sure Jake was rested and
prepared to keep making good decisions.
The rain might finally be blowing over, but
the floodwater would continue to cause problems for days. Jake
would need to be ready to handle his responsibilities, which
required sleep and a break from the constant stress, no matter how
brief.
When she walked into the station ten minutes
later to find her husband hunched behind his desk, phone trapped
between his ear and shoulder while he typed with one hand and
flipped through a folder with the other, she knew she’d come just
in time. The skin beneath Jake’s hazel eyes was bruised with
exhaustion, and he had stubble that would do a lumberjack proud
covering his chin and cheeks—even the skin covering his face seemed
to be hanging a little looser.
He smiled when he saw her, but a grin
couldn’t hide the fact that he looked like hell.
For a moment Naomi was filled with anger
that no one else had thought to tell the chief to hit his bunk for
a nap, but then she caught Jamison’s eyes across the room. He cast
Jake a pointed look before lifting his arms and shaking his head,
indicating he couldn’t do a thing with his older brother in his
current state.
Naomi nodded, her jaw firming up as she
crossed the room to Jake and reached down to close the file folder
on top of his hand.
He scowled, but withdrew his hand, using it
to hold his phone to his ear. “Okay, Nash. Naomi’s here. I’ll call
you back if we hear anything.” Jake nodded, sighing at something
the chief of police said. “I know. Thanks, we appreciate it.”
He ended the call and stood, running a hand
down his face that did nothing to banish the exhaustion from his
expression. “What’s up, babe? Is Noelle okay? Did you—”
“ Noelle is great. Greta’s
going to stay with her until I get back to the house,” Naomi said,
hooking her arm through Jake’s and leading him toward the hall.
“You, however, are not great. You need to get some
rest.”
Jake balked, stopping in his tracks. “I
can’t, Naomi. Faith is still missing. I’ve got four search teams
calling in every ten minutes, and I can’t—”
“ I can handle the calls for
an hour,” Jamison said, appearing beside them, obviously sensing
Naomi needed backup. “Go get some sleep. If you don’t, you’re
decision-making will be impaired and you won’t be any good to
anyone.”
Jake shook his head. “My decision-making is
already impaired. I just sent a psychic with no search and rescue
training out in a boat with Brandon and Neil.”
Naomi frowned as she glanced between Jamison
and Jake. “A psychic?”
“ Lucy’s a psychic,” Jamison
said, with a lot less skepticism than Naomi would have expected. “I
wasn’t sure what to think at first, either,” he continued, clearly
reading the surprise on her face. “But I called the detective she
used to work with in Atlanta. He said she’s the real deal; helped
them solve a shitload of cold cases and found dozens of missing
persons.”
Naomi blinked, processing the information
before she nodded. “Okay, well…I had no idea Lucy used to work for
the police, but that doesn’t sound like a bad decision.” Naomi
placed a hand on Jake’s back, rubbing the place between his
shoulders that usually helped him to relax. “I mean, if she checked
out with a detective, that’s great. Maybe she can help find
Faith.”
“ She can’t hurt,” Jamison
said, the tension in his voice making it clear how worried he was.
But then, Faith was more than a co-worker to him and Jake; she was
like their younger sister, a girl they’d grown up with at the
station. “At this point, I’m up for trying anything.”
“ Obviously I am too,” Jake
said. “But I can’t send a woman I’ve never worked with out in a
boat and go take a nap. I need to be by the phone in case Brandon
or Neil call in with a problem.”
“ If there’s a problem,
Jamison can handle it,” Naomi said, holding up her hand to silence
Jake before he
prepared to keep making good decisions.
The rain might finally be blowing over, but
the floodwater would continue to cause problems for days. Jake
would need to be ready to handle his responsibilities, which
required sleep and a break from the constant stress, no matter how
brief.
When she walked into the station ten minutes
later to find her husband hunched behind his desk, phone trapped
between his ear and shoulder while he typed with one hand and
flipped through a folder with the other, she knew she’d come just
in time. The skin beneath Jake’s hazel eyes was bruised with
exhaustion, and he had stubble that would do a lumberjack proud
covering his chin and cheeks—even the skin covering his face seemed
to be hanging a little looser.
He smiled when he saw her, but a grin
couldn’t hide the fact that he looked like hell.
For a moment Naomi was filled with anger
that no one else had thought to tell the chief to hit his bunk for
a nap, but then she caught Jamison’s eyes across the room. He cast
Jake a pointed look before lifting his arms and shaking his head,
indicating he couldn’t do a thing with his older brother in his
current state.
Naomi nodded, her jaw firming up as she
crossed the room to Jake and reached down to close the file folder
on top of his hand.
He scowled, but withdrew his hand, using it
to hold his phone to his ear. “Okay, Nash. Naomi’s here. I’ll call
you back if we hear anything.” Jake nodded, sighing at something
the chief of police said. “I know. Thanks, we appreciate it.”
He ended the call and stood, running a hand
down his face that did nothing to banish the exhaustion from his
expression. “What’s up, babe? Is Noelle okay? Did you—”
“ Noelle is great. Greta’s
going to stay with her until I get back to the house,” Naomi said,
hooking her arm through Jake’s and leading him toward the hall.
“You, however, are not great. You need to get some
rest.”
Jake balked, stopping in his tracks. “I
can’t, Naomi. Faith is still missing. I’ve got four search teams
calling in every ten minutes, and I can’t—”
“ I can handle the calls for
an hour,” Jamison said, appearing beside them, obviously sensing
Naomi needed backup. “Go get some sleep. If you don’t, you’re
decision-making will be impaired and you won’t be any good to
anyone.”
Jake shook his head. “My decision-making is
already impaired. I just sent a psychic with no search and rescue
training out in a boat with Brandon and Neil.”
Naomi frowned as she glanced between Jamison
and Jake. “A psychic?”
“ Lucy’s a psychic,” Jamison
said, with a lot less skepticism than Naomi would have expected. “I
wasn’t sure what to think at first, either,” he continued, clearly
reading the surprise on her face. “But I called the detective she
used to work with in Atlanta. He said she’s the real deal; helped
them solve a shitload of cold cases and found dozens of missing
persons.”
Naomi blinked, processing the information
before she nodded. “Okay, well…I had no idea Lucy used to work for
the police, but that doesn’t sound like a bad decision.” Naomi
placed a hand on Jake’s back, rubbing the place between his
shoulders that usually helped him to relax. “I mean, if she checked
out with a detective, that’s great. Maybe she can help find
Faith.”
“ She can’t hurt,” Jamison
said, the tension in his voice making it clear how worried he was.
But then, Faith was more than a co-worker to him and Jake; she was
like their younger sister, a girl they’d grown up with at the
station. “At this point, I’m up for trying anything.”
“ Obviously I am too,” Jake
said. “But I can’t send a woman I’ve never worked with out in a
boat and go take a nap. I need to be by the phone in case Brandon
or Neil call in with a problem.”
“ If there’s a problem,
Jamison can handle it,” Naomi said, holding up her hand to silence
Jake before he
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