Page 28 of Trouble Walked In

Sarge froze awkwardly and said, “Gonna head out now. Too much fucking hugging. Tell your girl I said welcome home.”

Chapter Sixteen

Moira had been locked in this room for over two days now. With the exception of the orderly who slipped food under the door, she hadn't seen anyone at all since her intake. Someone had physically checked her over, and aside from the bruises f

rom the taser and a slight concussion from when her head slammed into the floor of the bar, she'd been deemed physically healthy.

She had no doubt that her father was behind this. There would be no evaluation. This was her punishment for defying him. God only knew how long it would last. The worst part in all of this was that she missed Ronan rather desperately. The tangible connection to him that she felt in his presence was missing. It left her feeling hollow.

When Sarge had knocked him out at the bar to get him to stop fighting, she was pretty sure he'd been ready to shift. While she appreciated Ronan's need to protect her, that would have been suicide for him. If they would tase an unarmed woman, she had no doubt the cops would have gunned him down without a second thought. The thought left a pit in her stomach.

Those cops were a couple of assholes. She sincerely hoped she'd have an opportunity to file a complaint. Not only did they use unnecessary force, but the quiet one had copped a feel as he was putting her in the car. Her entire body had been aching, so they ended up carrying her out of the bar. She had been conscious during most of the mortifying scene, though.

Then again, what people she wasn't going to see again thought of her wasn't that important. Right now, she had to focus on getting someone to help her. She needed to talk to somebody. Anybody. She would keep on telling her story until someone believed her.

Christ. She had nothing but time to think in here. She regretted not telling Ronan that she loved him. If she ever saw him again, that would be the first thing she would tell him. Future be damned, she didn't care what she did as long as she could do it with him. Any future with him would do just fine.

She looked around the empty room. The least they could have done was leave her a book or something. All this emptiness and time to think might be the thing that really drove her insane.

A few minutes later, she was startled out of her reverie when a young woman came in with a clear plastic bag containing her clothes. Handing it over, she cheerily said, “You're being discharged. Go ahead and change out of the hospital gear. I'll be outside so you can have some privacy.”

“Wait. I'm going home? Just like that?” she asked, joy bubbling close to the surface.

“Just like that,” the woman confirmed, smiling. “We got an order to release you from the doctor on call. You're going home.”

“Thank you,” Moira said, already stripping out of the baggy hospital shirt as the nurse closed the door.

****

It took over an hour for her discharge paperwork to be completed. The processor had been nice enough to call a cab for her. It was amazing how nice people were when they realized that you weren't crazy.

A few minutes later, she waited in front of the building. She didn't want to be inside that place for any longer than necessary. The humid night air left her feeling sticky, but she didn't even care. She was free.

Moira still couldn't believe that they'd just released her. With no “evaluation” whatsoever. Her father wouldn't have just let her go. It didn't make any sense. Did Ronan threaten him?

When she heard the sound of wheels on the asphalt, she looked up. Instead of the cab that she expected to see, she saw Ronan's grey pickup. In that moment, the hollow feeling in her chest vanished. Grinning, she leapt off the bench and flew toward the truck. “Ronan!”

He hopped out, the door still hanging open, and closed the remaining distance between them. Ronan pulled her into his arms and rained kisses over her face, his lips eventually finding hers. After a long, hard kiss, he pulled back only enough to bury his face in her neck. It was muffled, but she could still hear his voice crack a little when he said, “Christ, baby. Are you okay? Fuck. I was going out of my mind!”

Her face was crushed up against his shoulder. She wasn't sure he would be able to understand her, but she answered anyway. “I'm okay. I'm fine. Ronan, I've never been so happy to see anybody in my life. I love you. God, I love you. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner.”

“Don't be sorry,” he said softly, pulling back to look at her. His eyes were suspiciously watery when he whispered, “I love you, too, baby. I was so scared for you. You're okay? You're not hurt?”

“I'm a little achy from when those asshats tased me, but otherwise, I'm fine. I just want some food, a shower, and a bed.”

His hand stroked over her hair. “That's doable. Let's get you home,” he said, giving her one final hug before he walked her toward the truck.

When he opened the passenger's side door, she smiled and said, “I didn't say anything about sleep. I just said a bed.”

He eyed her, a slow smile spreading across his face. “And what did you have in mind if not sleep?”

She slid into the seat and simply said, “I was thinking maybe you could claim me.”

His look of surprise was nearly comical. It took him a moment, but when he finally recovered, his smile almost blinded her. “You can't possibly know how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Moira.” His next words dimmed some of the pure joy that was coursing through her veins. “I think we should wait a little while, though.”

She cursed the tears that stung her eyes as she asked, “Why would you want to wait?”

“Hang on. Let me get in the truck and I'll explain.”

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