Chapter Thirty-Four
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
EMMETT
M oisture coated my chest.
Fuck . If that was blood, there was a lot of it.
What if I hurt her even more than she already was?
I was gathering the courage to check when she let out a soft moan. “We’re almost there, Millie,” I reassured her as much as myself before looking down. I startled as water dripped into my eyes—suddenly realizing I was drenched from head to toe. When did it start raining?
Keeping a steady pace, I tried to push my focus outward. To more than Millie. While it was nearly impossible, I managed by reminding myself that single mindedness could easily get us killed. Something obviously drove her into these woods in the middle of the night.
As I broke through the tree line, the bubble we were in burst.
The smell of rain on the cedar trees combined with the metallic scent of blood infiltrated my nostrils. The feel of Millie’s cold, limp body pressed against mine. The sight of my garage with the door left wide open. The sound of the rain against the pavement as I crossed the driveway quickly drowned out by the screech of approaching sirens.
I stalled in the threshold of the door. Far enough inside that we were no longer subjected to the elements but easily visible to those hurrying to help. Millie moaned again, and I looked down in time to see her eyes flutter.
“Wake up, honey,” I pleaded, my voice breaking.
A faint sound came from my pocket, reminding me the dispatcher was still on the line. Clearing my throat, I shouted, “I need you to call my sister, Greer Ranger.”
Assuming the muffled sound was a confirmation, I recited her number from memory as an ambulance came into view closely followed by two Ridge County Sheriff patrol cars.
“You’re going to be fine, Millie,” I whispered as a group of first responders ran toward us. “I’ve got you,” I promised, dropping my forehead to hers. Her breath fanning my face was a small comfort.
And as I pulled back, she faintly mumbled, “Emmett.”
Before I could reply, a pair of paramedics were there with a gurney urging me to lay Millie on it. One of them reached for her, and I growled, “Don’t touch her!”
The paramedic jerked his hand back, stunned by my reaction.
Rightfully so.
I was the one to call for help, after all. He even looked vaguely familiar, but in my emotionally heightened state, he was a threat. I knew I was being irrational, but I wouldn’t trust just anyone to take care of her.
When his partner stepped in front of me, though, I immediately relaxed. Lainey was Theo’s fiancée, and I knew Millie would be in good hands with her. She tilted her head and gave me the saddest of smiles.
“Sheriff,” Lainey chided halfheartedly while moving closer, “you need to lay her down so we can assess her.”
I shifted my gaze between the two newcomers without saying a word. My hesitation prompted Lainey to add, “We want to help her, Emmett. Let us.”
“Don’t hurt her,” I demanded, stepping to the gurney. Lainey’s partner scoffed, and I pinned him with a withering glare. His eyes quickly dropped, now looking to the ground.
At least the punk was smart enough to be nervous.
Focusing, I gently lowered Millie but remained close. My hand grasping hers as Lainey started the assessment—her partner periodically handing her supplies .
Millie weakly protested when Lainey pushed on her side and prodded at her shoulder.
Lainey spoke with compassion and worked efficiently despite Millie being mostly unconscious during the field exam. But when Lainey slipped her hand into Millie’s free one then asked her to squeeze, she did.
This time when Lainey smiled at me, it was genuine. My heart latched onto that sliver of hope. “That’s a good sign, Emmett,” Lainey explained, “but we need to get her to the hospital so they can do a full work-up.”
I nodded my head in acknowledgement as Theo stormed into the garage, stopping abruptly behind Lainey. We couldn’t discuss specifics in front of civilians, but I had to know what was going on. Holding tight to Millie’s hand, I met Theo’s worried expression with one of my own.
“Update?” I requested.
“Swept the perimeter—all clear,” Theo replied.
Silence descended over our small group—the release of the gurney’s brakes sounding through the small space and knocking me into the familiarity of expectations.
Everyone was waiting on me.
That was when I realized I couldn’t go with her. She needed me, but I had to stay. And I’d never hated my job more.
I would find answers for the questions she was bound to have. That much I could do.
“Get some deputies along with Wendy and her team over to Millie’s. Call in reinforcements if you have to, but I want eyes searching the wooded area between our properties as well,” I commanded.
“On it,” Theo affirmed before stepping away to make the calls.
Lainey was on one side while her partner came to stand in front of me on the other. Moving as one through the garage door and toward the ambulance, I kept a firm grip on Millie’s hand. As we neared the back end, Lainey and her partner looked to me before running ahead to handle the double doors .
The rain continued on much like the world around us. There were more vehicles than I could count lining my driveway now and lots of people moving about with purpose. Which was good considering I hadn’t quite found my footing since finding Millie.
Looking down, I was surprised to see her peering up at me. Relief like I’d never felt before crashed through me as she cleared her throat and tried to blink away the water in her eyes.
I repositioned myself, shielding her from as much of the drizzle as I could.
“Emmett, what happened?” she rasped.
“I don’t know, honey,” I begrudgingly admitted, “but I promise to find out.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. Reaching up, I cupped her face—using my thumbs to erase the droplets as they fell from her lashes. She leaned into my hand, closing her eyes again.
“Eyes on me.”
Her lids sprang open, and without thinking, I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers before pulling back to add, “Don’t you dare take those beautiful blues from me. Not now. Not yet.” Not ever .
I had so many questions. What happened? How was she feeling? But as I stared into her eyes, all I needed to know in that particular moment was—would she mind if I kissed her again?
Before I could say anything, the sound of squealing tires rang through the air. My sister sprinted into view seconds later. The black hair on the top of her head bounced as she hurried toward me, eyes wide with terror.
“What the fuck is going on, Emmett Ranger?” Greer demanded once she reached the end of the gurney.
“I think that’s what we all would like to know,” Theo stated matter-of-factly.
Shit . Was he standing there the entire time?
Surprisingly, I couldn’t find it in me to be embarrassed about what just happened between Millie and me. I still felt a lingering tingle from the shock that jolted through me when her lips met mine. Enough so, I found myself reaching up and brushing a thumb across my bottom lip impulsively.
“Emmett!” Greer repeated impatiently before shouldering me out of the way and taking Millie’s hand from mine. Which was exactly why I told Millie I didn’t want to share her with my sisters. If that made me a greedy bastard, so be it.
“I’m not sure,” I gritted out, “but I need you to go with Millie while I find out.”
Greer nodded. “Of course.”
Lainey hustled back over, immediately noticing Millie was drowsy but awake. Another genuine smile spread across her face as she introduced herself.
“Hi! I’m Lainey. Can you tell me your name?”
“M-Millie Rushing,” Millie replied shakily.
“Millie, are you in any pain?” Lainey questioned.
It took Millie a moment to answer, but when she did, her teeth chattered. “I’m so cold.” Lainey nodded in understanding then swiftly loaded Millie into the back of the ambulance. I watched as Greer climbed in next, grasping Millie’s hand once more while Lainey hooked her up to various monitors.
Theo clapped me on the shoulder, “Lainey’s going to take good care of her, Emmett.”
“I know,” I said, stepping to one of the ambulance’s doors as he grabbed the other. “I want a deputy stationed with them at all times, just in case,” I added as we moved to close them.
“You got it,” Theo answered as he latched his door then started toward a group of deputies huddled near the garage. Before I closed my door, I spied Millie resting once more. Snagging Greer’s attention, I motioned her closer.
“I’m sending a deputy with you two,” I assured her. “And I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can, but call me with any updates,” I insisted.
“I will,” Greer promised as she squeezed my hand then slid back to Millie’s side. Right where I wanted to be.
I paused for one last look then slammed the door with more force than was necessary. Rapping it twice, I watched as the ambulance’s brake lights faded into the night.
I moved through Millie’s house methodically, noting the markers my crime scene team already had in place.
My pants were still wet, but I didn’t waste time changing them before racing here. I barely stopped long enough to put a shirt on. Climbing the stairs two at a time, I went in search of our lead crime scene technician. Any remaining patience I had for the situation rode off with that ambulance.
I wanted answers, and I wanted them right fucking now.
Storming down the hallway, I came to an abrupt halt at the doorway to Millie’s room—the door torn off its hinges and in shambles on the floor.
The entire room had been ransacked, and I could tell the window was busted even with Wendy standing in front of it. It was so much worse than anything I could have imagined, and my fists clenched just picturing what happened in here.
“Wendy,” I called out. She turned and said something, but I didn’t hear it. Because when she moved, giving me a clear view of the window, I realized exactly what she had been photographing.
A sickening amount of blood.
My own blood roared in my ears, drowning out everyone as my mind raced, piecing everything together. No . She couldn’t have gone out the window. Yet as I closed the distance, I saw all the evidence pointed to that exact scenario.
Smeared across more than just the sill, the red had pooled on the floor and painted the outside of the house. As if all of that wasn’t enough, I spotted more in my periphery.
When I pivoted to assess it, my pounding heart froze.
In her room littered with destruction, on the bed sat a vibrant rose in pristine condition.