The Enforcer - Kelli Callahan Page 0,30
to the steering wheel. “I can’t put her in danger, Noah. I can’t risk losing her.”
“In love with her already?” Noah teases.
“What? Hell no,” I protest, sitting up straight and turning to face him. “I just can’t lose anyone else, especially like that.” Looking down, I notice my hands clenched so tightly that when I open them crescent moon shapes are imprinted on my palms.
“Yeah,” he says, watching me. “You know, I almost forgot about that.”
“About what?” I asked.
“You know what,” Noah says.
I clench my jaw. Closing my fists again, I growl, “It was a long time ago.”
“It was,” he acknowledges, “but the pain is still there. The memories are still raw and real. You know, my girls told me that you and I need counseling,” Noah says, reaching in his pocket and pulling out another stick of gum.
“Is that so?” I chuckle. “Well, maybe they’re not wrong.”
“Maybe.” Noah shrugs “But either way I see it, it’s still something we got to live with. You’ve made a mistake,” Noah says. “You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it for the rest of your life. She wouldn’t want you to.
He pauses and then reaches for the door handle. “Alright, well I gotta get back on the road. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. In the meantime, stay safe.”
“Yeah, I will,” I say with a nod. “Thank you.”
“No. Don’t mention it,” he says. “See you soon.” He slams the door behind him, crosses in front of the car, and disappears behind a series of pickup trucks.
Noah wants to use her as bait. That’s not something I will ever allow. How could anyone think that would be okay? With everything at risk? Turning the ignition of the car, I slowly back out and begin the couple-hour drive back to her.
Drumming my fingers on my leg, I think hard. If Diana were Charlie, Noah would adamantly be against the idea of her ever being used as bait, no matter the risk to anyone else’s safety. He would never put her in harm’s way like that. How could he expect me to do anything differently?
The cell phone rings beside me, and I pick up, not knowing who could be calling.
“Hey Jake. It’s Noah,” the familiar tenor voice comes through the phone.
“Hey dude, what’s up?” I say, taking the next exit.
“I was just thinking. Do you want me to give your number to Kenton to have him keep you in the loop if anything comes up?”
“Yeah, actually,” I say, “that would be great. Then we’ll know when we can come back.”
“Sounds good,” Noah says through the phone. “He’ll probably be a pain in the ass about you running off with her and demand to know where you are but hold your ground buddy. And don’t let him browbeat you because God knows he’ll try.”
“No one browbeats me,” I say, a little amused at the possibility of a confrontation with the chief of police.
“That’s true. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Oh, are you getting all sentimental on me?” I tease. “This is what happens when you hang out with women all day.”
“Shut up, Jake,” Noah says, and I laugh. “Alright, I’ll give your number to Kenton, but I had one other thought as I was driving away.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We know that the ex-Mayor was behind everything initially, and it’s a possibility that he’s after Diana as a woman of significance in the community,” Noah says carefully. “Wouldn’t it be possible that she has enemies, other than her ex-husband? Or what if this isn’t someone related to Michael at all? What if this is a fan of Michael’s? Someone who’s angry about her part in his arrest?”
“I don’t know,” I say with a frown. “It’s not something that occurred to me before.”
“There are a lot of variables,” Noah murmurs.
I lower the sun visor to block out the morning light and squint at the road ahead of me. “Do you really think the only way is to bring her out in the open?”
“Well, it would certainly be the fastest way,” Noah laughs as I groan. “Hey buddy, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll get through this.”
“You know, I don’t remember you being this optimistic when it was Charlie.”
“That’s different. I was in love with Charlie. You’re not in love with Diana.”
I sit in silence and run my fingers through my dark hair.
“You don’t have feelings for her, do you Jake?” Noah asks.
“I don’t know what I have for her,” I admit, and there’s silence on