Chapter 6 #2
“Okay,” she replied. “Right now, my arm is happily numb after having received a total of twenty-seven stitches.”
“Ouch.” He took her by her elbow and guided her toward the exit. The night air was cold, and he hurried her to his car where he immediately started the engine and turned on the heat.
“Once the numbness wears off, your arm is probably going to hurt like hell,” he said.
“I’ll just have to deal with it,” she replied.
“Did the doctor give you something for pain?” he asked.
“He offered, but I didn’t want anything. The pain will remind me to watch my surroundings.”
Once again, they fell silent as he headed back to her house. She was glad Seth didn’t try to small-talk with her. Her mind was too busy whirling with questions and suppositions to want any idle chitchat.
If what she believed was true, then there had been two attempts on her life…
attempts that had so far been unsuccessful.
What was next? Would the person break into her house in the middle of the night and murder her in her sleep?
Would the person accost her again as she walked to her car after work?
Or in the parking lot of the grocery store?
From now on she would be in a constant state of fear. Watching and waiting for the next attack to occur. And she was fairly sure another attack would come. She fought against a new shiver that threatened to walk up her spine.
When they reached her house, the police presence was gone. “I guess the investigation here is over,” she said as Seth pulled up and parked behind her rental car.
“Looks like it,” he agreed. “Let’s go inside and pack you a bag.”
She looked at him curiously, his handsome features lit by the illumination from the dashboard. “Pack a bag?”
He nodded, his eyes holding a determined look she’d never seen there before. “Suzanna, I have a spare bedroom, and I want you to come home with me until Chief Calloway finds this creep and gets him behind bars.”
“Oh, Seth, I… I can’t do that,” she replied. “The last thing I want to do is disrupt your and Sammy’s life.”
“You wouldn’t be a disruption. Suzanna, please consider it. You’d be completely safe with me,” he replied in a pleading tone.
Safe. She realized she would be safe with him. He would protect her from the person who wanted to harm her…to kill her. She wouldn’t have to be so deathly afraid every minute of every day if she was with Seth.
“Okay,” she finally relented. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll pack a bag.”
Seth’s eyes shone with a warmth that bathed over her and stirred her in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
Oh, there was such sweet temptation there, and it would probably only grow with them sharing the same space.
But she’d rather fight that temptation than fight for her life with an attacker who wanted her dead.
Seth was intensely grateful that she had agreed to come home with him.
He sank down on her sofa while she went into her bedroom to pack.
The last thing he’d wanted to do was leave her here in her house all alone and vulnerable to another attack.
She’d gotten incredibly lucky tonight, but she might not be so lucky the next time.
She’d be safe with him. He’d see to it that she was well protected until the perpetrator was identified and put behind bars.
Hopefully it wouldn’t take long for that to happen, but no matter how long it took, she would be welcome to stay with him.
He refused to allow her to face this kind of danger all alone.
Who in the hell was after her? Who would want to kill her?
Was it really a jealous coworker who wanted more from her and was now angry that she was spending so much of her time with Seth?
It sounded like something out of a made-for-television movie.
And if it wasn’t one of those men, then who?
Seth’s head whirled with questions…questions that right now had no answers.
It took her about fifteen minutes to return to the living room with a suitcase and a dress bag filled with hanging clothes.
He got up from the sofa and grabbed the items from her. “Seth, I’ll never be able to thank you for your kindness,” she said softly.
As she gazed up at him, there was a haunting darkness in her lovely eyes. He wanted to immediately drop everything to the floor and take her into his arms. He wanted to hold her and kiss her until the residual fear finally left her eyes.
Of course he didn’t do that. “Suzanna, you don’t have to thank me,” he replied. “It’s my pleasure to help you. Besides, you helped Sammy when he needed it, so consider this repayment for all those tutoring sessions.”
They headed for her front door, which she locked behind them. The minute they stepped back outside into the dark of night, Seth’s gaze shot all around the area, looking for any signs of impending danger.
He didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were safely in his car and headed away from her place. They rode for a few minutes in silence. He shot surreptitious glances her way.
She appeared pale and small as she stared straight out of the front window.
He couldn’t imagine how afraid she must have been as she fought for her life against a knife-wielding assailant.
His stomach muscles clenched at the very thought.
If only he had been there. He’d have made sure that knife went nowhere near her.