Page 112 of Protected from Malice
At first there’s nothing.
My heart leaps to my throat. What if she had a panic attack and hyperventilated? What if she’s unconscious in there? What if she passed out and hit her?—
The door flies open.
Eden stands in the doorway, trembling all over. Her eyes are red and puffy. Her face is wet with tears. She looks at me like she can’t believe I’m here.
“Rafe?”
Fuck. Her voice is so tiny. So scared.
“Eden, baby.” I open my arms as she crashes into me, wrapping them around her and pulling her into my embrace. She buries her face in my neck, sobbing. Between shuddering gasps, she says, “I saw him in… the lounge. I didn’t know at first… But I heard him… Then he looked at me… He knew. He knew it was me. He said… He said we needed… to talk. Before I got any crazy ideas.”
Ah, fuck.
I wish I’d just killed him.
“He’s gone. He’s gone,” I croon. Rather than tend to Eden in the hallway, I pull her back into the bathroom and shut the door behind us. “He’s gone,” I repeat over and over. “I promise he won’t hurt you again.”
It’s the worst kind of pain, holding her while she cries and knowing I can’t fix the thing that’s hurting her. Feeling her struggle not to fall apart, hearing her broken sobs, and wishing more than anything in the world that I’d just been there two years ago. That I’d been able to stop her from being hurt.
But finally, her sobs settle into shuddering hiccups and sniffles. Then she drags her face from my neck and looks up at me, looking more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen her. “How… how did you get here so soon?”
I kiss her heated forehead and brush a few damp curls away from it. “I didn’t leave, baby. I was right outside in the parking lot. I wanted to be here in case you needed me.”
Fresh tears spring to her eyes. Her chin wobbles. “You didn’t leave.”
“No.” My throat goes thick. “Never. Never again.”
Eden stares at me for a few seconds. Then she swipes at her damp cheeks and takes a deep breath. Her shoulders set. “What… what do we do next? Should we call the police? I don’t know his name. He said he went to college with the owner’s son, but?—”
“I’m handling it.” Framing her face with my hands, I thumb away her tears. “I got his license. A photo. We’ll find him. Trust me.”
Realization flashes in her eyes. “Rafe. I don’t want you to get into trouble. If anyone saw you here?—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I can handle myself. And if I’m the one to eliminate Wilson, I’ll make damn sure I never get caught.
But.
There’s a phone call I need to make first.
So I tuck Eden back against my chest. With one hand, I stroke her back in slow circles. With the other, I pull out my phone and dial Indy.
When he answers, he sounds almost cheerful. “Hey, Rafe. I was looking up some local hikes and thinking we could check out one this weekend. Tyler said he’d stay with Eden if you?—”
“Jones.” It’s his old nickname from the Army. One I never use anymore unless things are really serious.
He immediately sobers. “What’s wrong?”
I hug Eden closer to me. “We found Eden’s attacker. He was here. At her work.”
“What?”
“She’s okay,” I add quickly. “She saw him and immediately called me. I was out in the parking lot, so I got here right away.”
“Tell me you caught him.” Indy sounds more dangerous than I’ve ever heard him.
