined and tough-as-anything person—and he knew he had no right being attracted to her the way he was. She was vulnerable and in his protection. Showing any interest would be an abuse of power, ungentlemanly and wrong. It wasn’t like she could easily walk away if she didn’t feel the same way about him. Plus, if her story about her parents had taught her anything, it was not to believe in whirlwind romances. If he told her how he felt now, it would put her in an unforgivably awkward and uncomfortable position. He would not, could not, do that to her. Sure, maybe some real and lasting romances started in situations as awkward as theirs. But not for him and not with a woman like Holly.
These were the thoughts that tumbled through his mind as he walked slowly around the house three days after the attack. The sun glittered off the fields of endless white, so bright it almost hurt his eyes. Holly walked beside him, shrouded in a large coat she’d borrowed from Anne, the hood with a fake fur trim that hid her face, so that only her nose and keen eyes shone through.
“Any news from the team?” she asked, as they strolled slowly side by side.
She was no doubt thrilled to be able to get out of the house and walk, even though he could tell that she wanted to break into a sprint.
“Nothing concrete,” he said. “We’ve looked over all the pictures they’ve sent. Law enforcement is stretched to the max trying to relocate witnesses, but it’s like trying to evacuate a sinking ship while simultaneously building new lifeboats. Even if we did relocate everyone, none of their new lives are going to be as secure as the stolen ones. And the amount of information in each witness file going up on the auction block would still give criminals complete data on everything we know about each one, and a great head start in finding them again. The bigger problem is some witnesses feel so upset, angry and betrayed about authorities letting this happen that they’d rather take their lives and safety into their own hands.” He paused and looked at her. “How’s the headache?”
“Almost nonexistent when I’m lying still and moving slowly,” Holly said. “But it shows up like a swift kick when I move my head too quickly. How’s Seth doing?”
Noah liked the way she asked questions. They were sharp, direct and pointed, even when she had an aching head and was moving slowly. There was something about having her around that made him a better cop.
“Frustrated,” he answered. “He’s watching online as the auction ticks closer and closer and isn’t able to stop it.”
Holly sighed. Noah imagined she knew the feeling.
“When does the auction go live?” she asked.
“Noon on Christmas Eve.”
“We’re going to find them,” she stated. “I don’t know how, but we’re going to find Snitch5751, catch the Imposters and stop the auction before anyone gets hurt. I have faith.”
Noah smiled and looked up to the cloudless sky above. Do I have faith, God? It had been more than seventy-two hours since Elias had been killed, and they still didn’t have a solid lead.
“What are you going do once this is all over?” he asked.
She stopped walking and turned toward him. “You mean when I’m fully healed from the concussion, the auction has been halted, Snitch5751 and the Imposters are all behind bars and I’ve testified against General Bertie at the inquiry?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “After all of that.”
“I’m going to redeploy,” she said. “I’m heading back into whatever war zone the military sends me. I knew from a really young age that I was put on this earth to serve others. It’s my calling and my passion.”
They were standing so close that a braver or more foolish man might’ve tried to reach out and take her hand. An even bolder and more foolish one might’ve even asked if he could kiss her.
“Do you regret going into witness protection?” he asked.
The question seemed to spread out into the wintry air between them. Wisps of dark hair brushed her face as she looked into his eyes. And he knew without a doubt she was the most interesting person he’d ever met.
“No,” she said softly. “I don’t. Because as much as I resented having to do it at first, I know I did it for the right reasons. I had a responsibility to stay alive to testify. And...”
“And?” he asked quietly.
“And while I wish with every fiber of my being that I didn’t have a concussion, hadn’t missed the shot at the Ghoul and could remember the Imposters’ faces, I don’t regret being here, in this, with you.”
“I’m glad you’re here, too,” he said.
His hands bumped against hers. Then slowly, cautiously, he felt their fingers begin to link.
His phone began to ring just then. Noah stepped back, pulled his hands away and reached for it, heat rising to his face as if somehow the person on the other end of the line could read his mind and tell what he was thinking. He glanced at the screen.
“Hi, Seth.”
“Hey, how’s my favorite detective doing?” the hacker asked.
“Not bad,” Noah said. “What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Seth said. “How soon can you be here? The false leads I’ve created for Holly are getting a lot of attention and I haven’t found the Imposters yet, but I think I might’ve found out exactly where Snitch5751 was when he messaged the Imposters.”