“WE HAVE TO call in the FBI.” Noelle turned toward Thomas as soon as he cut off the engine of their rental car. It was another SUV, which the sheriff had gotten for them. They were parked just a few feet away from the entrance of the only diner in Camden—the presumed spot of Jenny Tucker’s abduction. Noelle had known she had to get out here to investigate for herself, but that investigation just wasn’t going to be good enough.
Thomas frowned at her. “As far as the locals are concerned, we are the FBI.”
She shook her head. “The EOD doesn’t investigate abductions like this. You know that.”
Hostage retrieval. Unconventional warfare. Target destruction. She knew the key words for missions the EOD agents took. But this case...
My past.
It was different.
“Mercer will pull us off the investigation as soon as he finds out what’s happening. And we can’t just leave the girl out there. We have to call in the FBI.” She had friends at the FBI who should be working this case. If she put in just a fast call to them, those special agents would be on the first flight out there.
But does Jenny have that long?
“I figure that I’m staring at Jenny Tucker’s best hope of survival,” Thomas said flatly as his gaze held hers. “Mercer told me that you were the best profiler he’d ever seen. If anyone can catch the guy out there, I think it would be you.”
But Thomas didn’t get it. She shoved back the hair that had fallen over her forehead. “My mind... It’s all messed up.” Her voice thickened and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat as Thomas watched her with that deep, golden gaze. “Every time I try to think about Jenny or the man who took her, I just see my own picture, pinned to the wall at the station.”
Her past. The secrets she’d sought for so long—they were all tangled up in what was happening in Camden.
Her breath seemed to burn her lungs. “I don’t have the distance needed for this case. It’s too personal.” She couldn’t separate her own feelings from what was happening. Jenny... Jenny could be me. Only Noelle had gotten lucky. She’d been rescued.
Jenny hadn’t.
“I don’t think distance is what this case needs.” His words were a deep rumble as his finger slid over the steering wheel. “I think you’re what that girl out the
re needs. If she really was taken, then you know exactly what that is like.”
No, she didn’t. Because she couldn’t remember anything about her abduction.
He hesitated a moment as he studied her, then he slowly inclined his head. “But I’ll talk to the boss, if that’s what you want. We’ll get other FBI agents down here.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“But you need to stay on point. We both do. We can’t blow our cover, because I think this is about a whole lot more than one girl’s abduction. The senator was murdered, and we still need to figure out how he fits into this mess.”
Yes, they did.
Noelle turned from him and pushed against the handle of her door. His hand flew out, stopping her before she could leave the vehicle. “You’re not alone in this, understand? Whatever happens, whatever we discover, I’m going to be right by your side.”
She nodded. “Because you’re my partner.” She’d learned that about the EOD. A partner always had your back. A partner would protect you to the bitter end, a partner would—
“No, that’s not why.” His fingers lifted and curled around her chin. That golden gaze of his heated even more. She saw the need in his eyes. Her heart raced faster. “You can count on me.”
She had to look away from that deep stare because Noelle was afraid Thomas would see too much in her own eyes. She’d been alone for so long. But he was offering her something else. Something she was afraid to take.
She pushed open her car door and the cold air rushed against her skin. The lights from the diner were on, glowing brightly even though it was close to ten o’clock.
Noelle stared at the area around the diner. A few old buildings, which were boarded up. A lone road, which stretched away and disappeared into the darkness.
Camden wasn’t a thriving town, she had read during her pretrip research. It had lost most of its residents as the younger generation moved off to bigger cities. Because the businesses were vanishing and the people were leaving, there just hadn’t been anyone out there to see Jenny.
Before they’d left the station, the sheriff had checked in with all of Jenny’s friends. No one had seen the girl, and the friends had all claimed Jenny had no boyfriend. They’d been adamant she couldn’t have run off with someone.
The snow crunched beneath Noelle’s feet. She saw the open sign on the diner’s door. A man, tall, with dark hair, was inside and heading toward the front.
Thomas was at Noelle’s side. He grabbed for the handle and pulled open the door. The bell overhead gave a light jingle of sound.