Chapter 16
Be the bigger person? First of all, asshole, I’m 5’5”.
—Text from Ellodie to Quaid
ELLODIE
The shrill blaring of a phone jolted me out of sleep so fast that I knew, without a doubt, I wouldn’t be going back to sleep. Not with my heart pounding a million miles a minute, and my ears ringing from the intensity of his ringtone.
“Shit,” Quaid said as he all but rolled over me to answer his phone. “Hello?”
I groaned when his weight settled on top of me, my eyes peeling open despite their desire to stay closed.
Jesus, would I ever get used to having a cop for a man?
What was it about people’s inability to do anything without first contacting him?
My hands trailed up the length of his naked sides, relishing the way he felt under my soft hands.
I felt shivers start to trace along his bare skin, and the very evident arousal that was now pressing against my skin.
“What happened?” he said, sitting up quickly, taking his weight from my body in such a way that it caused the breath to woosh out of me. “When? Where? Atlas is there?”
I felt my heart start to pound.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” he said into the phone. “Yes. Don’t leave without me.”
Leave?
Where would they be going?
He hung up and moved some more.
“Things have escalated,” Quaid said into the darkness as he climbed off the bed. “I have to go in. Do not, and I repeat, do not, leave this house without taking someone with you.”
I thought about that for all of two seconds before wincing, even though he couldn’t see me.
I wasn’t dumb.
I may be independent, but I didn’t want to lose my life if this psycho killer was out taking women in this city who looked exactly like me. Someone who had already shown an interest in me.
But…
“I have to work today, Quaid,” I admitted. “AndI have three classes that I have to go to tonight.”
They were mandatory in-person classes so that we could go over the final exams that were to take place later this month at the testing center downtown.
“Skip it,” he suggested.
“I’m not skipping it,” I disagreed, searching my brain for a solution. “I’ve spent the last few years building to this point. I will not flunk out because of some asshole serial killer. I will live my life, QuaidCarter. WillI take one of your brothers to help protect me? Yes. WillI be very vigilant, hyperaware of my surroundings, and follow every single thing to the T that one of your brothers tell me to do? Yes. ButI will not skip this.”
He growled in frustration. “I’m sure your teachers will understand.”
“They won’t,” I disagreed, feeling my stomach bottom out as he flipped on the light switch in the bedroom. “This is a fast-track program that has absolutely no leeway in it. IfI don’t make these classes, I get a zero. IfI get a zero, I get kicked out of the fast-track program and have to reapply for the regular one. I’m going. With or without your permission.”
Quaid headed to the bathroom, utterly frustrated.
I could tell because his movements were jerky as fuck as he shoved his feet into the legs of his pants.
“A woman got away,” he said into the darkness. “She was able to run. Made her way to Atlas who was pulled over performing a traffic stop on the side of the road. She climbed into his car, and the guy she’d gone hiking with wasn’t able to catch her.”
My heart started to beat fast inside my chest. “That’s good, right?”
“That’s good.” He paused. “But she’s hurt pretty bad. Not to mention it means he’s still out there hunting. Use your brain today, Ellodie. Overthink everything. AndI do mean everything. If it gives you even a second of hesitation, don’t do whatever it was you were going to do. Promise me.”
I promised, and he angrily flipped the bathroom light on and slammed the door.
I sat up and stretched my arms up high over my head, tapping his phone that was sitting on the bed beside me so I could see the time.
Three-forty-three in the morning.
Ugh.
I had at least another hour and a half to sleep, but I was wide awake now.
And, since I was wide awake, I might as well get up and make him a to-go cup of coffee.
I was in the kitchen wearing his t-shirt and nothing else when I felt him come up behind me.
His hand wrapped around my belly, and he pulled me into his hard chest before pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. “Be cautious today, please.”
I turned in his hold, looped my arm around his neck, and stared into his beautiful green eyes for a long moment before saying, “You, too, HotCop.”
He sighed, dropping his forehead down to mine. “Please, please, please be careful. This guy is going to be pissed as hell that someone got away. He might retaliate against you since you got away, too.”
I leaned up and kissed him. “I will.”
He deepened the kiss, and then pulled away, patting my ass gently to get me to let him go.
“I’ll see you tonight. Text me a lot, okay?” he asked as he slowly started to back away.
The words ‘I love you’ were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t voice them. Instead, I only gave him a nod, and then he was gone.
WhenI turned back, I saw his coffee still sitting on the counter, and cursed.
Grabbing the mug, I ran. I got to the front door to find it closed.
I pulled out my phone to send him a text, mostly because I’d promised him I would think before I acted. And running out into the dark wasn’t thinking before I acted.
Me:
I made you to-go coffee.
The message said ‘read’ underneath of it seconds later, but he didn’t reply, and I deflated.
I was just about to turn back toward the kitchen to put his coffee away when the alarm panel beeped, and the door was opened.
And there he was.
I held out the coffee, but instead of taking it, he caught my wrist and pulled me to him.
“Thank you for not coming outside,” he growled. “Thanks for the coffee.”
After one final kiss, he closed and locked the door again, and then the alarm panel beeped, letting me know he’d armed it.
I stared at the brand-new wood door for a long moment before I drew a deep breath and said, “I love you. Be safe today.”
Nothing replied but the barking of a random dog in the neighborhood.
Turned out, that dog wasn’t so random after all.
An hour later, Garrett arrived with his K-9 Officer, Boss, to take me to work.
“So, you drew the short straw this morning?” I asked as he walked inside while I was eating some of the snack cakes I’d received yesterday.
His eyes twinkled as he said, “I would hope that Quaid would do the same if our situations were reversed.” He paused. “But also, I’m headed to the doctor anyway. We’re in the same building.”
I nodded.
“What do you think about me going to work?” I asked.
“I can’t say that I like it, but let’s be honest, you can’t just stop living your life. I’ll be talking to a few of your fellow coworkers, though, explaining the situation. Hopefully with them keeping an eye out…”
I wouldn’t find myself with a serial killer taking me and hurting me.
The drive to work was uneventful, mostly.
The dog, Boss, panted right against the grate above my head, and I had to resist the urge to ask Garrett to pop open the little hole that led from the front to the back.
“What happens if you need him during a call?” I asked.
He tapped a red button on his chest.
“As long as I’m within cell range of my car, I can press this button, and his door opens,” he explained. “It’s very effective, and I haven’t had to deal with any issues yet.”
“Why shouldn’t I pet him?” I asked.
Or maybe whined.
The jury was still out.
He snorted before saying, “Boss doesn’t like new people. I’m sorry. It’s going to take him some time to get to know you. When that happens, then I won’t have a problem with you petting him as long as he’s not working.”
“Bummer,” I said as he parked in the police allocated spots right in the front of the building. “Damn, I wish we had close parking spots like this.”
“I saw a sign for a nurse anesthetist spot back there when we pulled in. That’s what you’re going for, right?” he asked.
I beamed at him. “That spot was why I chose to go this route.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
I winked at him as he rounded the car, let the dog out, then let me out.
Together we walked into the building, and both of us stopped upon seeing the officers there.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to my coworker, surprised to see the sea of black uniforms absolutely everywhere.
I mean, when we had issues with gangs and stuff at the ER, we got a response of police officers, but we certainly didn’t get this response.
Now that I was looking at it, I did see quite a few men who looked like FBI in the mix as well.
“The girl who got hurt by that serial killer is in the ER. They moved her to one of the psych rooms because it offers the most privacy,” my coworker murmured.
I nodded and went to the breakroom, Garrett hot on my heels.
WhenI had my stuff in my locker, I gestured at Garrett. “I think I might be okay for now.”
I mean, there were about fifty law enforcement officers outside.
“You’d be surprised,” he said. “Most drownings happen in pools full of people.”
With that comment, he left me to talk to a few of my coworkers, one of which was Dr. Brewn.
Dr. Brewn nodded at Garrett, then held out his hand for him to shake. Garrett did so, gave me a look that said ‘be careful’ then disappeared to talk to more people.
I waited for him to disappear before turning to Dr. Brewn, who was limping toward me looking a bit rough.
“Dr. Brewn.” I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. Shit, I was tired. “What did you do to yourself?”
He groaned as he took a seat beside me, wiggling the mouse in front of him to wake up the computer.
“Did it hiking,” he admitted.
I blinked in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah, in Beaver’sBend.” He sighed. “I spent the week fishing for trout. ThenI went on a couple of hikes. But there was a lot of rain in the area, and I stupidly thought I could make it through this hike despite it being slippery. But hey, look at my fish!”
I looked at the picture he’d pulled up on his phone.
He was with some sort of guide service that ran through the area of Beaver’sBend. He helped his brother, who lived there, when needed, or when he could get away.
Heck, I’d actually been to Dr. Brewn’s house there. It was right on the river, and there were no houses anywhere around it. A bunch of the nurses from the ER had gone up there on a retreat last summer, and we’d adored it.
“What did you do to your knee?” I wondered.
“Twisted it coming down a bit unbalanced. I think I might’ve torn the ACL,” he admitted as he stood and limped toward the chart in the carousel. “Who do you have today?”
I glanced up and looked at the rooms that I had, blinking when I saw that I had the serial killer’s victim.
“Looks like I’m working with Dr. Bower.” I sighed.
Dr. Bower was nice and all, but he was very abrupt and to the point. Sometimes it was nice to have a meaningful conversation rather than being railroaded into his way of thinking.
“Have fun with that. I’m in minor injuries,” he said as he disappeared around the corner and to the nurses’ station that was set off to the side for the nurses and doctor working that specific area.
There was a lot more traffic there, seeing as there were patients coming in for lacerations, broken bones, and things that weren’t considered serious.
It didn’t make sense for them to be traipsing back and forth across the bottom floor to head back to this particular area, so a nurse had petitioned the ER director for a better area over there and got it.
It was nice and, I agreed, much needed.
Gathering my charts, I quickly familiarized myself with the patients, then went to work.
I saved the serial killer’s victim for last, since she was technically about to head up to the first floor to stay overnight.
I imagined the only reason she was still down here was due to the questions the cops were asking.
I was right.
WhenI got into the room to check on her, her IV bag was empty, she looked tired as hell, and both of her eyes were almost swollen shut.
The rest of her didn’t look much better.
She had lacerations, contusions, and what looked like a broken right arm.
The bottom of her feet were hurt, and she was clutching onto Atlas’s hand so hard his fingers looked bloodless.
The man questioning her was at the foot of her bed, writing in a notebook.
ButI’d seen enough almost the second I walked in.
And ignoring Quaid, who was posted up in the corner of the room, I said, “Everyone out. Now.”
All of them turned to me.
I felt Quaid’s eyes on me and nearly shivered.
“Sorry, but we have more questions.” The man turned, and I recognized his voice as Tobin’s.
“I realize that,” I said. “But she’s just gone through a very traumatic experience. She needs rest right now. She’ll answer your questions later, after she’s accomplished that.”
Tobin grumbled, looking like he was about to put up a protest, but there was my man—and he was my man, wasn’t he?—stepping in the way.
“Let’s head out,” Quaid urged his friend. “We can give them an hour or so.”
Tobin crossed his arms over his chest, and then nodded once in grudging respect.
“There’s a conference room just to the left once you leave out of the ER doors,” I suggested. “Feel free to hole up there. Once she’s recovered a bit, she might want to talk to you again.”