Page 24 of Bobbing for Bodies

I quickly shut down the file, and both Everett and I slide back into our seats.

The door swings open. “So, what’s it gonna be, kids? You in?”

“On second thought”—I rise out of my chair as does Everett—“I’m going to ask my mother one more time.”

Everett nods. “But if she says no, we’re coming right back. Believe me, she’s the last person I want to deal with.”

Mr. White Suit laughs it up before giving Everett a commiserating slap to the back. “Sounds good. Go get yourself something good to eat. I’ve got a pastrami sandwich in the microwave. You let yourselves out.” He leaves the door open as he takes off, and I spontaneously wrap my arms around Everett.

“Way to go, Mr. Sexy. You really lived up to your name.” I pull back to get a better look at him. “Hey, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were blushing.”

“I’m not. It’s about two hundred degrees in here. We literally sweated this one out.” He presses his hand into the small of my back as he ushers us to the door. “But I think we make a heck of a team, Lemon.”

“I know we do. And we make a pretty cute couple, too. You were brilliant. I could just kiss you.”

We share a laugh before speeding our way through the strip club. Everett tries to turn his head toward the stage, and I don’t hesitate to swat him.

As soon as we hit daylight, we hightail it to the fast food restaurant across the street where Everett parked his car. I met him at the coffee shop in Ashford as planned, and once we get back, I plan on caffeinating myself back to the land of the living after that near-death experience with the underworld.

“What do you say we blow this one cow town and I buy you a cup a joe, Mr. Sexy?” I tease. Way back when he refused to give me his name, I hung out at the coffee counter and snooped to see what the barista would scrawl onto his cup. It turns out, she had the aforementioned hot-to-trot moniker picked out just for him.

“Mr. Sexy?” a female voice bleats from behind, and we turn to find a haughty redhead tucked in a black pea coat.

“Detective Fairbanks.” I’m so stunned to see her I keep blinking in hopes she’ll evaporate like a bad vision.

She ticks her head to the side with a husky laugh. “Heard it all. The two of you really do make a cute couple.”

My mouth falls open. “You did hear it all, didn’t you?”

She strides our way, her affect hard as flint. “It’s called surveillance, sweetie. The place is tapped. The entire conversation was on blast.”

A thousand scenarios run through my head at once, and all of them involve Noah. The world sways beneath my feet, and I can hardly catch my next breath.

“I swear it’s not what it looks like. You can’t tell Noah.”

A shadowed figure steps out from behind her, and into the light emerges Noah Corbin Fox.

“She doesn’t have to tell me, Lottie.” His voice is calm yet strained. “I heard every last word.”

GAH!

He didn’t hear the part about Mr. Sexy, did he? Because I totally did not mean that. It’s simply a fact that baristas the world over most likely agree upon.

“Noah…” I try to take a step in his direction, but my toes feel as if they’ve screwed themselves into the ground. “I’m so sorry. I—”

“Don’t.” He holds up a hand and glares at Everett. “You took her right into the armpit of danger. You could have gotten yourselves killed,” he growls out the words as the cords in his neck distend. Noah charges at Everett and slams him against his SUV before I can process any of it.

“Whoa!” Ivy Fairbanks riots and does her best to pluck Noah right off. “You do not get to screw up my investigation. I’m taking you off the case, Fox.” Her icy stare never leaves his. “And if I see any of you diving back into it, I’ll have you all arrested.” She glares over at Everett. “I expected more out of you.” She looks to Noah. “I’ll give you a lift back to the station if you need it.”

“I accept,” he says, his hard gaze still penetrating mine.

We watch as Ivy Fairbanks and Noah disappear around the corner, and it feels as if my chest implodes, crushing my heart completely.

“I’ve ruined everything,” I whisper, my entire body numb to the world. “It’s over.”

Something tells me, Noah and I will never recover.

Chapter 12