Fractured Memories (Badge of Honor #1)

Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

Two hours later, the bullpen was buzzing with activity as Knoxville police joined forces with the sheriff’s department and the Texas Rangers to investigate the attack at the bank. Noah carried a first aid kit into the break room, kicking the door closed behind him to block out the noise. His head was pounding. Some over-the-counter painkillers would help, but he needed to make sure Felicity was taken care of first. The stubborn woman had refused to go to the hospital.

She was seated at a table. A half-filled bottle of water rested in front of her, along with an unopened bag of crackers. Her hair was damp from a recent shower in the locker room, the faint freckles dancing across her nose visible without makeup, and her shoulders curved inward. Still, she offered a small smile at the sight of him. The curve of those lips, the way she tried to push through the worry and pain clouding her gaze, gut-punched him. Felicity had no trouble reaching right inside his chest and grabbing hold of his heart.

“Finished giving your statement?” she asked.

“Yep.” They’d been separated per protocol and provided their statements to investigating officers. Noah set the first aid kit on the table and reached for Felicity’s wrist. He gently tugged her out of the chair into a standing position. Then he embraced her.

She sighed, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. His pulse settled. He brushed a kiss across the ridge of her hairline and breathed in the scent of her strawberry shampoo. She was here. She was alive. Noah didn’t want to think about the terrifying moments during the shooting. Or the horror of rushing back into Melanie’s office to find Felicity fighting for her life with a man twice her size. He’d nearly lost her today. More than once.

Felicity raised her face and then pushed to her tiptoes to kiss him. The moment their lips met, time stopped. Noah deepened the kiss, his heart saying what his mind couldn’t fathom. He was falling in love with her and had been for a long time. Every threat drew attention to the depth of his feelings. There was no escaping it. No denying it.

And it terrified him right to the core.

Felicity had the ability to crush him. Losing her… would he survive it? He’d already been through so much pain, and now there was Harper to consider. Noah couldn’t fall apart. He was a dad now. He’d pieced himself back together after Sally’s death, but these feelings for Felicity had him balancing on a razor’s edge .

Noah pulled back, ending the kiss, but kept his forehead pressed against hers. He cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs gently ran over the silky skin along her cheeks. Her sharp inhale tempted him to kiss her again, but he resisted, instead lowering her back into the chair before opening the first aid kit. “Did you hear the news? Daniel is missing.”

“Grady told me. According to his ex-wife, Daniel is on a fishing trip, but I doubt that’s the case.” She pushed aside the unopened box of crackers. “There were two attackers in the van. If we assume Gene was one of them, then the other could’ve been Daniel.”

He nodded, ripping open an antiseptic wipe. “Hold still, this may sting.” Noah gently dabbed at the cut along Felicity’s temple. “The Rangers have sent out an alert to the local hospitals. Whoever attacked you is hurting right now after you smashed his kneecap.” His mouth twitched. “Remind me never to make you angry.”

She chuckled, and then the mirth slid from her expression. “I can’t understand why they kidnapped Melanie. Is it because of what she knows about Daniel? Or is there more to it than that?”

“I don’t know.” Noah handed her a couple of over-the-counter pain meds and then took some for himself. He dry swallowed them. “Jax, Grady, and Tucker are in the conference room coordinating what we know so far. Let’s go see what they’ve come up with.”

Felicity took her own meds with a gulp of water. They stepped out of the break room into the chaos of the bull pen .

Judge Kurtis Ferguson was weaving his way through the desks behind an officer. His gaze landed on Felicity and an instant rage mottled his skin. He bolted for her on long strides. “You did this!”

Every head in the place turned toward them. Several officers rose from their chairs. Noah stepped in front of Felicity and placed a hand out to stop the judge. “Hold on there, sir.”

“No, I won’t.” Kurtis drew to a halt. “How dare you!” He tried to peer around Noah to capture Felicity in his irate stare. His eyes were bloodshot, and it appeared he’d been crying from the ruddiness of his skin. “If you hadn’t reopened Brooke’s case, my wife would be at home with me right now. Instead, she’s in the hands of criminals. Shot and bleeding out and—” His voice hitched as grief twisted his features. “Do you know what Triple 6 will do to her? Do you understand how many of them I’ve sent to prison?”

Sympathy softened Noah’s tone. He understood Kurtis’s heartache, but Melanie’s kidnapping was not Felicity’s fault and he wouldn’t allow the judge to cast blame on her. “We’re going to do everything in our power to bring Mrs. Ferguson home, sir.”

Kurtis never shifted his gaze to Noah. He jutted a finger at Felicity. Spittle flew from the corner of his lips, and his hair was mussed and wild. “She’s probably dead already!”

“Enough.” Chief Garcia’s booming command flew across the bullpen. He marched forward, his authoritative strides eating up the distance with ease, and then drew to a stop in front of Kurtis. “Judge Ferguson, if the men who kidnapped Melanie wanted her dead, they would’ve simply shot her. They have another agenda and we’re working hard to uncover what that is. I’ve got law enforcement from three different agencies searching for your wife. We are doing everything humanly possible to find her, but we need your help.” He gestured toward his office. “Come with me, sir.”

Kurtis hesitated, then flew past Noah and Felicity toward the chief’s office. His anger was like a hurricane sucking the air from the room. Noah registered every set of eyeballs on him and Felicity. He turned to face her and concern shot through him. She was ghost pale.

Taking her arm gently, he steered her toward the hallway leading to the conference room. Once they were away from prying eyes, he stopped. “Melanie’s kidnapping was not your fault, Fee. The judge is upset and needs someone to blame?—”

“I know, but that doesn’t make this any easier.” Frustration laced her voice. Felicity raised a hand to rub her forehead. “I keep thinking about the night Brooke died, trying to bring up any memory that would unlock this case, but I can’t. I don’t understand why I can’t recall what happened.”

“Hey.” Noah cupped her shoulder, wanting to comfort her in any way possible. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were a frightened fifteen-year-old kid. Brooke’s murder was traumatizing. I don’t blame you one bit for blocking it out.”

She dropped her hand. “Has there been any word about the shirt recovered from Jeremy? Was it Brooke’s blood?”

“We’re still waiting on the DNA. Tucker went to interview Jeremy yesterday but didn’t find him.” Noah was worried about the homeless man, but had bigger problems on his plate at the moment. “His tent was there, as was all his stuff, but no one at the camp has seen him since the day we visited. It’s possible he’s on a bender. Wouldn’t be the first time. Jeremy’s been known to disappear for days at a time.”

“Makes it hard to interview him.” Felicity dropped her hand. “Maybe it doesn’t matter. Jeremy’s an unreliable witness. Come on. Let’s see what the team has uncovered about Daniel. Right now, he’s our number one suspect.”