“No, that’s fine.” She summoned a smile for him. “Thank you for coming running.” Her voice wavered. “You always have when I needed you.”
Her brother’s face softened. With one arm, he caught her close again for a quick hug. “You’re my sister,” he murmured.
She nodded, bumping his chin.
When the two of them separated, Noah asked if there was anything she needed out of the car. Colin gave permission for her to take that huge bag she carried around, a cross between a purse and a briefcase, Noah guessed. She grabbed her yellow high heels, too, from the floor behind the seats.
“You will find the bullets?” Noah asked Colin, who gave him a sardonic look.
“You think I have no idea what I’m doing? And I wondered why you blocked my hiring.”
Damn. Noah checked to be sure neither of the two young officers had heard the exchange.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Colin turned away without a word and strode over to talk to one of the two young officers. Noah realized Cait had heard the exchange and was looking after her brother anxiously.
Making Noah the bad guy.
To hell with it. Without asking for permission, he lifted the bag away from her and slung it over his own shoulder, then took hold of her elbow to support her as they hiked up the incline to his Suburban. It stood unlocked. After opening the passenger door, he put his hands around her waist and lifted as she scrambled up. Normally she’d probably have kicked him for the unwanted help, but today she gave him a shaky smile of thanks that made him wonder if he’d misinterpreted that last expression.
God.
He was the one shaken to his foundation. If I hadn’t followed her. It ran on a loop. She’d be dead.
She’d told a couple of people of her intention to drive out there, but the afternoon had been far enough advanced no one expected her back at the office. Living alone as she was insisting on doing, there wouldn’t have been anyone to miss her when she didn’t show up. What little passing traffic there was out there, what were the odds anyone would have glanced down and wondered about the small car seemingly abandoned on the dirt road? Reality: she wouldn’t have been missed until midmorning tomorrow at the soonest.
If one of those first shots had hit her, he couldn’t help thinking, her body might have been lying in plain sight. Then a passing motorist would have noticed.
That image made him so sick, angry and frustrated, he ground his teeth together and took a minute to get a grip before he opened his door, deposited her bag behind the seat and got in. Even then, he couldn’t look at her.
She squeezed her hands together on her lap and didn’t say anything as he backed out, raising a cloud of red dust. During the short drive to town, Cait mostly had her head turned so she could look out the side window.
He went straight to her town house even though he hoped she’d see sense now and move back in with her brother. He parked in front and opened his door.
“You don’t have to come in,” she began.
She thought he’d drop her off at the curb and drive away. Nice.
Once again, he grabbed her bag and circled to her side. She’d already opened the door but was bending to pick up the heels from the floor. The ones that went with the ruined suit. The reminder darkened his already roiling mood.
Still, his hands were gentle as he helped her down. When he saw a wince, he said, “You’re going to have bruises.”
She made a face, her eyes not quite meeting his. “I guess so. My knees don’t feel so good. And my hands sting.”
Noah frowned. “Maybe we should have gone by the E.R.”
“Don’t be silly. I need a hot shower and a couple of ice packs. Or maybe I’ll go straight for the wine.”
He was probably supposed to laugh. His sense of humor was MIA.
He kept his hand cupped under her elbow as they made their slow way to the front door. After rooting in the gigantic bag, which he swore weighed twenty-five pounds, she produced keys and unlocked the door.
He stepped in first and was met with silence. And furniture. By God, the moving truck had come and gone. She now had a simple entertainment center with flat-screen TV and modest stereo system, a coffee table and a big upholstered rocker with a flowery print in her favorite yellows and pinks. Dining room table and chairs.