Page 76 of Shrapnel

He needed to distract him. “Jackson.”

That worked. “I’m sorry…who?”

“Hey, don’t knock half-conscious pain killer fueled sex until you’ve tried it.”

Elijah’sI’m disappointed in youlook faded into something so much worse. Concern. He looked like he was torn between lecturing Jamie and giving him some warm soup. As if he didn’t know just how badly fucked in the head his best friend was. Elijah knew he was just too polite to bring it up.

“Anyway,” Jamie finished taping up the gauze and dropped his shirt. “We need to check out that church. If Koehler spent any time there we might be able to find something.”

“I don’t remember any of the other victims regularly attending church, but I’ll check again. It’s more than we’ve had in a while.”

They settled into silence and Jamie tried to keep his thoughts centered on business. The investigation was stalled. Looking into the victims was the first logical step. Unfortunately, their killer had more than two brain cells to rub together, and he thought of that too. If the victims couldn’t give them the answers they needed, the next person they had to investigate was the target.

“We have to shift our focus,” Jamie started slowly. Elijah wasn’t going to like this.

“The Legos are a dead end. We’re waiting for more info on Hughes, but the deeper we look the shallower it gets. There’s just nothing.”

“Elijah,” Jamie tapped his fingers on the table. “We need to look into Noah.”

His affronted silence was worse than if he had hit him.

“You’re not serious.”

“I’m not saying it to be a dick. I’m saying that we don’t know the how, the where, or the who. Those lines of investigation have been exhausted. We need to look into the why.”

“Because Luther—”

“He what? Elijah, youthinkthis is related to him. And it probably is. But the man was a ghost. Everything related to him is either gone, encrypted, or died when Noah cleaned out his inner circle. That leaves Noah.”

“You’re not going to investigate my boyfriend.”

“Yes, he is.”

The two Weavers turned to see a sleepy Noah leaning against the kitchen door. Arms crossed; he was assessing them with half-lidded eyes.

“Jamie is right. I’ve been trying to look into my uncle but it’s like he didn’t exist. That leaves me.”

Elijah made a small noise, but Noah wasn’t looking at him. He was staring directly at Jamie. His face was drawn. He looked like he had aged about ten years, even with his ridiculously mussed hair and his wrapped hands. Jamie recognized that look. He saw it looking back at him in the mirror.

Noah was almost lost, and Elijah couldn’t help him.

“There are no guarantees I’ll find anything.”

Shrugging, he limped over to the table. Waving Elijah off, he remained standing. “I’m ready to do this my way.”

“What’s your way?”

“The way that gets this over with.” Noah shook his head. “Elijah can’t protect me forever. And the longer I’m gone, the worst it’ll get.”

Jamie paused as he had an idea. He leaned back in his chair, smiling wickedly.

“Fuck off,” Jackson growled as he tried to slam his motel room door.

“Aw, don’t be like that Jackie Boy.” Jamie caught the door. “I just need a teensy weensy little favor.”

Crossing his bulging biceps, Jackson leveled a glacial glare at Jamie. His hair was freshly damp from the shower and his sword like eyebrows were drawn.

“I told you no.”