Chapter 16 #2
Her home was shrouded by tall trees and a plethora of bushes, so I figured I was out of sight. I’d tried to stop by every day that week, if only for a few minutes, needing to be sure she was okay. I had to be certain there was no suspicious activity.
The Withered Man had a personal interest in Abby, whatever it may be, which meant he might come back. It meant that Abby’s life was in danger until he was captured. And if he did return, the odds were high that he would go through with what he had failed to accomplish the first time around.
The thought plagued me. My instincts were telling me, screaming at me, that this wasn’t over yet.
Abby may have taken a hammer to my heart, but my dedication to her safety was unbreakable. I would protect her until the case was closed. Until The Withered Man was dead or behind bars.
After that…
Well, I didn’t know.
I took a swig of my coffee, my eyes scanning her property for anything out of the ordinary. Her lawn had been tidied and de-weeded, her grass freshly cut, and her entryway was paved with mulch and green shrubs. Potted flowers hung from the top of her porch.
Abby’s living room light flickered off from behind the curtains, and I figured I should get back to the station to finish paperwork and call it a night.
But, before I started the engine back up, I saw her step outside onto the porch step.
Her white sundress billowed behind her as a breeze swept through, and she tucked her hair behind both ears.
She cradled a glass of wine in one hand while her cat trailed behind her, curling around her ankles.
God, she was beautiful.
She looked like a ghost, or an angel, or something from another world.
Something ethereal.
My heart swelled, and I knew I missed the hell out of her. I didn’t want to. It would be a lot easier if I could just cut her out of me and move on from this chapter of my life. But Abigail Stone had latched on, digging her way into my marrow. She was a part of me now.
Abby looked up, then.
Her eyes drifted across the yard to the other side of the street, and it was like she was staring right at me. She stepped forward, her dress floating behind her, stopping in place when my patrol car became visible through the trees.
Our gazes met.
Shit. Caught.
So much for staying inconspicuous.
I hopped out of my cruiser and made my way over to her.
There was no point in pretending. And honestly, dammit, I didn’t want to avoid her anymore.
I trudged across the expanse of her front lawn, to where she stood at the edge of a pebbled pathway.
Her eyes remained glued to me as I approached, and her grip tightened around the stem of her glass as she held it to her chest.
When I reached her, we didn’t speak right away. Words trickled from my mind, then fizzled out on my tongue. Nothing sounded right. And the way she was looking at me only added to my sudden bout of muteness. Pretty sure more was being said with our eyes than could ever be conveyed with words.
But we couldn’t stare at each other forever, so Abby lowered her gaze, twirling her wine glass between her fingers. “You’ve been watching over me?” she asked softly.
I was tempted to say something detached and impersonal.
Part of the job.
I probably should have, but we both knew it was more than that. “I worry about you.”
She glanced up at me, her eyes wide and curious, flickering with emotions I couldn’t pinpoint. I was consumed with wanting to kiss her again, so I broke away from her beauty, her scent, her magnetism, and crossed over to the front porch. A new swing now occupied it, one similar to Daphne’s.
Abby followed. “Did you want a glass of wine?” she offered.
I shook my head and took a seat. “I’m okay.”
She was hesitant at first, but then she sat down beside me, resting her glass on the tops of her knees. She kept her attention on the ground, her long hair blocking her profile. “Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?”
The question threw me.
I shifted on the swing, twisting to face her as I processed the question. “I don’t think I have,” I replied honestly.
I had weathered through storms. I had suffered. I had cried and shouted and looked up at the stars and screamed, “why?”
But, rock bottom?
No, I couldn’t pretend to know what that felt like.
Abby peeked at me through her veil of hair. “The only way I can describe how I feel is that I’ve hit rock bottom,” she explained. “Except…I still can’t stop falling.” Her tone was somber and earnest. “It’s an endless black hole.”
I studied her, my insides pinwheeling. My chest was heavy, like I was taking some of her weights and carrying them for her.
Hell, I wished I could.
I wanted to.
I was about to respond when Abby lifted her wine glass into the air.
Then, she let it go.
The glass shattered on the porch, breaking into tiny pieces. My breath caught as I leaned forward, staring down at the mess she’d deliberately made.
Abby bent over and picked up a small shard of glass, holding it between her fingers and letting her thumb trace the sharp edges.
“I lost my parents, my brother, and the only man I ever loved. My grandmother, who was my best friend, died and left me all alone. I was abducted, beaten, and starved.” She was still staring at the piece of glass, as if she were speaking right to it.
“But I persevered. I overcame it all. And yet, this…” The glass glinted under the stars.
“Something so small, but so mighty…it could do me in, be the end of me,” she whispered brokenly. “How easy it would be.”
Her words started to sink in, and my heart galloped. Sliding over on the swing, I pulled her into my arms and plucked the piece of glass from her hand, tossing it to the ground.
I squeezed her, kissed her head. Savored her warmth. “Abby…don’t ever talk like that. Don’t think like that.” I cradled her face between my hands, forcing her to look at me. “Hey, please. Promise me.”
She nodded, tears welling in her pretty blue eyes. “I fought so hard to live, Cooper. I begged for my life, I begged for him to spare me. I got another chance. I should be grateful, right?”
Tears slid down her cheeks, and I dusted them away with my thumbs. Bending forward, I pressed my lips to her forehead, wishing I could trail them down her jaw until I found her mouth. I wanted to kiss those vile words right off her tongue and make her forget she’d ever given them life.
But I couldn’t do that.
Abby was the strongest person I’d ever known, but right here, right now, I needed to be stronger.
She needed me to be stronger.
So, I just held her. I tugged her to my chest and let her cry, let her release, let her expel everything that was weighing her down.
Abigail Stone would stop falling, that I knew.
I was going to catch her.