Page 59 of In the Arms of a Hero

He closed her door and then jogged to the front, tossing a chin lift and waving to the uniformed deputy.

He said nothing as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed south. Again, she wanted to ask what was happening, but doubts gripped her.Has he decided this is too much? Too much trouble? Too much emotion? Too much of a commitment?

She sighed and wished she was already in her home with Bess buzzing around, helping her out. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, hating everything about the situation. Getting shot. Not being able to do her job right now. Wondering what was going through Aaron’s mind. Finally, she opened her eyes and rolled her head to the side, staring out her window. Blinking, she realized they were passing the little shopping center with the bakery and her place. And what was more concerning was that there were sheriff vehicles outside.

“Aaron! You passed my apartment! Where are we going?”

She swung her head back to stare at him when he didn't answer. His grip was tight around the steering wheel, and his jaw was just as set as when he walked into her hospital room.

“Aaron, what the fuck is going on?”

He slowed, flipped on the blinker, and pulled to the side of the road. Putting the SUV in park, he shifted in his seat and looked at her. His gaze roamed over her face before he muttered, “Fuck, sweetheart.”

She blinked, surprised he had called her sweetheart when she thought he was perhaps sliding away from her. Cocking her head to the side, she tempered her tone when she asked again, “Aaron, please, what is going on?”

“New information has come into the station from someone who witnessed the man who shot you.” Aaron sighed, scrubbing his hand over the scruff on his face. “He wasn’t after me. He wasn’t random. He was shooting at you.”

She recoiled in disbelief and barked out a scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would anyone want to shoot me?”

“I don’t know, babe. But I promise, we’re working on it.”

The air left her lungs in a rush. “You’re serious?”

“I promise you, I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

Her gaze left his face as she turned and stared out the front windshield, not focusing on anything other than the weight of his words rattling around in her head. Finally, shaking her head slowly, she said, “You must be mistaken. There’s nothing about me. Nothing,” she cried again. “Please, take me home. I just want to take another pain pill, crawl into my bed, and wake up with Bess handing me a pastry.”

“I can’t do that, Belinda.”

Her eyes widened as the fact that she’d just seen deputy cars outside the bakery area hit her. Swinging her head back to him, she said, “What else is going on?”

“Right before I left the station to come to get you, Bess called after going to your apartment to make sure it was ready for you. Your window near the fire escape was broken into.”

This time, the sound that rushed from her mouth was an anguished cry. “Bess! Oh my God! Where is she?”

“She’s fine. The apartment was empty. She only discovered the window was broken. Brad is getting to her right now.”

“Turn around, you’ve got to take me there!”

“That’s not a good idea, honey. You need to get in bed, and we’ve got to let the detectives process your place.”

Fear and anger warred inside, and a tear slid down her cheek, dropping onto her hoodie. She thought of the things in her home. Her belongings that someone had looked at. Touched.

“Why would someone want to do this? Nothing in my place is of any value for anyone to take.”

Aaron hesitated, then shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to that right now. But what I do know is that I need to get you somewhere where you can take your pain medicine, crawl into bed, and then let Bess bring a pastry to you when she can.”

A second tear followed the first one, and she lifted her right hand to dash them away. “Then take me to Bess’s place.”

“I can’t do that either. Right now, that’s not safe. And it could put Bess in danger.”

Jerking, she sucked in a hasty breath. “Oh shit. I don’t even know what to think about all of this. What the hell am I going to do?”

He reached over and cupped her jaw, gently rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “It’s not great, but you’re coming home with me. That way, I know you’ll be protected. We’ve got your pills, and you can crawl into my bed. I’ll tell Bess to come over as soon as possible.”

She held his gaze, and another tear fell. “How did things go from so good to such a nightmare?”

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. “I don’t know, but I swear I will find out. And then I’m going to turn your nightmare back into a dream.”

---