Page 39 of Griz's Edge

Griz gathers the rest of the stuff Storm left for me and puts it on top of his dresser. Turning to me, he jerks his head to the bed. “Hop in, sweets.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I climb onto the bed and snuggle up under his fleece blanket. He didn’t have a comforter like I did. Just solid gray sheets with a red and black fleeceflannel-looking blanket, best of all, it was soft. I love a soft fleece blanket. I have a whole collection of different ones I trade out on my couch every so often. Even better, as I lay back against the pillows, I find he didn’t have cheap flat pillows. They were super comfortable.

Griz climbs in next to me, hand gliding up and down my side. “You good?”

“Yeah.”

“Someone tried to kill you today.” I didn’t need the reminder, but I don’t think that’s his intention.

“I know.”

“I could have lost you.” Griz’s voice takes on a ragged tone that clenches at my heart. “I just got you in my life, and I could have lost you. Just like that.”

“I’m right here. Safe and whole.”

“Yeah.” His fingers curl around my hip beneath the shirt. My heart lurches at the emotions blooming inside me.

“I need to brush my hair,” I tell him, changing the subject.

“I’ll do it for you. Food should be here soon. After that, you can either rest or make that phone call to your dad.”

“I better make that call before eating. I think after I eat, I might just pass out. It’s been a long day. Not including the explosion. I already had a stressful day dealing with jerks who don’t know the meaning of ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’.”

“Wanna elaborate?” Griz asks, cocking a brow.

Sighing, I shake my head. “Not really. It’s a typical day in the land of being a process server. Some days are better than others.”

“So, not only did you have to deal with prick assholes today, but you also have to deal with this shit,” Griz notes.

“Yep.” I nod as someone knocks at the door.

“Yeah,” Griz shouts.

The door opens marginally. “Cops are here to talk to Marley, and food’s here.”

“Thanks, Shiner, we’ll be right out,” Griz mutters and looks at me. “Guess while you talk to the cops, you can eat so it doesn’t get cold on you.”

“Great.”

The last thing I want to do is talk to cops right now. I made friends with some of them in passing, thanks to my job, but I wasn’t really looking forward to being questioned about why my car exploded or who could potentially be behind it.

Plus, I still needed to call my dad before it was too late to make the call.

Griz scoops me out of the bed, sets me on my feet, moves to the dresser, and grabs the leggings. “Not about to let you walk out there in only my tee,” he says and hands me the leggings to me. I didn’t want to put them on, but I also didn’t want to be in a room full of men with nothing more than a shirt and panties.

Gingerly, I pull them on while Griz pulls a hoodie for me out of his closet. He comes to me and helps me pull it on over the shirt. Lastly, Griz takes care of brushing my hair out for me and gives me a pair of thick socks. I didn’t want to put my heeled boots back on. They wouldn’t go well with what I was wearing.

Once I’m ready to go, Griz guides me out of the room, taking me back in the direction he carried me through earlier.

Inwardly sighing to myself, I push back the fear wanting to take hold of me. Now isn’t the time to breakdown. Not when I’m about to have to answer a million questions. None of which I want to answer. I don’t know who it was that tried to blow me up. Nor do I know who broke into my house. What I’m sure of, though, is they have to be connected. They have to be. Nothing else makes sense to me.

It’s strange, though, thinking on it now, whoever it was, they wanted me to get out. Weeks ago, I’d forgotten about it, but I’dfound a stupid note on my windshield outside the courthouse. The note said I needed to watch my back. I thought it was some bullshit someone trying to freak me out. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to do that. What if that was connected to this as well?

All three events have to be connected, but who in town would want to scare me off or even kill me? What if it were the person who stalked my mom?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

GRIZ

---