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Chapter Thirteen
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Colt cracked the last egg into the skillet and gave it a quick stir, letting the smell of butter and bacon fill the kitchen. The quiet morning light drifted in through the windows, softening the rough edges of the day ahead. But his thoughts weren’t on breakfast.
He was thinking about the kiss.
About Brenna’s mouth on his. The feel of her hands pulling him close, careful not to press on his ribs.
He wanted more. Wanted her.
But wanting her and protecting her weren’t the same thing.
His phone buzzed on the counter. The screen lit up with a text from Noah:Gary’s interview is in two hours. Nine o’clock. He wants to talk to you two first. Said he’s coming to Crossfire.
Colt tapped out a quick response.We’ll be there.
He didn’t need to check with Brenna. She wouldn’t miss it.
He heard the sound of footsteps, and Brenna came out from the hall and into the kitchen. Her damp hair was curling around her face, her cheeks still pink from the shower. She wore a plain black T-shirt and jeans, but she might as well have walked in wearing nothing with how fast the heat hit him.
“You’re up early,” she said, walking toward the kitchen.
“Figured we could use something to eat before the fun starts,” Colt said, plating eggs and bacon for both of them.“How’s your knee?” he asked at the same moment she asked, “How are your ribs?”
“Sore,” he answered. “But ready for duty.”
“Same,” she replied.
Maybe that was true, but even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t stop either of them. They were in deep when it came to this investigation and sore body parts wouldn’t force them to back off.
“Gary wants to talk to us,” Colt relayed to her. “He’s coming to headquarters.”
Brenna paused, eyes sharp. “He reached out?”
“Noah said he did. His interview with the sheriff isn’t until nine, and he’s coming here first. We’ve got time to eat before we meet with him.”
He slid a plate across the counter to her. She took it, nodded, but her gaze lingered on him for a beat longer than necessary. Colt felt it. It was that blasted heat again. But like him, he could see her wrangling it, pushing it aside.
It wouldn’t stayaside. Nope. That heat wasn’t going any damn where.
“Gary didn’t say what he wanted to talk to us about?” she asked as she speared a piece of bacon with her fork.
Colt shook his head. “No. If he had, Noah would’ve mentioned it.” He opened his phone to an attachment and passed it to her.
“What’s this?” she wanted to know, but she was already skimming it.
“Harlan sent it to me about an hour ago. I was up making coffee.”
He took a bite of eggs while she continued reading. The report laid it all out. Confirmation from multiple sources that Wallace and Naomi had, in fact, had an affair. Friends of Fia’shad come forward and said Wallace had been obsessed with Naomi for a while. When it ended, he unraveled.
“Keep going, and you’ll see the deeper dive on Jared,” Colt added. “Harlan found a few things Noah’s team hadn’t pulled yet. Jared’s got ties to Sophia, like we knew. But now we’ve got more. His uncle’s former military, now runs with a militia group out in West Texas.”
Brenna’s brow lifted. “Think the uncle taught him about explosives?”
“No proof yet. But if he did, that could point the finger at Jared. Maybe Naomi, too.”
