Page 48 of Hunted in Hope Town

She lifted her chin, leaning into her stubbornness, just like she said. “Fine, then you don’t get to talk me into blaming you when you should blame the criminals.”

He closed his eyes and sighed, but instead of dropping his hands or turning her away or lecturing her more, he simply lowered his forehead to hers. She could hear him swallow and knew there was a lump in his throat.

When he spoke, his words were hoarse. “I’m glad you remember.”

She felt her own lump form, but she swallowed around it, blinked back those tears. “Me too.”

Chapter Fifteen

Ellis didn’t call Boyd right away, much to Kirsten’s irritation. Getting a cursory idea of what Colleen Fredericks had been up to was more pressing to his way of thinking, and he was the law enforcement officer here. He knew.

He wasn’t avoiding something uncomfortable. Even if that’s what she thought.

Really.

According to the web, Colleen Fredericks had left the FBI for private sector work in public relations.

Exactly two weeks after Ellis had first spoken to Zach about Hope Town and moving Kirsten there.

Yeah, he didn’t like that timing.

But according to everything he could find, she still worked for the shoe company and resided in Raleigh. There was no obvious connection between her and the psychiatrist’s assistant Sarah Conway.

Someone would have had to help her create an undercover identity. And that someone no doubt came from the FBI—considering she’d worked in an FBI office, and Zach, the former undercover agent, thought her fake identity looked like one he’d create.

For all Ellis knew, Boyd could have been the one to help Colleen. Back then, Boyd hadn’t told Ellis he was being an idiot for avoiding the woman at his wife’s behest, but Boyd hadn’t exactly thought it was a sensible course of action.

But Boyd had been a single man and fully agreed that he couldn’t understand what priorities were different when you were married.

Of course, Ellis had realized in retrospect these past two years, he hadn’t exactly had his priorities straight then either.

Ellis wished he could have some of that old rose-colored glasses thinking though. The belief good guys were on one side and bad guys were on the other. Instead of everyone being one step away from becoming a bad guy.

He sighed and glanced over at the kitchen where Kirsten was putting together some kind of lunch. She was humming and making them food, because she remembered, and thought she still loved him. Claimed to have been planning to welcome him home after the undercover assignment he shouldn’t have taken.

Maybe he didn’t love the way she kept calling him afraid of things, when that wasn’t the issue at all, but…she was here. She was okay. It was more than he’d been able to hope for lately, even with the threat hanging over their heads.

So he felt honor bound to at least kind of go through with reaching out to Boyd. Carefully. And with some information under his belt first.

He turned his attention back to his computer and set about checking in on what his old friend was doing. He wouldn’t dive in headfirst with a phone call. Couldn’t.

No matter what Kirsten remembered.

Boyd was indeed still in Nashville, still an FBI agent. He’d been involved in another undercover case that had taken down some more human traffickers. Gotten some press for that one last year.

Ellis found himself smiling in spite of himself. His friend was a damn fine agent.

And not your friend anymore.

But maybe Kirsten had a point. When he’d stopped returning Boyd’s calls and emails, he’d been in a dark place. His injury. An assignment gone wrong. And even if Kirsten hadn’t actually been dead, Boyd thought she was, and there had been a death of sorts. Coming out of it two years later might be a bit far-fetched, but Boyd knew how much Ellis had loved Kirsten.

He’d harassed him about it enough.

Ellis didn’t have to lay it all on the line. Certainly didn’t have to give any hints Kirsten was alive. That part of the witness protection story could stay intact.

He could give Boyd a call and see what shook out. Just like the meeting with Dr. Leigh. Testing waters, looking for signs.

Kirsten came over to him with a plate. She’d made a sandwich out of some canned chicken and bread that must have come from the freezer and divvied up a can of fruit between them.