Page 92 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
She agrees again.
“Well, then, you’re under arrest,” he tells Jay, trying and failing to keep the amusement from his voice as he cuffs him. “Again.”
“I need a doctor!” Jay exclaims dramatically, trying to wriggle out of Erik’s grasp.
“Hell yes he does,” Nic mutters beside me. “Thementalkind.”
Marissa is seething, steam practically coming from her ears, and there’s a perfect, deep scratch down her face.
“You’re under arrest too,” Erik says, cuffing her. “Good thing I brought a backup pair. I had a feeling …”
“You will regret this,” she hisses at Nic, who only stares at her blankly, arms crossed in front of her chest.
A new influx of blue lights round the corner to her driveway. This time it’s an ambulance, though. Damn, they’re quick! Must be a slow evening, apart from pet-prevented break-ins. Erik brings the handcuffed couple over to them, to let them have alook at their injuries, and I see the exhaustion on Nic, weighing her down like a physical weight.
“Hope it leaves a scar on her face,” she mumbles, and I put my arm around her shoulders, watching her slowly relax.
“We’ll be gone in a bit,” Erik assures us and pulls out his notepad. “Can you come in tomorrow to give a report?”
“Do we have to if I’ve got camera footage?” Nic asks, pointing to a pet cam in the hallway, and Erik quickly scribbles down an email address.
“Please send it here. The more we have, the better, so I recommend you still come in. Let’s make this airtight.”
“I got it.” Nic lets out a deep sigh. “Thank you, Erik. And sorry for the trouble. See you tomorrow.”
He catches up with the EMTs, but I decide that this has been enough action for tonight. I walk Nic into the living room, handing her the gun after engaging the safety so she can lock it up again.
Then I return to the hallway, quickly cleaning up the shards of glass, Hoovering the spot for good measure, and inspecting the door. To my surprise, it still closes and even locks properly—apparently Jay knows a thing or two about picking a lock. I’ll have to make sure to get a deadbolt installed here.
When I return to the living room, I find Nic buried beneath a mountain of fur. Jensen is curled against her side, Pumpkin is on her chest, and even Cinnamon is perched nearby, a little shaken up. But her eyes are distant, fixated on something beyond the window, or maybe this realm.
“It’s over,” I whisper and drop to the couch beside her, pulling her into my arms and kissing the top of her head. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”
“I know,” she murmurs through sobs, her tears soaking my shirt. “Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for,” I reply, kissing the top of her head again and holding her tighter. Though this time, it’s for my sake. The adrenaline rushes out of me, making my hands tremble and a cold shiver run down my spine.
Fuck. I’d do anything for her.
Jensen jumps off the couch, nudging his nose against Nic’s knee and she wipes away her tears before sliding off the couch and to the ground to hug him.
“You’re my little hero,” she coos exhaustedly, completely unbothered by the traces of blood around his mouth.
“So now even Jensen gets a nickname, and I still don’t have one?” I tease her and get on the ground as well. Cinnamon joins us, rubbing her fur against my thigh, and I quickly scoop her up and hug her to my chest, where I she purrs happily.
Even through her tears, Nic shoots me a mischievous look.
“How about Gandalf? After this ‘You shall not pass’ stunt, that seems fitting. Or how about Rambo?” She tilts her head, probably thinking of even worse nicknames. “James Bond? I could shorten it to ‘Jamie.’”
I shake my head, but the giggle that escapes her lips?
It’s the sweetest damn sound I’ve heard all day.
Chapter 37
Nic
“To freedom. Again.” Lauren says solemnly and lifts her coffee to the middle of the table.
