For years, he’d kept the walls he’d built around his heart strong and true. Walls that had protected him ever since.
From the entitled assholes he’d grown up with. His shallow, self-absorbed parents who cared more about their money and social status than their own child.
When he got older and joined the military, he saw too many men and women emotionally destroyed over broken relationships and marriages. So he’d used those same walls to keep from ever risking something as weak as falling in love.
But with Emma, things were different. The more time he spent with her, the more Trace was beginning to realize...
She’s going to break through every layer of defense I have.
As crazy as it was, the thought didn’t terrify him as much as it probably should. Of course, nearly watching a woman he’d come to care about die may have something to do with that.
“You’ve had a rough couple of days.” Riley’s authoritative voice brought him back into focus. “And those scratches on your face should be properly cleaned so they don’t get infected.”
Taking Emma’s hand in his, Trace put aside his inner turmoil and gave her a tiny squeeze. “At least let the medics clean you up when they get here. If they give you a clean bill of health, we’ll skip the hospital. Deal?”
She stared up at him and nodded. “Deal.”
He wasn’t sure why they kept making deals like that. It was just a thing he’d started with her after the explosion.Christ, was that just yesterday?
A little over twenty-four hours had gone by, yet it felt like a fucking lifetime.
“Walk me through what happened.” Eric pulled out his handy dandy notebook. “Start from the time you first arrived on the property.”
“Actually, Eric,” Riley intervened. “We should probably take their statements separately. Just so we keep things as clean as possible.”
Clean, meaning he and Emma couldn’t influence each other on what to say. Trace understood how it all worked and respected Riley’s professionalism.
The brunette turned to Emma. “Why don’t you and I go into the other room,”
Emma looked to him for guidance, the uncertainty in her eyes tearing at his soul.
Trace gave her a wink and a grin, hoping it would put her at ease.
It’s okay, baby. We’ll get through this.
For the next half-hour, Trace went over everything that had happened with Eric. From the moment he and Emma stepped into her apartment, to when Eric and Riley showed up, he shared as many details as he could to ensure nothing was overlooked.
During that time, the small space quickly filled with other police officers and crime scene investigators, as well as Dr. Cartwright and her assistant.
While they finished processing the body and preparing it for transport, Eric shoved his notebook back into his jacket pocket and blew out a breath.
“We need to ID this guy quickly. Figure out if he’s connected to yesterday’s bombing.”
Trace shot the detective an incredulous look. “Todd Branson walks into R.I.S.C.’s office yesterday and hands Emma a bomb meant to kill Jake, and twenty-four hours later, someone breaks into her apartment and tries to kill her. Of course, it’s fucking connected.”
Taking a breath, he ran a hand down his tired face. “I know I’m not part of your brother’s team, but Jake trusts me, so I need you to trust me, too. I have a bad feeling about this one, Eric. We need all hands on deck, or the bodies are going to keep piling up.
“I agree, but it’s going to take some time.”
“Emma doesn’t have fucking time.”
“We can’t just assume this guy has a connection to Branson,” Eric bit back. With his hands on his hips, the frustrated man shook his head and sighed. “Christ, you R.I.S.C. guys are all alike. My brother included. You’re used to being able to act on instinct, which is fine when you’re out in the field. But what you people have a hard time understanding is that I have a boss I have to answer to. And I can’t just go to my captain with assumptions and expect him to continue doling out more department resources to my team. I need actual evidence to back it up.”
“No way was this a coincidence.”
“I agree. But you have to give me time to prove it.”
Trace opened his mouth to argue when he heard Coop’s frantic voice coming from the front of the apartment.