Page 18 of No Going Back

He kissed her forehead. “Hey. I need to let Jabba out. Go back to sleep.”

She ran her hand over his chest, and he wanted to kiss her more than almost anything.

Jabba distracted them both by leaping from the bed and rushing to the door. Laughing, Sean followed him but left the door open behind him. He was fully charged with sleep, but if Branna wasn’t comfortable being alone in the bed, he’d slide back in with her.

Such a sacrifice. Grinning, he hit the bathroom quickly and then headed outside with Jabba. The dog hurried to the nearest bush and bounced around the yard, checking out the new surroundings.

After being trapped in the truck for so long, Sean figured the dog would need some time to stretch his legs. While watching to ensure Jabba didn’t take off, Sean moved through a few stretching exercises. He hadn’t put in a workout since Branna’s text. His body wouldn’t let him down after only a few days, but putting in some pushups and other moves would help keep him loose and limber.

When the dog returned to him, they headed back inside. He heard Branna start up the shower as he set Jabba up with more food and water.

Sean grabbed his phone from the other bedroom. Judging by his last call to Troy, they’d slept for over ten hours.

He’d get a shower later once he prepped some food for Branna. It would take her a while to build her energy back up. Lots of small meals. Lots of rest. He hoped Troy’s friends didn’t mind if they stayed for another night.

Branna came into the kitchen just as Sean poured the pancake mix onto the griddle. “Good timing. I hope you still like pancakes.”

She wore a pair of leggings and a T-shirt she must have found in the stash of clothing Troy had said was there for whoever needed it. The T-shirt was large, but at least the clothes were clean and, hopefully, didn’t remind her of how bad the past few days had been.

“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”

He laughed. “I imagine so. How are you feeling today? You’re barely limping.”

She smiled at him. “I feel almost human, thanks to you. And that’s a serious thank you. You didn’t have to come and help me out, and I really appreciate it. Then you helped me sleep and kept the nightmares at bay.” She reached up on her toes and placed a kiss on his jaw. “Thank you.”

He wanted to unplug the griddle and kiss her properly. “You’re welcome.”

Branna grabbed plates and utensils. She put their dirty dishes from the day before in the dishwasher. “Do you know if we’re allowed to stay here another day? If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay put while I deal with the phone calls I have to make.”

He frowned at her. “Phone calls?”

She nodded. “Insurance. Police. At least someone in the neighborhood, so they don’t worry that I died in the fire. Then I have to replace all of my ID and bank cards. Everything I own is gone. I also have to contact the funeral home. I was going to do that after I called to tell you about Dad.”

Sean flipped the pancakes. Her tone was still devastated but resigned. She’d got some of her resilience back.

She moved to the fridge, found juice, and poured them both a glass. “I’m not sure if I’ll need to go back to press charges or if I can do it on the phone.”

“Against?”

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “Prince Hawley. He and his thugs were the ones who burned down the pub while I was inside.”

Absolute fury poured through Sean. These pricks were going away for a long time. “You were there?” His voice was rough, but he managed to keep the words to a mostly normal volume.

Branna nodded. “Hiding in the snug.”

Hell. No wonder she’d had nightmares. “We’ll need to go over the whole story with the police and my guys, but tell me the basics. How did you get out?”

Branna nodded, and they took their seats from the night before, like an old married couple who had their own spots. He liked that. And he was focusing on that because he knew whatever he was about to hear would make him furious.

“I was sitting in the snug, working up to calling you. I was trying to figure out how to tell you, and then I just blurted it out in the truck. I’m sorry.”

Sean shook his head. “No worries.”

She smiled softly and spooned a little jam onto her pancakes. She’d always preferred that over syrup. “I was feeling lost and alone. Scared of the future. I hadn’t slept much since Dad was hit. I heard Prince and his idiot friends break in the door. The crash nearly made me jump out of my skin. He was loud and cocky and trying to scare me. It worked.”

Sean reached over to squeeze her hand. She managed a small smile in return. “I hid in the closet in the snug. Apparently, his herd had been surveilling the building and knew I was inside. They searched the place, but they didn’t find me. But they knew I was hiding somewhere.”

Because they’d been watching her. Staking out the place. “They figured you’d be vulnerable and an easy target.”

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