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The high spirits finally died down, and they made her promise to meet again up with them again before they departed.
Those people were the most stubborn but friendliest people she’d ever met.
When the two couples turned the corner and disappeared from view, silence returned, and Noelle was alone with Brandon.
“You don’t have to accompany me home. It’s a nice night and you must be tired.”
Brandon shook his head. “I’m not tired. If you don’t want to walk with me, maybe I can call a cab for you. Please.”
There wasn’t an ounce of the evil she’d sensed in Reeker in Brandon Turner. Her gut feeling told her to trust the man, while her brain still had unanswered questions.
As a true Cajun woman, she wasn’t scared of laying all the cards on the table, and maybe a few answers would bring clarity either way.
“I’m not tired either. Would you like to keep walking with me a little while longer?”
It was as if a weight came off those broad shoulders, and the tall man relaxed, his features losing some of their tension. “It would be a pleasure. Lead the way, Miss Breaux.”
CHAPTER 6
The most sensible thing to do would’ve been to simply walk the elusive Noelle to the closest busy street, call a cab, and be done with it. Brandon wasn’t the type to pursue a woman who didn’t want anything to do with him. Had he accepted Noelle’s polite invitation because he was starved for contact, or could he admit there were so many unreturned questions mixed with a definite attraction that meant he needed to remain close?
For a long while, they strolled side by side in silence, and to his surprise, it was Noelle who broke it first.
“You asked me a question earlier, and I didn’t get a chance to respond. But I have a question to ask you first.”
Brandon stopped and turned to face the woman, who was never far from his mind. “Go ahead.”
“What’s your relationship with Detective Reeker?”
Of all the questions she could’ve asked, this one threw him off. “I’ve known Reinhard for a long time. Since I was a teenager, but I can’t say I have a relationship with him.”
Noelle blinked a few times. “You lived in New Orleans?”
“Oh, gosh, no. I’m from California, born and raised. Reinhard and his family were there too at some point. My family and the Reekers were neighbors. If anything, my dad was closer to Reinhard than me. However, I was best friends with his son, Damian.” It had been years since he’d said that name, and even with the perspective of time, the memory hurt just as much.
“I didn’t know Detective Reeker had lived in California. When I started working for the department, he was already there, and nobody ever said anything about the west coast.”
Brandon felt relieved that the frown marring her brow wasn’t directed at him, but also it uncovered a bit of the reason why the goddess he’d first seen in the bar had turned into a Medusa before he could blink. If he remembered correctly, the temperature had turned arctic the moment... the moment Reinhard said hi and gave him a hug.
“What happened with Reinhard? He’s the reason you didn’t like me, labeled me as bad from the start because you saw me with him.”
Noelle appeared so weary, she only shook her head and started walking again, but Brandon wouldn’t let anything more fester. “Wait. I don’t know what happened with Reinhard, but one thing’s for sure, I’m not the enemy here.” Brandon didn’t know why he wanted to convince her that he was on her side, but he was ready to cross a few lines to make it happen.
“This is no secret that when I started searching for a job, a lieutenant’s position, I reached out to a few friends over social media. It was Reinhard who popped up and said that his commander was looking for new blood. I flew here from LA for a meeting, but when I sat down with Commander Beckner, he asked me the very same questions you just did.”
From the astonishment on her face, Brandon knew he was heading in the right direction and that his admission wasn’t for nothing. “I explained the same thing to the Commander. It tooka few more discussions, but he seemed reassured. That’s when I started asking questions of my own, more specifically why would my relationship with Reinhard Reeker, although distant, would be of any consequence for this position.” Noelle remained silent, so he continued. “He said he wanted new blood, but asked that I remain on the lookout for behaviors that were bringing down the reputation of the NOPD, especially this station. He also said that these individuals were chipping at his CSI, and he wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. He wouldn’t tell me who or what to look for, but now, it seems I have a clearer idea who is rubbing the CSI the wrong way. And you can check with the Commander if you like. I’ll get some flak for it, but as you’re part of the CSI he wishes to protect, I guess it won’t be so bad.”
Noelle exhaled sharply. “We’re past the rubbing stage. Reeker and his friends are all about the past and how police work required less paperwork, and those men upheld the law. The previous commander let things slide to the point where...”
Brandon touched her arm. “To the point where?”
“To the point where I don’t know if I’ll remain with the NOPD.”
Fists clenching, Brandon battled to keep a cool head. After all, the commander had given him a mission, and he felt overly protective to the point where it messed with his mind. His focus needed to be on the mission, not on a woman, although incredibly gorgeous, whom he barely knew.
“No wonder you wanted to tear my head off the moment you saw me fraternizing with the enemy so to speak.”
To his relief, he saw a corner of her mouth quirk up. “Well, in this part of the world, we prefer to boil the bad guys like crawfishes and dump them in the bayou. The gators take care of the rest.”
