Page 79 of Hunting Justice
She tapped her hand over her heart. “Here, yes.” Then she touched her temple. “Here? Not so much.”
Jonah closed his eyes and pondered what to say to the woman who had slowly claimed his heart. When he opened them, he glanced around the café, realizing he’d pulled his attention away from their surroundings.
As if Noelle had come to the same conclusion, she scanned the room.
Juliette still sat outside, pretending to focus on her phone. He knew she had their backs, but he hadn’t paid attention to the people around them. Even though Noelle and Juliette were his bodyguards, he refused to put his safety entirely on them.
Convinced danger didn’t lurk in the background—at least at the moment—he cleared his throat. “I don’t want to drop this conversation. I think it’s important to you—to us—but…”
“Let’s stay focused on the cases for now.” She sent him a pleading look.
“That works for me.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Do we have any other leads in either the current cases or the cold ones?”
“Not that I’ve heard. Decia texted me this morning saying that she has an officer taking a deeper look into Lincoln Sanford and Royce Dwight. Plus asking about the congressman’s friend.”
Plates and glasses crashed to the floor.
Jonah whipped his attention toward the noise. A man with a knife stumbled toward him and shoved the blade in his direction.
Noelle leaped from her seat and swung her hand at the guy’s arm. The knife’s trajectory changed, but not enough to miss.
A searing pain like a hot poker spread through Jonah’s side.
The man pushed Noelle out of the way and ran out the front of the café.
“Jonah!”
He grasped his side, then lifted his hand. Blood covered his palm. The maniac had stabbed him.
“Call 911! Juliette, stay with him!” Noelle’s commands brought him out of his daze.
He glanced up in time to see her sprinting from the café after the person who’d targeted him in a public place.
“Noelle, don’t,” he gasped.
Someone shoved a towel at him. He grabbed it and pressed it to the wound. “Juliette, go help her.”
Juliette positioned herself as a barrier between him and the rest of the patrons. “She has the assailant. My duty is protecting you.”
The idea of Noelle chasing down the suspect and getting hurt—or worse—scared the life out of him.
His heart cried out, God, please, I can’t lose her too.
* * *
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Noelle sprinted down the tree-lined street toward the cemetery, wanting to kick herself for getting distracted. She’d allowed Jonah to draw her into the discussion about her mother and had forgotten, for a moment, the danger that prowled around them.
If the guy half a block in front of her hadn’t bumped into the waitress, Jonah might be dead. A man around six feet, give or take an inch, a baseball cap pulled over his eyes, and dark sunglasses. That’s all she had. Some former LEO she was. Yeah, Officer, he’s your average Joe. Nothing discernable to make him stand out. Great, just great.
People jumped out of the way as the man pushed through the crowds.
“Coming through!” She pumped her arms, trying to catch up with the attacker. Her Glock sat comfortably against the small of her back. Her fingers itched to reach for it, but withdrawing it in the middle of the crowd would create more panic than already existed.
Sweat dripped down her temples and between her shoulder blades. Thank heavens for the shade trees and the slight breeze. Even in May, the humidity hung heavy in the air.
She spotted Jonah’s assailant entering the cemetery.
Only two ways in or out. An advantage and a concern. Pushing her speed, she gained ground. She grabbed the fence post and launched into the graveyard.