Page 37 of Therefore
“Is… Is he dead?” Trystan panted behind me.
I stared at the man on the ground. We’d never been close—work friends, at best—but I couldn’t find any scrap of compassion for him inside me. I wanted to watch him die for what he’d done.
“He’s still breathing. Won’t be getting up for a while, though.”
Trystan slumped against the wall, falling to the floor as he frantically tugged at the tape around his ankles. I quickly pulled it off him, and he launched himself into my arms. Vetiver consumed my senses as I held him close, tangling a hand in his hair and breathing him in like the first time all over again.
“You really came for me,” he said, shaking against me.
His relief, his fear, his love slammed against my heart through the bond, and all I could do was hold him through it.
“I’ve got you, love,” I promised, kissing his temple. “I swear, I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
Chapter Nineteen
Trystan
“Allright.Thatshoulddo it, Mr Wells.” Detective Rhodes smiled, putting away his phone and closing his notepad.
It had been a long night at the hospital, and an even longer morning as Rhodes took my statement on what happened. He’d offered to let me sleep some more first, but I wanted it over with. The sooner I could move on from this shit, the better.
“That’s it? I’m not like”—My eyes flicked to Emerson, then back to Rhodes—“in trouble for anything?”
The corner of Rhodes’s mouth quirked, and he tapped his chin with the notepad, choosing his words carefully. “While the recording provided by your friend certainly shows intent to steal evidence, you technically didn’t commit any actual crime we can see. Also, Emerson made a compelling argument that with everything you did to help bring in Fisher’s associate, as well as getting us enough evidence to arrest one of the city’s majorcrime lords, we can look the other way. Provided, of course, you remain on the correct side of the law in the future.”
Looks like I’m retiring early.
Emerson brought my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on my knuckles before saying, “Told you I’d sort everything out, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, yeah. You were right, I know,” I grumbled half-heartedly, squeezing his hand.
Since saving me in the cellar yesterday, Emerson had only left my side once, on the doctor’s orders, and even that had taken some convincing. Throughout the night, part of him had always been touching me, whether it was him holding my hand, stroking my hair, or feeling the rise and fall of my chest as I slept. I think he’d needed the reassurance that things were okay as much as I did.
“We shouldn’t need anything else from you, but I’ll call tomorrow just to check in.” Rhodes patted me on the shoulder gently before heading for the door.
“Oh, wait!” I called after him. “Have you heard anything from Pearl? How’s she doing?”
“She’s shaken and very dehydrated but doing well,” he said with a kind smile. “Francis and Norah have hardly left her side. I’ll check on her again before I leave and tell her you’re thinking of her.”
“Appreciate it. Let her know I’ll replace her house key as a thank you.”
Pretty sure she wasn’t interested in getting the key that the doctors had to remove from Harris’s eyeball.
The door clicked shut behind the detective, and I leaned back against the small mountain of pillows Emerson had found for me. It was comfortable, but not quite what I needed. Shuffling forwards on the bed, I tugged gently on Emerson’s hand.
“Can I help you?” he asked, trying and failing to hide a smile.
“Don’t make me say it.”
“Only because you were held at gunpoint less than twenty-four hours ago.” He climbed onto the bed behind me, legs on either side of my body, and wrapped his big arms around me.
Patchouli washed over me as he held me against his chest, his heartbeat thumping against my back soothingly. It amazed me to think that being in the arms of an alpha used to be my nightmare.
Right now, I couldn’t think of anything more perfect.
Still, a thought nagged in my head. “You really think they’ll be able to keep Roman behind bars?”
“I think he’ll do his damndest to get out, but I know a team of prosecutors who’ll make sure he stays put.” Emerson cupped my jaw, turning my head to face him over my shoulder. “He’s never getting near you again. Same for Harris, if he ever wakes up.”
