18. Sofia
CHAPTER 18
Sofia
By the time we reached the police station, my nerves were frayed. The walk there had been quiet, but not in a comforting way. Hudson had been on high alert, his sharp gaze darting to every passing car and shadow. It made me hyperaware of how exposed we were, and I hated the creeping sense of vulnerability crawling up my spine.
But at least he’d taken my hand. I didn’t know if it was the kind of hand-holding that followed a kiss as amazing as the one we’d shared last night or if it was simply his protective side wanting a point of contact, but truthfully, I didn’t care.
Hudson’s protectiveness was so different compared to the way Dane had always treated me. It was possessive, and not in a sexy way. Dane had always been reactive, his version of care laced with unpredictability. It was a constant push-and-pull that left me walking on eggshells, and even after such a short time with Hudson, I could feel the difference.
He was steady, deliberate. His hand in mine wasn’t a leash or a show of dominance—it was a quiet reassurance, a promise that he was here, and I wasn’t alone.
But that comfort clashed with the fear still bubbling inside me. What if whoever had trashed my room was following us right now? What if Dane’s mess had dragged me into something even more dangerous?
My eyes stung with tears I refused to shed, and I had to fight to keep my steps steady.
Hudson’s hand squeezed mine slightly, as if sensing my turmoil, and the warmth of that small gesture cut through the icy grip of my anxiety.
But warmth wasn’t the same as safety. I wanted to trust him—to trust that his hand in mine meant more than just protection, that it was something real. But trust wasn’t something that came easily anymore. Not after Dane, and definitely not after the events during my last Christmas in Snow Hill. Letting Hudson in felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to see whether the ground beneath me would crumble or hold.
“You with me?” he asked as we walked up the steps to the front door.
I nodded, unable to help the flush that crept up my neck. “I’m with you.”
Inside, the warm air of the station was a relief, but only for a second. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above, casting the station in a sterile, almost clinical light. I squinted against the cool tones. I was a warm light kind of girl, and the beginning of a headache reared its ugly head.
Tommy looked up from his paperwork as we approached his desk, his expression shifting the moment he saw us.
“Conference room,” he said, standing and motioning us to follow him We stepped into a room with a table and six chairs, and he closed the door behind us before resting his hands on his duty belt. “What happened?”
It was a good thing for me that Tommy was a cop. That way, my memories of police stations were generally good, considering it was my brother’s home away from home. Otherwise, I’d only have the memories of some of the darker times I’d been in a room like this, sitting across from an officer as they asked me about Dane’s latest mess.
I forced myself to focus on Hudson’s steady presence beside me. This wasn’t the same. I wasn’t alone this time. But even as I repeated that to myself, the walls started to close in, the weight of everything pressing down on me.
“We ran into Dane,” Hudson said, his tone clipped. “He says he didn’t do the break-in.”
Tommy’s brows shot up. “And you believe him?”
“No,” Hudson said immediately.
“Maybe,” I said, drawing both their eyes to me. “He didn’t seem like he was lying.”
Tommy crossed his arms. “Dane’s not exactly known for his honesty.”
“True,” I admitted. “But he said he was in his car all night. Near the old hardware store. Are there any cameras around there?”
“Yeah, that lot has two. We should be able to get a shot of him leaving his car around the time it happened.”
“Or, a shot of him entering his car and not leaving it?” I ventured.
Hudson nodded, his jaw tight. “Either way, let’s find out.”
Tommy disappeared to call the owner of the store, leaving me alone with Hudson in the conference room. I crossed my arms, trying to shake the unease settling in my chest. Hudson stayed close, his eyes scanning the bland room like he was cataloging every detail.
“Do you think he’s lying?” I asked softly.
“Yes. But if he isn’t, we’ve got a bigger problem.”
I crossed my arms, processing his words. “What kind of problem?”
Hudson’s jaw tightened. “If Dane’s not lying, it means someone else is targeting you. Someone we don’t know. Someone we can’t predict.”
I swallowed hard, my shoulders hunching under the weight of his words. “At least with Dane, I know what I’m dealing with.”
Hudson’s gaze flicked to mine. “You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this, Sofia.”
Something in his tone made my stomach flip, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the unshakable comfort of knowing he meant it. I opened my mouth to respond but closed it just as quickly, unsure of what to say. I dropped my gaze to the floor, the silence between us stretching thin.
Hudson shifted, taking my hand. The simple contact sent a jolt up my arm, and suddenly, the weight of everything—from Dane’s mess to the break-in—felt secondary to whatever brewed between us.
“I…” My cheeks warmed as I stared down at our joined hands. “About last night…”
Hudson straightened slightly. “What about it?”
I glanced up at him, caught in the way his hazel eyes softened just for me. “And this morning,” I added, my words rushing out now, as if getting them out faster might make them less terrifying. “I just… I don’t know what to think.”
Confusion washed over his handsome face, but there was also something teasing in his gaze. “What happened this morning?”
Closing my eyes, I let out a dry chuckle. “Nothing. But… something. It was something to me, the way you showed that you cared and how… intimate it all felt.”
His lips parted like he was going to respond, but then he stopped, his brows knitting together. Instead, he closed the space between us just enough to feel close without crowding me. “Sofia, if you regret the kiss?—”
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “No regrets. It’s just…” I let out a shaky breath, searching for the right words. “It’s a lot to take in. Everything is.”
He watched me for a long moment before reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His touch was light, tentative, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
My heart clenched at the gentleness in his touch. “What are we doing?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice low. “But I can’t seem to stop.”
Neither could I. So, before I could second-guess myself, I leaned in, and his lips met mine.
For a heartbeat, my body stiffened. I was the one who leaned in, asking him to kiss me without using my words. But after all of the times I’d let myself believe in someone only to end up shattered… It was instinct, pure and simple. A defense mechanism to keep myself from getting hurt again.
But Hudson didn’t pull me closer or push for more—he simply stayed, his hands cupping my face in a way that didn’t demand anything from me.
And that was what undid me.
The last thread of hesitation slipped away as his lips moved softly against mine. He wasn’t trying to claim me or overwhelm me—he was just… there. Offering me a safe place to land if I was willing to take it.
So I did.
I leaned into him, letting my hands slide up to his chest. The fear and doubt that had wrapped around me for so long began to loosen, unraveling with every heartbeat I spent in his arms. It wasn’t just the kiss itself—it was everything about the way he kissed me, with patience and purpose, like he was showing me I didn’t have to stand on that cliff’s edge alone.
It was nothing like the kiss we shared last night. This one was softer, slower, almost reverent. It showed me that our connection wasn’t just about the sparks—it was about the this peace that settled deep in my chest, a quiet kind of safety that reminded me of sinking into a good book.
That didn’t mean I hadn’t enjoyed our first kiss. It was hungry and heated, like he couldn’t get enough. It had been electric, pushing every thought or fear or doubt straight out of my mind, a kiss that demanded I be fully present, fully his, even if just for that moment.
But this softer, slower kiss wasn’t a replacement for that fire—it was a complement. A quieter side of him that burned just as hot, just as deep, showing me he wasn’t just here for the moments when sparks flew. He was here for the quiet ones, too—the ones where I could breathe even when the world around me fell apart.
His lips brushed against mine one last time, lingering before he pulled back. I opened my eyes to find him watching me with that calming intensity that made me weak in the knees.
“I didn’t mean to overwhelm you last night,” he murmured. “And I won’t push now. But I’m here, Sofia. Whatever you need. However you want to take this—fast, slow, or anything in between—I’m here.”
My heart twisted at how easily he could read me, caught somewhere between gratitude and something so much deeper. “I think,” I whispered, “I want all of it. With you.”
His lips twitched into a faint smile, the tension in his jaw easing as he cupped my cheek gently. “Good,” he said simply, his thumb brushing against my skin.
And when he kissed me again, it was somewhere in the middle of our first two—soft enough to feel cherished, hungry enough to remind me that, no matter what happened next, Hudson Green was exactly the kind of man I’d want to have by my side.
When we finally pulled back for the second time, I took a slight step back. “I really want this to mean something.”
“Me too.”
I couldn’t help but smile. And although it was probably bad to compare, it suddenly struck me that Dane’s kisses had never been so nuanced. They were always rushed, leaving me breathless but never quite full. The opposite, in fact.
And yet, when Hudson kissed me, he wasn’t trying to take from me—he was offering me a piece of himself. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I was glad that I’d reached out and taken it.
We heard footsteps on the other side of the door, stepping even farther apart just as Tommy walked in with his laptop in hand. “Got it. Let’s take a look.”
Hudson and I shared a look as Tommy sat at the table. Whatever conversation we were about to have would need to wait, and the silent promise in Hudson’s eyes that it would be continued later made butterflies take flight within me.
But then the room seemed to shrink as Tommy opened his laptop, his fingers moving across the keyboard with deliberate precision. My heart thudded in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears like a countdown.
What if Dane was lying? What if he wasn’t? The implications of either possibility made it hard to breathe. I wrapped my arms around myself, my nails digging into the sleeves of my sweatshirt as I braced for whatever we’d see.
“No matter what this shows,” Hudson said, cutting through the silence, “we’ll be one step closer to figuring this out.” His gaze was steady and sure as it met mine, and I nodded, even though I didn’t feel steady or sure at all.
Hudson and I sat on either side of Tommy so we could see the laptop’s screen, and I almost smiled when Tommy muttered something under his breath about buffering speeds. He was never one to be patient for anything.
“Here we go,” he said, and we all leaned in as the video feed came up, showing a grainy but clear enough view of the hardware store’s lot. Tommy fast-forwarded through the footage until he found what he was looking for.
“There,” he said, pausing the video.
The time stamp in the corner ticked forward, and just before six—while I was still in my room—Dane’s SUV appeared in the top corner of the screen. His headlights cut through the shadows as he pulled into a spot and then shut them off, close enough to the camera for us to clearly see that it was him.
My breath hitched as Dane’s dark figure shifted in the driver’s seat. I watched as he leaned back, fidgeted with something—his phone, based on the rectangle of white light. And then, judging by the way his thumb made continuous swipes that interrupted the glow from the screen, it appeared that he’d started lazily scrolling through social media or something.
Not a care in the world, as usual.
Tommy squinted at the video, muttering, “Come on. Move.”
Hudson leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped so tightly his knuckles turned white. I glanced at him, the hard set of his jaw making my stomach twist. Was he hoping for confirmation of Dane’s guilt, or was he just as conflicted as I was?
As Tommy sped the footage up, my gaze flicked between the screen and Hudson’s unreadable expression. It felt like hours passed before Tommy slowed the video again, showing Dane still in the SUV as the first hints of dawn broke across the lot. At some point during the fast-forwarding, he’d put away his phone and gone to sleep, and he didn’t stir until he got out and stretched after what was probably a really rough night of sleep.
“He didn’t leave,” Tommy said, his voice flat. “Not once.”
Relief should have washed over me, but it didn’t. Instead, there was only a tiny bit of relief, but it was blended with confusion—and maybe a touch of something darker. I’d spent so long assuming Dane was the worst thing that could happen to me, but now the idea of an unknown threat was so much scarier.
I leaned back in my chair, the weight of the revelation settling over me like a heavy blanket. “So… if it wasn’t him…”
“It means someone else is after you,” Hudson said quietly.
Tommy ran a hand over his head, then rested it on the back of his neck. “I don’t like this, but it’s all right here. Proof it wasn’t him.”
Hudson sat back and crossed his arms. “Or he’s playing us, and this whole thing is part of some larger game. Maybe he’s not alone in this.”
Tommy shot Hudson a withering look. “We’re not talking about a criminal mastermind here. He’s made his share of bad choices, sure, but not he’s not known for organizing elaborate schemes.”
“So, what? You’re saying we just trust that this wasn’t him?” Hudson countered.
“I’m saying that if we’re going to figure this out, we need to focus on facts, not theories. And right now, the fact is that Dane has a solid alibi. We have no proof about him working with someone else, just gossip about him arguing with some guy outside the grocery store.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” I cut in. “Dane’s the only one with a reason to mess with me. Who else would?—”
“Gossip or not, it could’ve easily been the guy in the grocery store parking lot,” Hudson interrupted. “Maybe Dane hired him.”
“That’s a stretch,” I said with a frown. “Dane’s broke. He doesn’t have a job. We literally just watched him sleep in his car all night. He probably didn’t even have dinner.”
Tommy shared a look with Hudson before turning back to me. “Sounds like a lot of sympathy ya got there.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe it is. Maybe I’ve gotten this all wrong. Dane sucks, obviously, but what would he pay someone with? Monopoly money?”
Hudson shrugged. “Maybe it wasn’t about money. Maybe it was a favor, or?—”
“Or maybe you’re trying too hard to make this fit,” I snapped, the frustration bubbling up before I could stop it. “Why are you so convinced Dane has to be involved? Just because he’s been a jerk to me—and in general—doesn’t mean he’s the only person in the world capable of doing something awful.”
Hudson’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he looked at me like he was trying to decide if I was being naive—or if I had a point. He took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “You’re not wrong. I guess I’ve just seen enough to know that sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one. And with Dane… it feels like the puzzle fits. But I’ll admit—” he paused, glancing at me—“there’s a chance I’m wrong. And maybe… Maybe I don’t want to be.”
“Because it makes it a bigger puzzle,” I guessed quietly.
He nodded, and Tommy pointed a silent finger-gun at him, clearly thinking along the same lines.
I smoothed my hands over my jeans, forcing myself to take it down a notch. “Like Tommy said, he’s not a criminal mastermind. It’s not like he’s a mob boss running some kind of empire where he can order someone else to trash my room, you know?”
“I’m not saying he is,” Hudson said in a low, patient voice.
I stared at him. We needed to agree to disagree, but it wasn’t like there was a bright side to any of this, so apparently, tension was all we’d get.
But then Tommy cleared his throat, breaking right through it. “Let’s focus on what we do know,” he said evenly. “Dane didn’t do it, but that doesn’t mean we should just let him off the hook. I don’t believe in coincidences. And until we figure out who might be involved, we keep Sofia safe.”
That last part was directed at Hudson, and his gaze stayed on me for a beat longer before he nodded at my brother. “Agreed.”
I let out a shaky breath. Someone was targeting me, and we were no closer to figuring out who. And worse? I couldn’t shake the feeling that whoever it was wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted.
Tommy looked over at me, his expression softening as he scanned my face. “You okay, Fi?”
I nodded, though my throat felt tight. “I guess. It’s just… a lot.”
His hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a quick, firm squeeze. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
The small gesture eased some of the fear and uncertainty that pressed on my chest, and for a moment, it reminded me of when we were kids—Tommy standing up for me on the playground or sneaking me his dessert when I’d had a bad day. Yes, he was an annoying little brother in a lot of ways, but we were the closest in age, and younger or not, he had always had my back.