her wrist. The sleeve of her sweater rode up revealing the faded scar on her silky skin. Bennett brushed the old wound with his thumb. “The bracelet is a last resort. We shouldn’t have to use it—”
Emilia stepped forward and dropped her forehead to his chest. Her face was hidden behind a waterfall of hair. Bennett felt the shuddering intake of her breath. His heart broke into a thousand pieces when he realized she was crying.
He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” She backed out of his embrace, swiping at her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Bennett did. The last several days had been a whirlwind of pain and heartache, constant reminders of everything she went through last year. Seeing the crime scene this morning and receiving a note from the killer had to be terrifying.
“Emilia, I’m here. For whatever you need, even if it’s a shoulder to cry on.”
She hesitated and then stepped closer. Bennett embraced her. “Come here, Em.”
Emilia melted into him. Her tears dampened the fabric of his shirt as sobs shook her slender shoulders.
Bennett rubbed her back in soothing motions. It was tearing him to pieces to know she was in pain. He wanted to take it from her but couldn’t. The only thing he could do was this. Be there. Hold her. Walk through it with her.
Her tears quieted, but Emilia didn’t back out of his arms. She kept her head on his chest. “Thank you for the bracelet. For letting me stay here. For everything. It means more to me than you will ever know.”
His heart twisted and nearly broke at the tremble in her voice. “You don’t need to thank me, Em. And just for the record, you’re always welcome here.”
A slow Christmas tune came on the radio. Bennett took Emilia’s hand in his and started dancing. She sighed with pleasure and hummed along. The fireplace kept the room warm and the Christmas lights from the tree blazed color across the carpet.
When the song was over, Emilia lifted her head. Their gazes caught and held. Bennett’s heart stopped and then took off. He could drown in the warmth of her eyes. His head dipped closer on pure instinct, his attention drawn to her lips.
Emilia jerked out of his embrace, nearly tripping over the coffee table in her haste to get away from him. Her face grew flushed. “Our apple cider is getting cold.”
Bennett blinked, the spell between them broken. His mind caught up with his heart in a flash. What on earth was he doing? He’d almost kissed Emilia.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “The apple cider.”
Bennett retrieved his cup with jerky movements and took a sip. The sweet liquid was lukewarm. He struggled to settle his heart rate. Kissing Emilia would’ve been a gigantic mistake. It would’ve complicated a relationship already struggling to stay balanced. Hadn’t they decided this morning—was it just this morning?—that a relationship was impossible. It seemed Bennett’s heart hadn’t gotten the memo.
Emilia nestled in the corner of the couch. “What are your thoughts about Malcolm?”
The case was solid ground for them to fall back on. Bennett was relieved she’d transitioned to it. Emilia didn’t seem upset about their near kiss, and he was happy to move on without drawing more attention to it.
He sat on the recliner facing Emilia. “Malcolm’s reaction to my questions is bugging me. I’ve never seen him get so upset. He was furious.”
“Well, Derrick is a serial killer. Being linked to him isn’t something most people would sign up for.”
“True, but I keep thinking about the hurried way the case was closed last year. And when I spoke to Sheriff King about the threat against you, he was adamant it wasn’t connected to Derrick. Were those judgment errors? Or is Randy hiding his son’s involvement in the murders?”
She wrinkled her nose. “There’s also Ignite Development. Who owns it? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Malcolm is the attorney for the corporation.” She was quiet for a moment. “Do you think John is muddying the waters of this case by pointing the finger at Malcolm?”
It was an interesting thought. “That’s possible. I don’t trust John. He’s lied about his relationship with Derrick and he’s connected to several of the victims.”
“He also doesn’t have an alibi for last night. Trouble is, we don’t have any physical evidence linking him to the murders. Claire is interviewing Kathy’s friends and family hoping it’ll lead to a break in the