Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I know lines are being blurred. I know I should probably be alone in my grief rather than focusing on his, but it feels as if he's helping to dull that deep ache inside of me.
"I don't think a day has gone by in the last ten years that I haven't wondered how different things could've been if we'd stayed in Cerberus, if he'd fallen for a woman there in New Mexico."
Regret fills his tone, proving his earlier words that there are some things that even time can't touch.
Regret is something I fully understand. I'm drowning in a sea of it right now, and I know it'll be a long time before I—if ever—allow myself a reprieve from it.
"I wonder if he would've had a happy, long, fulfilling life if I hadn't been a part of it at all."
This pondering makes me pull my face back so I can look up at him, but the room is too dark to see anything more than shadows across his face.
"You'd give up every happy memory?"
"In a heartbeat," he whispers.
I could easily argue that Noah made his own choices. His connection to Eddie had nothing to do with the outcome of his tragic death, but then I'd be a hypocrite. I'd have to acknowledge that Sadie's choices were her own and that I had nothing to do with her demise, but I'm not there yet.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I tell him, lifting my hand to the side of his face, his beard tickling my palm.
I resist the urge to press my lips to his because he quickly shut that down earlier in the day, but this time it's him that leans forward and brushes his mouth on mine. It's his tongue seeking entrance. One swipe of his tongue across mine is all he allows before pulling back and pressing his lips to the top of my head. But it's enough to light something inside of me that feels stolen, as if it's something I shouldn't have but I'm tempted to take and hide away for later.
"Try to get some sleep, Cora," he urges, the rumble of his voice coming from deep in his chest. "Today was bad, but tomorrow is going to be much worse."
Chapter 23
Ace
I took a break to get away from this place, but look where it landed me, in an ICE field office in fucking San Diego.
I'd rather be anywhere else, but I know the urge to run from the room and find a beachside bar that is fully stocked with whiskey has more to do with her and the fresh pain and grief she's suffering than anything else.
I have no idea who we're going to be facing. We were escorted into the plain, no-frills conference room when we got here, and we're currently waiting for an agent to speak to us about their expectations with this case.
With the obvious connection to the Full Deck Killer, this is more than a simple murder investigation, if you can call any murder investigation simple. There are a lot of hands in a lot of pies, and I fully expect someone to show up with their dick out, trying to prove he's the best man for the job. I've seen it more than once, and for some reason, there are a lot of men and women who work for governmental agencies who like to look like the big dog. They pull rank and need to feel like they're the leader of the pack, others asking how high when we're requested to jump.
It's why I hiss a breath of relief when the door opens and Mike walks inside.
"Thank fuck," I mutter when he grins at the relief on my face. "They put you on this?"
"You're stuck with me," he says as he gives Cora a sad smile.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ms. Preston."
"Thank you," she says. I've gotten to know her well enough, seen her vulnerable enough in the last twenty-four hours, to know she's fighting a losing battle on trying to hold herself together.
I dart my eyes to Mike's when I feel his gaze turn to me. It makes me wonder if he can sense just how much I want to wrap my arms around her and demand he leave the room so I can comfort her and remind her just how strong and capable she is.
"If you don't mind, can I ask you to wait in the other room?"
Cora snaps her eyes to me at his request.
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her," I tell him, drawing a frown to his face.
I lift my chin a little higher, leaving no room for argument. Mike isn't ranked higher than me and, even if he was, he isn't an asshole. But he could also remind me that I'm not here in the capacity of an agent.