Page 64 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

“Are you arrestingWadeandVince?”Iasked the sergeant, panic starting to build in me at the thought of them being taken away.

“Not at this time, no,” he said. “Whileperhaps a bit aggressive, it appears he fought back, so the injuries he sustained fromWatsonandFletcherare from self-defense and protecting you.”

I sighed as relief washed through me.Thenit hit me how tiredIwas.Ididn’t realizeIhad closed my eyes untilIheardWade’svoice.

“Enough questions for now.Sheneeds to rest,” he said.

“It’s okay,IthinkIhave everythingIneed,”DetectiveCoopersaid. “Ifyou think of anything else, please give me a call.”Hehanded me his card and then walked out of the room.

I tried hard to keep my eyes open, but thenWadeleaned down, brushed a kiss on my forehead, and whispered, “Sleep, baby.I’llbe here when you wake up.”

I gave up resisting and closed my eyes, letting sleep pull me under.

* * *

WhenIwoke later, the only people still in my room wereWade,Vince,Ruthie, andJack.

“How did you find me?”IaskedWadeandVince. “Didyou followBeth?Iwas worried you wouldn’t be able to find me becauseIhadn’t taken my phone, but you found me.”

Neither of them said a word for a moment, and just asWadestarted to open his mouth,Ruthieinterrupted.

“It was actually me.I’msorry,Ellie.Ijust wanted to do my part to keep you safe.”

The confusion on my face must have been easy to read, because she exhaled and took a step forward.

“The boxing glove charmIgave you,” she explained nervously. “Ithas a tracker on it.Minedoes too.Archergave it to me when we moved here, just in case something happened.WhenIheard about your ex,Itold himIwanted to get you one too, so we did.”

She sighed then stepped closer to me. “I’msorryIdidn’t tell you.Icouldn’t think of the right way to say it, and thenIlet it go for so long thatIwas worried you would be upsetIdidn’t tell you, soIjust kept it to myself.”

I nodded, understanding what she was saying and so thankful that she had the foresight to do that.Ithen looked atWadeassuming he would say something, butRuthiespoke again.

“Don’t blameWade.Hedidn’t know,” she said, jumping to his defense. “OnlyArcherandIknew.AndArcherthoughtI’dtold you, and he figured if you wantedWadeto know, that you would tell him.Hedidn’t knowIhadn’t told you.I’mso sorry.”

She tilted her head down almost in defeat, andIfelt bad that she felt so guilty over something that ultimately saved my life.

“Ruthie,I’mnot mad,”Iemphasized. “Justbefore the guys arrived,Randallwas choking me and likely would have killed me.Ifyou hadn’t given me that, the guys may not have made it in time.I’mnot even a little mad.I’mthrilled you gave me that charm.Thankyou for saving my life.”

She burst into tears, and my brother suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her into him, whispering something in her ear as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

BeforeIcould ask anything else, a nurseIhadn’t seen before walked in.Thelook on her face showed she was clearly surprised to see so many people in the room, and she wasn’t having it.

“Okay, then, all of you.Ifyou aren’t family, out of the room, now,” she demanded and clapped her hands twice to get them going.

Vince gave me a quick nod and then left, butWade,Jack, and alsoRuthie, who was currently attached to my brother’s side, stayed put.

“Who are all of you?” the nurse asked, clearly making a stand about the family only rule.

“I’m her fiancé,”Wadeanswered, and my mouth turned into a small smile at his little white lie.

The nurse turned to my brother andRuthieand lifted her eyebrow, clearly wanting to know who they were.

“I’m her brother, and this ismy fiancé,”Jacksaid with a little snark emphasizing on the last two words, making it clear to us that ifWadecould lie about a fiancé, so could he.

“Okay, then, you three.Overthere on the side whileIcheck her, and then you can have your time with her,” the nurse said, pointing to the other side of the room, and then she came to me to check all my vitals. “Howare you feeling, dear?”Hervoice had instantly softened from the snippy one she’d given everyone else in the room.

“A little sleepy but good,”Itold her.

“Pain management okay?” she asked, andInodded in return.

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