Page 61 of In the Arms of a Hero

“Oh, I’m so sorry you were there to see that,” Belinda rushed, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want you to be there alone, so close to?—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aaron said.

Belinda swung her head around to stare at him. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m going to worry!”

“What I mean is that she’s being protected. Well protected.”

She wanted to ask more, but her stomach growled, and Bess turned to plate her food. She started to eat with her right hand, now ravenous but aware that the room was still full of people. Turning on the swivel stool, she licked the crumbs off her lips and stared around. “So…” She cleared her throat. “What the hell happened to my apartment? And who’s after me?”

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Aaron sighed heavily, not wanting to have this conversation with Belinda but knowing it was necessary. “Right now, we don’t know, sweetheart.”

“I’m no one. I’m just a local photographer. That’s it.”

Her gaze turned to him, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap her up and put her in his bed until she was healed. But blowing out a breath, he said, “We think it might have something to do with your photography.”

Her eyes bugged, and she barked out a snort. “Get real, Aaron. It’s not like I go around and take pictures of bank robbers, thieves, and drug runners?—”

“We’re not saying that you took someone engaged in a criminal act on purpose,” Sam interjected. “It’s just that you might have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

She shook her head. “I would have noticed something in the background. Other than the wedding the other day, my most recent shots have been headshots for a new real estate office, and they were all taken inside their office, standing in front of their logo on the wall. Then there was a church group, and those pictures were taken in their church sanctuary. Before that, I had a family reunion down at the beach.”

“Maybe there was something in the background of those shots,” Brad said. “We have your camera, but Bess said you had a laptop and that it was missing from your apartment.”

She gasped. “They stole my laptop?” The idea of having to spend money replacing her laptop hit her, and she dropped her chin to her chest. “That sucks,” she whispered.

Aaron shot a frustrated glare at Brad and stepped closer to Belinda. “The detectives went over the whole building with Bess, and that was the only thing it seems they took. We think they were looking for your camera, so they searched the whole apartment.”

“But my pictures are saved to the cloud, so taking my laptop doesn’t stop me from having access to my photographs.”

“They wouldn’t know that.” He wrapped his arms around her, making sure to be careful of her shoulder. “We’re going to go through the pictures you’ve taken—” He felt her stiffen. “Sweetheart, you’ve got to realize that it could be evidence. It’s all we’ve got right now.”

She relaxed into him, and he tightened his grip. “I won’t be going through them since I’m not on this case. Sam and I are still working on the murder case, and because I’m personally involved with the victim in this case, Hunter and Brad will be going through the pictures along with a couple of other detectives.”

She remained still for a moment, seeming focused on the plate of food that she’d barely eaten. She nodded and said, “Of course. Absolutely. You’re right.” A rueful snort slipped out. “I have no secrets with my pictures. How far back will you need to go?”

“We’ll start with the most recent and just keep going back for a few months to see if anything pops up,” Brad said. “We may notice something that wasn’t evident when you took the picture.”

She nodded again and then leaned forward to rub her head. “I can’t go back to my apartment now, can I?”

“No, you’ll stay here with me. I’m only about ten minutes away from the bakery, so Bess will be able to check on you. Hayley is still going to help out, and?—”

“Ivy will come by as soon as she gets off work,” Andy said.

“She doesn’t need to?—”

Andy smiled. “She really wants to get to know you better.”

“Sally and I will be here, too,” Arthur said.

She glanced back at Aaron, finally nodding, trying but failing to smile. “Whatever you think is best. Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to lie back down.”

Without hesitation, he helped her off the stool and guided her back to the bedroom. Tucking her into bed, he bent and kissed her forehead. “You have no idea how sorry I am that this happened to you. But you also have no fucking idea how happy I am that you’re letting me take care of you. Having you here with me means everything.”

She managed a wan smile, and he retrieved another pain pill from the bathroom since she could take another one. She closed her eyes again, and this time, he kissed her lips, then quietly backed out of the room.

Once more in the living room, he sighed heavily and shook his head. “Okay, Hayley, you and Dad are on duty starting tomorrow morning. Sally can come whenever it works for her. Bess, you know you’re welcome here, but I know you want to stay at your place, and you can come back over tomorrow. A deputy will be driving by while I’m at work.”

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