Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“That’s a good idea. People hide things in closets all the time,” Kit replied.
“We should check all of them,” Kieran agreed.
I was willing to check anywhere and everywhere at this point. We headed into the bedroom, my heart aching at the sight of a framed photo of my mom on the nightstand. My dad probably stared at it at night before bed, missing her being in bed next to him.
I tore my eyes away and opened up the small walk-in closet next to the dresser, stepping inside to glance over the hung-up clothes and shoeboxes. When Kieran and Kit squeezed inside too, warmth flooded my cheeks as we bumped and squeezed past each other. Their bodies were as firm and athletic as the other firefighters.
And they smelled good too. Like the wood in their house and maybe something sweet like cinnamon.
Honestly, I was getting a bit of whiplash. We kept reminiscing about the past, but when I focused on the present, I saw two handsome firefighters who weren’t afraid to get in my space at all. We were so comfortable with each other, which was dangerous.
It made me want to touch them more.
“Nothing in here,” Kieran sighed as he peeked inside a few boxes on a shelf above our heads.
“Yeah, nothing,” Kit replied as he looked behind the clothes. He turned around and almost ran right into me, his hands grabbing my hips.
I still stepped back out of surprise, my back hitting Kieran’s chest. Heat flooded my entire body as I glanced between them, hoping that my blush wasn’t that obvious. The last thing I wanted to do was make things awkward if they weren’t attracted to me in that way.
“Sorry,” I said.
“My fault,” Kit assured me, flashing me a comforting smile before letting go of my hips. He turned and led me out of the closet. “What next?”
“Let’s check the office again. I might’ve missed something in her documents,” I suggested.
Kieran’s hand brushed my back as he squeezed past me.
“Let’s do it,” he said.
I watched them both walk ahead of me, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Were they looking for reasons to touch me? Or maybe I was being wistful.
Shaking my head at myself, I followed them to my mom’s office, and we divided up the folders in her filing cabinet.
“Just skim and see if there’s anything about fires,” I told them as we sat down on the floor in a triangle like we always used to. No one felt left out that way.
I certainly wouldn’t mind being surrounded by them, though.
The sounds of pages flipping and disappointed sighs filled the room as we filtered through all of the folders. Every single one. I blinked my eyes a few times as they started to water and ache from straining so much.
I was used to digging around in documents for my job, but this was a whole other level of browsing. My mom did so many deep dives into all sorts of crime topics and specific criminals, stuffing folders full of transcripts, photos, notes, and relevant newspaper articles. It just made me surer that all her proof was hiding somewhere.
“There’s mention of a house fire in this case folder, but I doubt it has anything to do with what we’re looking for,” Kit said before tossing the folder back into his pile.
I raked my fingers through my hair and sighed.
“I guess she stashed her research somewhere else in the house. Somewhere she wouldn’t want any strangers to find,” I guessed as I started tucking folders back into the file cabinet drawers.
“Any other closets?” Kieran asked.
“There’s one in my room, but I doubt she put anything in there,” I replied as I shut the last drawer.
“Wouldn’t hurt to check,” Kit insisted with a shrug.
I didn’t really want to go into my room because it would just remind me of my last few days at home before I left for North Carolina, but I had to put my sadness aside. This case was more important because it affected more people.
Whether that was a healthy way to think or not, it still motivated me enough to nod and lead them to my room. I pushed my door open and paused, a wave of memories crashing down on me and stealing my breath away.
Packing my bags with tears in my eyes. Having one last talk with my dad as he asked over and over why I was leaving and if I had to go. Stealing a picture of my mom and me off the fridge before leaving the house.
Not looking back. Until now.
“Are you okay?” Kieran asked as his fingers brushed the back of my arm.
His touch snapped me out of my memories, making me nod and walk inside. Being back in my old room with my desk where I wrote stories, my bookshelf full of books, and my violet-themed bed with a single stuffed panda bear on it was weird. Even a little trippy.