Forever Saved - Kathleen Brooks Page 0,52

April and the two of them laughing, well, it shifted something deep inside her. It felt like a warm blanket wrapped itself around her and she wanted to snuggle into it. She was in love with Jace Davies.

Jace set Jimmy into a large kennel and Katelyn worked to get the IV lines just right. Jace reappeared with an old comforter that he folded in half and set down in front of Jimmy’s kennel. He held out his hand and together they sat by the open kennel door. The sound of Jimmy’s tail thumping against the metal kennel reverberated through the room.

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re worried about your dog, but Andy just finished looking over your house and is on his way to talk to you. Is that okay?” Luke asked.

Stella had completely forgotten he was even here. “Yes, of course. Did they find something?”

“Yes and no,” Luke said vaguely. “He’s lead on the case so I’ll let him explain. And Jace? Ava said she can fill in for you if you need her to.”

“Ava is Luke’s girlfriend. She lives here, but she’s the doctor in Lexington I told you about,” Jace whispered to her before turning to Luke. “Thank you. I’ll call her if I need her to cover for me.”

Jace pulled Stella against his chest and bent his lips to her ear. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Stella nodded but couldn’t say anything because she wasn’t so sure it would be okay.

17

Jace listened as Andy told Stella that Rick had an airtight alibi. He saw her head shake and her shoulders slump in defeat.

“He could have hired someone,” Jace pointed out.

“We’re looking into it,” Andy reassured them.

Stella still hadn’t said a word as she sat on the folded-up comforter and gently stroked Jimmy’s head while Katelyn ran another blood test.

The front door chime went off in the distance and Jace moved to stand between her and the door. Andy and Luke were moving down the hallway with hands on guns as Jace slipped his hand under his shirt and wrapped his fingers around his gun.

“It’s Nabi,” Luke called out from where he was looking down the hall.

Jace watched as Andy walked in with Nabi, the head of security for the Ali Rahman family, and his teenage daughter, Faith, followed behind.

“Nabi, Faith, what you are two doing here?” Jace asked, stepping to the side so Stella could see the new arrivals.

“Nash is not available at the moment so I pulled the security footage from the cameras we put up the other day. And my daughter has a favor to ask,” Nabi said with a paternal glare.

Jace had known Faith since she was born and now she was his patient. It was hard to believe she was already driving. Faith looked guiltily at her father and then held out a piece of paper to Jace. “I start track and field this week and I can’t join the team unless I have a physical, but I didn’t get it set up with your office like I told my parents I would, and tomorrow is the deadline to have them turned in.”

Jace heard Stella smother a laugh behind him as he said, “My bag is in the car. Wait in the lobby and I’ll get your height and weight on the dog scale and give you your physical when I’m done here.”

Faith tossed her arms around him and hugged. “Thanks, Jacey. You’re the best!”

Stella waited until Faith was out of the room before she turned to him with a grin, “Jacey?”

“I used to babysit Faith. It was cute back when she was a toddler.”

Nabi shook his head and took a deep breath. “If at all possible, skip the teenage years when you have children. Do you know I called Ahmed and asked to borrow his drone the other night when Faith had a date with a senior on the basketball team?”

“You watched their date?” Stella gasped and Jace just shook his head. It was pretty par for the course in Keeneston to have overprotective fathers but Ahmed, and now Nabi, took it to a new level.

“I’m pretty sure every father does,” Nabi answered as if he were confused why Stella would even ask that. “Now, I have good news and bad news.”

“What’s the good news?” Stella asked as she stood up and came to stand beside Jace.

“It appears they didn’t go into your house,” Nabi answered as he turned his tablet around and pressed play.

“And the bad news?” Jace wanted to