Page 36 of Hers to Call
Her heart thudded and her ears rang. “How long?” She finally managed to whisper.
“They caught him three years ago for assaulting another woman, one of a string of women.”
Her heart thudded. Three years. She was still in Chicago struggling to get out of bed three years ago and he’d been in prison. “This whole time?”
“I assumed you knew since it happened while you were still in Chicago.” He closed the file on his desk.
“You looked into it?”
“I do background checks on all new residents.” He shrugged.
He didn’t look remorseful, and she couldn’t really blame him. Though there was finally peace between shifters and humans, there was still tensions between the two groups.
“So, it definitely wasn’t him yesterday.” She ran a shaking hand through her hair.
He lowered his brows. “What would make you think that?”
She told him what she’d told Selena.
He leaned forward on his desk. “You didn’t tell me this yesterday. I did wonder why you were going in the other direction. Morton’s is the brunch spot in these parts. What time was the call?”
“A little after nine, yesterday morning.”
“And you were supposed to meet Charmain and Meghan?”
She nodded.
He hummed. “Anything else?”
She shook her head.
“Okay, let me know if you think of anything else, or something else happens that makes you uncomfortable.”
“I will.” She stood and he stood up to come around the desk. She waved him away. “I got it.”
She left the station with Selena, pulling out her phone to call Simon. Though he’d talked about her coming out to his ranch, she didn’t want to assume. She’d ask him about staying and then get Selena to drop her off. Her stomach fluttered, settling as she spotted Simon standing outside of the station. He was propped against his truck, arms over his chest and legs crossed.
“Oh yeah, I already called Simon,” Selena informed her. Her best friend walked ahead of her and went to her car. She took Calita’s suitcase out of her trunk and opened Simon’s cab door, depositing her things. Selena waved as she bypassed the car they’d drove over and headed to the diner.
Simon watched Calita, his head tilted as his gaze assessed her. He opened his arms after a moment and she shuffled into them. She sighed, she needed pain pills, but seeing him outside was a balm to her soul. She needed to tell him about David and all the other things that were making her uncomfortable, but for now, she enjoyed the heat of his body.
Simon lifted her chin. “Home or with me?”
“With you,” she whispered.
He made a chuffing sound and kissed her hair. She hid her smile as he lifted her, cradling her into his body.
