Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Sunnie started to walk to the police car, but her pained limp was too much for Landon to watch. He bent down and picked her up, despite her protests, carrying her to his cruiser and setting her down gently to lean against the vehicle as two police cars roared into view.
“Stay here. I’ll see if I can…do some sort of damage control.”’
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, babe.”
Landon filled the other officers in on what had happened as Sunnie waited by his car with the reporter. He’d completely forgotten about the other guy until Landon had carried her back to the vehicle and seen him watching them. So much for no witnesses. At least this one wasn’t a Collins.
The four other officers planned to search the area for the mugger, though Landon didn’t hold out much hope that they’d find anything. The guy was long gone.
He was halfway to the pub, after dropping the reporter off at the precinct parking lot to grab his own car, when Aaron’s voice came over dispatch.
“Where’s my daughter, Officer Riggs?”
“Dammit,” Sunnie muttered from the passenger’s seat.
Landon picked up the handheld, speaking into it. “She’s with me, Lieutenant.”
“And where are you?”
Landon glanced over at Sunnie. “Taking her home.”
There was a moment of silence over the radio. Then Landon’s cell phone rang, Aaron’s name appearing on the screen.
Sunnie rolled her eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Landon said as he answered it.
“I want to see my daughter.”
“I know, sir. But she wanted to go home. I promise you she’s fi?—”
“She needs to file a police report, Landon.”
“I know that, sir, but she wanted?—”
“Dammit, Landon! Stop with that ‘sir’ shit. There are protocols that need to be followed, and I want to see my daughter. Want to know that she’s okay. Then I want to shake some ever-loving sense into her. What the hell happened?!”
“A guy tried to steal her purse.”
“And?”
Landon wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Sunnie was going to have a bruise on her cheek tomorrow and she was limping. It was going to be obvious she put up a fight, which would send Aaron into orbit. “And, um?—”
“Give me the phone,” Sunnie said, holding out her hand. Landon hesitated, then decided this was his chance to get out of the middle.
She took the cell phone. “Dad, listen?—”
There was a pause, and Landon could only assume Aaron was reading her the riot act.
“I’m fine. I will come down first thing in the morning to file the damn complaint. Even though that seems pointless. The guy didn’t get?—”
There was silence…a long silence.
Sunnie sighed. “Who told you I put up a fight?”
Uh-oh.
She gave him a look and mouthed the word reporter .
Then she sighed as she turned to look out the passenger window. “I know it was stup—” Aaron didn’t appear to be in the mood to listen to her excuses. “I know, but—” He kept cutting her off. “Yes, but?—”
Landon considered what he’d seen of the fight. The dude had been bigger than Sunnie, and he hadn’t been messing around. It was obvious he’d intended to keep going until he got the purse, and God only knew what he would have escalated to if she’d kept holding on to it.
Landon glanced over at the mark on her cheek. He couldn’t tell if it was the result of a punch or a slap. His chest seized at the thought, his grip on the steering wheel tightening until his knuckles went white.
“Please hold Mom and Bubbles back. They can yell at me tomorrow. I’m going home. Landon’s with me. I know everyone is worried…and, okay, pissed off, but please, Dad, call off the dogs tonight. I worked a ten-hour shift, broke up with Derek, got my ass chewed out by Landon and you. I will see you first thing in the morning and give you a chance to do it again in person. Promise.”
Her plea must have worked. “Thanks, Dad. I love you too. Here,” Sunnie said, handing the phone back to him. “Dad wants to talk to you again.”
“Aaron,” Landon said to let him know he had the phone back.
“Walk her into the pub and all the way upstairs to the apartment. Don’t leave there until you know she’s okay—and I don’t just mean physically. The reporter told me she took a hit and a hard shove to the ground. She might talk a good game, but I can tell she’s shaken up, and what could have happened is going to sink in soon. Finn was at the Orioles game. I finally got ahold of him and he’s on his way home. Yvonne and Padraig are downstairs at the pub. Stay with her until Finn gets there.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, son,” the emotion was thick in Aaron’s voice when he continued, “thank you for taking care of my little girl tonight.”
“I didn’t?—”
“Yes, you did. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Goodbye, Landon.”
The call disconnected just as they arrived at the pub. Landon parked the cruiser, then walked around the car and wrapped his arm around her waist, allowing her to lean on him as she walked slowly, careful not to put too much weight on her ankle.
“Sunnie. I wish you would let me?—”
Before he could repeat his request to take her to the hospital, she shook her head. “Elevation, Advil, and ice. It’ll be fine by morning.”
Landon could only assume Aaron had texted her family about what had happened, because Padraig and Yvonne were there to greet her with hugs. Along with more than a few, “What the hell were you thinking’s” from Paddy, while Yvonne whispered, “At least you saved the purse.”
Sunnie broke away after a few minutes, and he noticed she was starting to look tired. He helped her upstairs.
“Finn will be home soon.”
Sunnie nodded, her steps slowing as they reached the apartment. Whatever strength she’d had left had been expended on the phone call and the walk upstairs. She dropped down on the couch, her elbows on her knees, her face in her hands.
“Sunnie?”
“I’ve never been hit before. It hurt.” Then she gave him a regretful look. “I should have given him the purse. I was just so pissed off at Derek. I struck out without thinking, you know?”
He nodded, and then sat next to her, pulling her toward him until her face rested against his shoulder.
Neither of them spoke as they let the night play out in their minds. Landon couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that could have happened, his terror growing more and more until he thought he’d explode.
He gripped her tighter, afraid he might be hurting her, until she matched his strength, her arms a vise around his waist. He wasn’t sure how long they remained that way, just holding each other.
She fell so silent, he thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep.
Then he heard Finn’s footsteps on the stairs. Her brother was coming up fast, taking them two at a time.
Sunnie’s head lifted from his shoulder as Finn entered, kneeling in front of her.
“Jesus, Sun. Are you okay?”
She nodded as Finn brushed the back of his knuckles gently over the coming bruise, his eyes dark with anger.
“The fucker hit you?” Finn was the textbook description of an overprotective brother.
Landon recalled the night of their junior prom. A guy in their class had asked Sunnie to the dance. He wasn’t someone they hung around with, but he was a decent guy. Even so, Sunnie had only been a sophomore, and Finn had insisted she and her date go to dinner with him, Landon, their dates, and two other couples.
Landon and the other guys had stopped by to pick up Finn and Sunnie in the limo before going to get the other girls. Finn had come downstairs first, and he raised a threatening finger in their faces, saying, “I don’t want to hear one word about my sister.”
Landon had looked at one of the other boys, both of them confused—until Sunnie walked in. She’d worn a skintight, shimmery aqua dress that had hugged her newfound curves like it had been custom-made for her and reminded Landon of a mermaid—the sexiest mermaid in the history of the world. Her blonde hair, typically pulled back in a braid, had been loose and wavy over her bare shoulders. She wore makeup, her eyes accentuated by mascara and her lips shiny with pink gloss.
Landon hadn’t considered Sunnie a girl until that moment.
He and the other guys stared, their mouths hanging open.
Landon had started to say something, started to tell Sunnie she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, but Finn stepped in front of him, blocking his view.
“Not. One. Word.”
Finn’s big-brother growl had broken the spell and Landon had laughed, giving Sunnie, who’d been in her element, a wink.
Finn ran a hand through his hair, drawing attention to his hat head. He’d lost his Orioles cap somewhere in the mad dash home.
Sunnie took Finn’s hand and squeezed. “Please don’t freak out, Finn. I swear I’m okay. Honest.”
“What were you doing walking home alone? I thought Derek was picking you up. Where the hell was he? Didn’t the two of you have plans for tonight?” Finn asked, firing off question after question without giving her a chance to answer.
“He’s a dick. I’m over him.”
Finn shook his head and sighed. “You gotta stop dating douchebags, Sun.”
She laughed. “You know they don’t start out douchebags, right?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Fine,” she said, raising her hands. “Derek was a douchebag pretty much from the beginning. I just feel like the dating pool in Baltimore is getting smaller. It’s really tough to find?—”
“Don’t change the subject,” Finn grumbled. “Did you seriously fight to keep the purse?”
Sunnie huffed. “It was my new purse.”
Finn stood up, clearly intent on repeating the same thing Landon and Aaron had said.
She rose as well, the two of them practically standing nose to nose, as much as they could considering Finn was a good eight inches taller.
“I love that purse,” she insisted.
Landon knew exactly how this was going to end. Sunnie was getting tired of being lectured to, which was going to make her contrary. She was a master button-pusher. Given what she’d been through, and the fact she’d genuinely apologized to him, Landon figured they didn’t need to keep piling on.
Unfortunately, Finn was in annoyed-big-brother mode and getting ready to really dig in.
Finn moved closer. “I swear to God, Sun, I can’t bel?—”
“It is a great purse,” Landon said, stopping both of them in their tracks, as he stood and stepped between them.
Finn looked ready to kill him, but that was countered by Sunnie’s genuine laugh when Landon continued, “It’s a Louis Vuitton, man. Have a little respect.”
“Finally, someone who appreciates my efforts.” Sunnie stifled a yawn and Landon spotted the weariness in her eyes that said she’d had enough. “You can get in line behind Mom, Dad and Bubbles to give me shit tomorrow, Finn. I’m really tired tonight.”
Finn looked like he wanted to press on, but Landon shook his head subtly.
“Okay,” Finn begrudgingly agreed. “It can wait. You sure?—”
“I’m fine,” she repeated.
Landon was touched when she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for everything, Landon. I’m going to bed.”
Finn moved over to allow her to pass, his brows furrowing when he saw her limp.
Landon reached out to grab Finn’s arm, to keep him from asking her about it. His silent request gained him a scowl, but he and Finn were best friends, closer than brothers, so he followed Landon’s lead.
When she was gone, Finn turned to him for all the answers Sunnie wouldn’t provide.
“Where was Derek?” he asked.
“They broke up. It turned into a fight and the asshole kicked her out of the car.”
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Finn muttered.
“Get in line. I’m at the front of that one.”
“What’s wrong with her ankle?”
Landon shrugged. “Dude shoved her down, but she wouldn’t let me take her to the hospital. She says it’s just twisted and that it’ll be fine by morning. She played the ‘I’m a nurse’ card.”
“How much did you see? That guy who grabbed her…?”
Landon saw very little beyond the struggle. “I didn’t get a good look at him. It was dusk. I saw most of it through the dimness outside and the headlights of my cruiser. It happened pretty fast.”
At least, his part did. The guy saw the cop car and panicked, ran off. He didn’t know how long Sunnie had been struggling, and he’d missed seeing the guy hit her.
“You going back to the precinct?” Finn asked.
Landon shook his head. “No, I was at the end of my shift when…” He didn’t finish the sentence, exhaustion kicking in for him too. It had been a long night.
“You headed home?” Finn asked.
Landon nodded slowly, glancing down the hallway toward Sunnie’s room. He didn’t want to go home, wasn’t sure he could leave her alone yet. As long as he was close, he could protect her. Which was ridiculous. There was no threat.
“You wanna stay here?” Finn asked.
“Yeah. I do.”
Finn had an extra bed in his room that belonged to his cousin Fergus when he was home on leave, which was rarely. As a result, Landon always had a place to crash after a few beers in the pub with the Collins clan.
Finn turned on the television, searching for the Orioles game he’d just left. It had gone into extra innings. Then he grabbed them both a beer from the kitchen. “I need a distraction,” Finn said. “If I sit here and think about her wrestling for… Goddammit, the guy could have had a weapon, could have really hurt her!”
“Don’t think about it,” Landon said. He was obsessing over it enough for both of them.
He and Finn sat quietly, watching the game, sipping their beer. Landon was fairly certain neither of them was paying much attention to it, but he was glad for the chance to be near Sunnie.
The game ended, but they still didn’t move, just kept watching the wrap-up sportscast and then the nightly news. It was well after midnight when Finn stood up and announced he was going to bed. Yvonne had come in a few minutes earlier, chatting before heading back to her own room next to Sunnie’s.
Landon wondered if Sunnie had managed to fall asleep, or if, like him, she was struggling to shut her thoughts down.
“Come on, man,” Finn said. “You don’t need to guard the door.”
Landon stood up slowly. He’d debated all night about whether he should tell Finn about the kiss. In the end, he had decided not to. The kiss had been impulsive, ill-timed, and something Sunnie appeared to want to forget.
Landon should probably do the same. But he wasn’t going to. He couldn’t.
“Okay.”
Finn remained at the foot of the stairs that led to the landing outside his attic bedroom. “You saved her.”
Landon shook his head, but Finn wouldn’t let him shrug off what he’d done.
“You were there. You saved her. I’m never going to forget that, brother.”
His peace spoken, Finn climbed the stairs.
Landon was slower to follow.
He’d spent most of his childhood wishing he’d been born into this family, a brother, a cousin, a son.
Landon adored his mother, but without a father or siblings of his own, he’d reached out and grabbed hold of Finn and Aaron, Darcy…and Sunnie.
Tonight, Aaron had called him son. And Finn, brother.
Those words felt like a dream come true.
Until he considered Sunnie…and that kiss.