Careful of the bandages on her hand, I twined my fingers with Maisey’s and tugged her toward the house.
“You need more ice for that bump as well as some Tylenol. But most of all, you need rest.”
At the top of the porch, she dragged us to a stop, watching as Cleaver and his team still scoured the drive. She stepped into me, resting her forehead on my chest and giving me a fierce hug. With her face muffled, I barely heard the words as she said, “I just want this to be over.”
The lump in my throat grew, and I hugged her to me, hoping beyond hope that between the sheriff’s department and Parker’s team, we could make her wish come true.
Chapter Twenty-four
Maisey
BE THAT FOR YOU
Performed by Lady A
THREE YEARS AGO
HIM: Why is it folks think just because a person is wearing a uniform, it means they want to be hit on?
HER: This is new. You’re actually complaining about being hit on?
HIM: Sometimes, a guy just wants to have a beer and relax.
HIM: Think putting a fake wedding ring on my finger would be a deterrent?
HER: For some, they’d only see that as an additional challenge.
HIM: Annnndddd, this is yet another reason why I don’t believe in HEAs.
HER: Okay. Who is this really? You’re using “HEA” and complaining about being hit on. This is NOT Beckett. Is this Stoney? Kasey? Did one of you steal his phone?
HIM: *** laughing emoji *** Funny, Maise. Funny.
HER: If it’s really you, then you have to be sick. I’ll swing by and check your temperature.
HIM: My door is always open for you to…check my temperature.
HER: *** puking emoji *** And now I’m sick.
PRESENT DAY
My emotions felt balanced on arazor’s edge, ready to fall precariously in one of two directions. On one side, panic and fear, and on the other, a hollow numbness. I chose door number two, if only to get me through the night. I wanted to forget everything about those few momentswhen I’d felt powerless and afraid. When the hand had slid—
No. I refused to go there. The worst hadn’t happened to me. I had a bump and some scrapes, and my composure was shaken. But otherwise, I was fine.
When we were finally able to escape the chaos outside and the door had closed on the nightmare I’d lived through, Beckett insisted I stay in his bed again. It wasn’t a hardship. The mattress was like a cloud, and with Beckett next to me, holding me, I knew I’d feel safe.
I wanted to shower. I wanted to wash off the grit of the ground as well as the knowledge that someone had touched me without my permission, but reapplying ointment to my scrapes and rewrapping my hands would require energy I didn’t have. So instead, I stripped my clothes, put on another of Beckett’s T-shirts, and crawled into bed while Beckett grabbed me water, ice, and pain medicine.
After he was satisfied I’d been sufficiently cared for, he tossed his uniform aside and joined me. It was another testament to how exhausted I was that I didn’t drool over his nearly naked body or freak out at him drawing me up into his chest like he had last time we’d been in his bed together.
Beckett squeezed me to him so tight I thought our bones would meld. His voice was full of grief and recrimination as he said, “I’m sorry, Maisey. So damn sorry.”
Surprise shifted through the fatigue and numbness that had taken over, and I turned in his arms so I could meet his gaze.
“This isn’t your fault.”
“I wasn’t here…” Tears filled his eyes that he blinked back.