Page 60 of Smoldering Nights
And underneath that fury was something else, a cold certainty.
This wouldn’t end until someone made it end.
The bedroom door creaked open behind her.She turned to see Mitch leaning against the frame, his eyes on her duffel bag.
“All set?”
She nodded.“As ready as I’ll ever be.Any updates?”
He crossed the room.“Jayson’s coordinating with Fielding now.A uniform is en route to stake out Noah’s apartment.He’s not there right now, though.”
“Where is he?”she asked, the hairs on her arms rising.
Mitch shook his head.“No confirmed location.That’s why we’re getting out of here.If he’s watching you, I want to make sure he sees nothing for a while.”
“So he’ll be the one chasing shadows,” she said quietly.
“Exactly.”
He held out his hand, and she took it.He tugged her gently to him and rested his forehead against hers.
“This is temporary, Iz.Just long enough to let Fielding and Jayson lock this down.We won’t be gone long.”
“I believe you,” she whispered.
She didn’t just believe him.She believed in him.
They started toward the door, and she halted."Mitch."Her stomach tightened.
He stopped and turned to her."It's strategic."
She shook her head."Something just occurred to me.The birds aren't singing.There's no movement outside, like just before a major storm rolls in.The animals know.Listen, the birds aren't chattering outside."
Mitch shook his head."Izzy, what in the hell does that have to do with us leaving?"
"They know something's up.You said you don't know where Noah is.What if he's out there, waiting for us to leave the security of the building?He'll have the jump on us."
Mitch stared into her eyes for a long time.She could see the moment he realized she could be on to something.He moved to the window and cracked it open, just a bit, and listened.The silence was deafening.
He cranked the window closed and pulled his phone from his pocket.He tapped a number and held the phone to his ear, the entire time his eyes barely left hers.
"Hey, Trey.Do you have someone who can come out to the Barracks and look around for Noah?Izzy has a terrible feeling, and I'm in sync with her on this one."
He waited a beat, then responded."Thank you.We'll be here."
She took a deep breath.He believed her.At a minimum, he was willing to play this out and see if she was right.That was so much better than patting her on the head and telling her she had an active imagination.She let out the breath she'd been holding, not sure which way he'd take this.
Instead, he pulled her to his body for a long hug.He rested his head on the top of hers, and his strong arms wrapped her in his cocoon and made her feel safe and loved, and valuable.She wanted him to feel the same from her, so she wrapped her arms around his waist and spread her hands open to cover as much of him as she could.They stood that way for some time.Until her heart settled and she stopped shaking.
She pulled away slightly."Thank you."
He kissed her lips and smiled at her."Thank you.Thank you for being intuitive.Thank you for being you."
She swallowed the lump in her throat."Mitch, I..."
His phone rang.She saw reluctance in his eyes; he wanted to hear her.She wanted him to hear her thoughts.Her feelings.
"DeMario...Hang on."
