Page 9 of Shea's Hero

But the second I see Shea, that all flies out the window.

She’s sitting in a chair with Maya on one side of her and Jade on the other. Behind Jade stands a tall, dark-haired man with his hands on her shoulders. Maya is holding her hand—of course she is, she always liked Shea—while Jade is pushing an ice pack at her and saying, “You need to actually hold it to your cheek, Shea. Or it kind of defeats the purpose.”

“I will,” Shea replies softly. And hearing her voice after so many years… I don’t know why I somehow thought she’d sound different.Lookdifferent.

But she doesn’t. Shea has that same sweet voice with just a hint of a rasp to it. Her sexy, jazz-singer voice, I used to call it, back when we were in love and I thought we’d end up together.

Her dark hair is still long, almost halfway down her back, a shining curtain of chestnut and mahogany and walnut. She’s just as petite as I remember, slim and deceptively fragile-looking, hiding an inner strength she never gave herself credit for.

Then she looks up at me, an indecipherable expression moving across her face. Something flickers in her dark blue eyes. Dread at having to see me again? Residual fear from what just happened outside? Or… relief?

I close the distance between us, crouching down in front of her.

“Hey, Shea.”Sound normal. I’m a cop. This is my job. “Cole said you were hurt. The ambulance should be here any minute.” To back up my statement, sirens rise and fall in the distance.

“Oliver.” She lowers the ice pack. “I’m okay. I?—”

Fuck.

Her cheek is deep red. Swollen. Blood leaks sluggishly from a cut on her cheekbone.

She’s hurt.

Emotions long shoved down come exploding to the surface. My hand twitches towards Shea’s face before I jerk it back. In a rush, I ask, “What happened, Shea? Who hurt you? Where else are you injured? Did Cole look at you? Are you feeling dizzy? Light-headed?”

Maya touches my arm. “Yes, Cole looked at her. He said it just looks like a bruise. Nothing worse.”

“She needs to go to the hospital,” I reply. “Check for a concussion. Broken bones.”

“Oliver.” Shea says my name quietly, drawing my attention. “It’s just a bruise. Cole agrees. So does Jade. And she’s a physician assistant. So I think I’m okay.”

“I remember,” I reply tightly. Of course I remember Shea’s best friend’s job. “You should still get checked out, though. Last I checked, people don’t have X-ray vision. There could be a fracture. Or?—”

A slight smile curves her lips, and shit, I’m right back there, remembering all the times Shea would smile at me. Walking through DC looking at the cherry trees. Over dinner at our favorite restaurant in Georgetown, where she used to live. Snuggled together on the couch, watching one of those terrible horror movies she loved so much.

“I’m okay, Oll. Not dizzy or lightheaded. I can tell you what happened.” She lifts the ice pack to her cheek again. “But I don’t need an ambulance or the hospital. Jade and Niall are staying with me, so they can make sure I’m fine when we go home.”

“Staying where?”

Shea hesitates. “In White Plains. That’s where I live. Niall’s in Texas, working for the Blade and Arrow branch out there. And Jade… She’s married to Niall, now.”

“You’re in White Plains?” I know I should be focused on getting Shea’s statement, but my mind is stuck on what she just said. Shea living in White Plains? Last I knew, she was still in DC. How did I not know she lives less than ten miles from me?

“Yeah. Three and a half years now.”

Not long after we broke up.

Is that why she did it? Did she move here to be with another man? There’s no ring on her finger, but that doesn’t mean anything…

“Everything looks good.” Kane jogs over to us and gives Shea a kind smile. “Dispatch says the ambulance will be here in a minute.”

“It’s okay.” She lifts her chin. “I’m good to give my statement.”

“Okay.” Kane glances at me, his eyebrows raising in question. No doubt wondering why I haven’t started asking questions already. But he doesn’t know the history between me and Shea. Doesn’t know why my focus is all over the place.

“Right.” I drag a chair over and sit down in it, so I’m opposite Shea. Pulling out my notebook, I ask, “Alright. If you’re sureyou’re ready, can you tell me what happened?”

“I’m ready.” Those achingly familiar eyes hold my gaze. “Jade and I were out on the patio. Then I heard tires squealing. At first I didn’t think much of it. But then… I saw the van coming. And I just had this bad feeling.”

---