Page 39 of Through the Fire
Kit stayed silent, barely containing the urge to shake the information out of Elena. Instead, she waited, knowing that Elena would eventually share whatever she knew.
“Sorry.” Elena shot her a quick, mortified glance. “I just thought that if Grace knew about it, then it was common knowledge. I didn’t mean to offend you or hurt your feelings or anything.”
Despite having her painful past dragged out by an almost stranger, Kit forced herself to sit back in her chair and even smile a little. “Oh, I’m not offended; I’m confused. What are you talking about?”
Elena’s brows drew together slightly at Kit’s casual response. “Grace said you turned in your partner for something, and everyone in your old department started calling you a rat. Isn’t that why you moved here?” She offered an earnest look. “If that didn’t happen, I’ll let Grace know to stop spreading false rumors.”
“That’s okay.” Kit took a sip of her coffee, proud that her hands were steady. “I’ll talk to Hugh and Grace myself.”
As Elena’s eyes widened in alarm, Kit pressed her lips together to hold back a satisfied smile. Got you. “Oh, I wish you wouldn’t. They’re going to think I’m not trustworthy. It’s my fault for passing along the story.”
Kit offered Elena a sugary smile. “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it. I’m just going to set the record straight and see where she got her information. Go right to the source, and all that.”
As Elena’s mouth set in an unhappy line, Kit saw Hugh in the doorway. He waved at her in a come on gesture.
“Work calls.” Secretly grateful for Hugh’s appearance, Kit set down her coffee and stood, digging in her pocket for a five-dollar bill. “Sorry to interrupt our lunch, but that’s the life of a cop. We’ll have to do this again sometime.” She gave Jules, who was approaching with menus, an apologetic shrug before heading toward where Hugh was waiting in the entry.
“Bye,” Elena said faintly, and Kit gave her a wave over her shoulder without slowing.
“Thank you,” she said as she reached Hugh. “What’s up?”
His eyebrows shot up at her overly enthusiastic greeting. “Got a call from the county deputies. A small avalanche just west of town caused a multicar accident, and they asked for our help. Sorry to interrupt your lunch.”
“No apologies necessary. That was painful.” The words were out before she could stop them, and she instantly regretted her blunt honesty when Hugh’s amused expression disappeared in an instant.
“From what Grace has told me, Elena’s having a really tough time right now,” he said, pushing open the VFW door, and Kit used the moment when he wasn’t looking at her to make a face at his back. Of course he was sympathetic to Elena. She’d forgotten for a second that she was the odd woman out in this. “It’s easy to be judgmental when you haven’t been in a situation where you’re scared and helpless.”
She stopped abruptly next to her car, her hand outstretched toward the back door handle. “You think I haven’t felt scared and helpless?” Anger surged inside her. “I’ve been a cop for eight years. I can promise you that I’ve been in a lot more dangerous situations than Elena has.”
He waved off her protest, and her annoyance intensified at his casual dismissal. “You’ve been trained for it, though. Elena’s a victim. Maybe if you let go of all the competitive crap, you’ll be able to see that.”
Heart pounding, Kit bit her tongue hard enough to hurt as she turned to get Justice out of her car. The waves of anger must’ve been rolling off her, judging by the way he shrank down, eyeing her warily. She took a deep breath and blew it out, closing her eyes for a moment, annoyed at herself for scaring her dog, even unintentionally.
“Sorry, Justice,” she muttered, and he popped right back up, surging toward her eagerly. He was nothing if not resilient.
“Listen,” Hugh said, his voice softening a little. “I get it. When Grace first arrived, I investigated her like nobody’s business. Then she was almost killed. Elena is the fourth person to move into that house, so we know the drill now. They’re not the problem; the criminals who come after them are. Like I said, these women are the victims.”
Kit used the few seconds it took to get Justice leashed and out of the car to get a firm hold on her temper. Elena wasn’t the reason for this anger. It was that her new partner—someone she was supposed to be able to trust—had been spreading rumors about her painful past. When Kit finally managed to put a lid on her anger and turn toward him, she was pretty sure her expression was controlled—or at least she wasn’t trying to kill him with eye lasers.
“We’re cops. We investigate things,” she said, choosing her words carefully as they headed for Hugh’s squad car. “I knew that you, Theo, and Otto wouldn’t hesitate to look into my background. Honestly, I’d do the same thing if I were in your shoes. I just wish you’d asked me for my side of the story before sharing what you found out about my history with your girlfriend.”
Hugh blinked at her, his face blank with confusion. “Wait. What are we talking about now?”
A movement inside the diner caught Kit’s attention. As soon as she glanced at the window, Elena turned away, but it was obvious that she’d been watching them. An uneasy feeling prickled up Kit’s spine, and she suddenly felt exposed in the open parking lot.
“Let’s talk about this in the car,” she said as she opened the back door for Justice. He leapt in, enthusiastically greeting Lexi, whose expression once again feigned indifference even as her tail whapped against the seat. As Kit closed the door and got into the front passenger seat, she wished that she and Hugh could consistently get along as well as their dogs did. He got in the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking space as soon as her seat belt clicked into place. His hand circled in a go on gesture.
“Elena heard about my professional history from Grace. Since I haven’t shared the details with Grace—or anyone in town—I assume you did some digging. I understand why. Like I said, if our positions were reversed, I probably would’ve checked into your past.” Even as she said it, she doubted that she would have. She’d like to think that she would’ve at least given Hugh more than a few days to trust her enough to share something like that.
“I’m still not following. What did Grace tell Elena?”
Frowning, Kit examined Hugh’s profile, looking for signs that he was trying to wiggle out of an uncomfortable conversation by feigning ignorance. His confusion appeared to be legitimate, though. “Elena knew that I reported my former partner, and that the majority of the people in my old department…” She tried to think of the best way to put it. “They let me know that they didn’t agree with my decision.”
Hugh gave her a quick, thoughtful glance before returning his attention to the road as he turned out of the parking lot. “What’d your partner do?”
“He profited by misusing the power of his position.” Her stomach twisted as it always did when she had to think about Chad.
With a snort, Hugh asked, “Has anyone ever told you that your vocabulary expands when you’re angry?”
