“Call it,” the incident commander’s voice crackled over the radio.
Noah looked at Officer West, recognizing the satisfaction in her expression. She’d known the victim was here. And unless he missed his guess, she’d very much like to rub her colleague’s nose in it.
Actually, he’d like to see that too. No one had asked him to pick a side, but he’d landed on Team Officer West the moment the tool had opened his mouth and proven he had a Neanderthal brain.
“Grid seven confirmed,” Noah reported. “HRD positive indication at multiple points. Scene is hot—full recovery protocols in effect.”
As the recovery team moved in to begin mapping the site, Noah found himself studying Officer West’s contained energy. She reminded him of himself before life had forced him to change course. When he’d known exactly who he was and what he was meant to do.
Maybe that’s why he couldn’t quite ignore how she made his blood sing with possibility. She embodied everything he’d walked away from—the thrill of the chase, the drive for truth, the certainty of purpose.
Dancer nudged his hand, grounding him in the present. In who he was now.
“Good boy,” Noah murmured, scratching his partner’s ears. Focus on the job. Do what you came for.
But watching Officer West in her element, her movements precise and measured despite the electric energy coursing beneath her professional demeanor, Noah knew in his bones this would not be the last time he saw her.
He wasn’t one to look before he leaped, especially not when it came to a woman who intrigued him as much as Officer West. Sure, he had a string of broken hearts in his rearview mirror—all of them his own. Came with the territory when you careened into everything sideways, no holds barred. That was the one lesson he’d learned from his mother’s death—the clock was ticking for everyone on this earth and no one knew when their time would be up.
So he’d vowed to make the most of life while he could, no apologies. He wasn’t about to start now.
CHAPTER 3
Afternoon shadows stretched across the canyon as Sabrina watched the recovery team begin their careful work.Watchedmight have been too generous of a word. She maintained a peripheral awareness that other people besides Noah Colton existed in the world. But she doubted she could name anyone else working at the recovery site at gunpoint.
Wherehad this guy been hiding?
The temperature had dropped another few degrees, but she barely noticed. Her attention was locked on the man directing the operation with authority that was so sexy, it defied logic.
He kept shooting her secret glances that hummed along her skin. It didn’t hurt that Jacob’s brother had gotten every ounce of the Colton charm and then some; plus, it came wrapped in a delicious candy shell that she could easily envision taking a bite out of. Repeatedly.
She should probably be doing something professional, but honestly, Noah didn’t seem like he needed any help, so it kind of worked in her favor to sit back and enjoy the view.
“Engineering team confirms ground stability in the primary search area,” Noah reported into his radio, his voice carrying that same wicked edge that had burrowed beneath her skin the moment she’d first heard it. “Beginning evidence documentation. Need photo team on site.”
The way he handled the scene—professional, but with enthusiasm she didn’t often run across—intrigued her. She’d seen enough SAR operations to understand that Noah operated on a whole different level. A cut above.
He cared. She could feel it in the set of his jaw and the way he kept his body turned slightly into the scene instead of away from it. It was a subtle tell, but he wasinvested.
A lot of people just did their job, no extra effort. This guy wasn’t clocking in another day at the office. For one, Noah never took his eyes off his lab, even if someone spoke to him. That dog mattered to him.
“Would you like me to find you a task, Officer West?”
Noah’s gaze lit on hers, his out-of-the-blue question carrying a hint of amusement that put a slight curl on her own lips.
Shockingly.
Men usually didn’t have a prayer of making her smile, even when they tried to. But this one had noticed that she felt at loose ends, even while running his incredibly intricate operation. Points to Noah Colton.
“I’m fine watching. Just don’t want to miss the moment when I should take my victory lap.” She matched his tone, keeping things light. “You know, for when you prove I’m not crazy and there’s actually a body under all that rock.”
He turned to face her fully, and that spark she’d felt earlier flared again. The man topped her by several inches, which she normally didn’t consider a plus, but there was something about Noah that made her feel very feminine, and she didn’t hate it.
Also shocking.
“I never doubted you. Neither did Dancer.” A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “We’re the ones who count.”
“Agree with that.”
