Cross Fire by C.C. Warrens

Author:C.C. Warrens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian fiction, Christian mystery, Christian suspense, Thriller, christian romance
Publisher: C.C. Warrens
Published: 2017-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

I couldn’t sleep that night.

Every time my eyes slipped shut, Collin’s face materialized against the insides of my eyelids, and old, terrifying memories crept through the darkness around me.

For the past hour, I had been staring at the blinking green light of the smoke alarm on the ceiling, counting every blink to distract myself.

I pondered another hot shower and a cup of chamomile tea, but I was honestly afraid to sleep. I folded back the blankets and slipped from bed.

I padded soundlessly into the living room in my slippers a little before one in the morning. Marx was sitting on the couch beside the lit lamp with a folder in his hands, and he looked up when I appeared at the other end of the couch.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted, with a pinch of concern between his eyebrows. “Everythin’ okay?”

“Um, am I interrupting?” I didn’t want to infringe on his space or personal time, but I wasn’t in the mood to be alone.

It was a new and unusual sensation—craving the companionship of others over solitude—and I wasn’t quite sure how to cope with it. I had always been more comfortable alone, especially when I was feeling vulnerable or afraid.

“Not at all,” he said. He closed the file in his hands and set it on the coffee table. “Is somethin’ on your mind?”

I curled up on the couch a few feet from him and rested my hands on my slippers. “I’m a woman. Isn’t there always something on our minds?”

Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “From my understandin’, there’s about twenty things on your mind at any given time. It’s a wonder you don’t all suffer from ADD.”

I smiled.

“If I had to guess, you’re thinkin’ about marshmallows and goin’ for a run,” he said, and I laughed. I usually did think about those two things.

“What do you think about?” I asked.

He leaned back against the couch and pondered my question. “I think about my cases a lot, about my family, about the women in my life.”

“Like . . . girlfriend women? Are they still called girlfriends when you’re forty-something?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Is that your nice way of tellin’ me I’m old?”

I smirked. “No?”

He chuckled. “Truthfully, I don’t know. I haven’t dated in a long time.” He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Why the sudden interest in my thoughts?”

I gave a small shrug and stared at my slippers. I was interrupting his night because I was feeling insecure, and that was selfish. I should’ve just taken another shower. “Mmm, never mind.” I unfolded my body and stood. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Holly.” He leaned forward to catch me before I could slip away, and I flinched back the moment his fingertips brushed my wrist.

My reaction startled both of us. I hadn’t meant to flinch, but after Collin’s visit yesterday evening, every nerve in my body was raw with memories.

I folded my arms around my stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m not afraid of you. I just . . .”

“Don’t wanna be touched,” he finished when I didn’t.

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