Ronan
ronan
“ I ’ll have your badge!” Lydia shrieked, shoving from her chair. I glared at Bill, taking another step forward. I needed to go after Willow, to make sure she was alright, but I needed to finish this first.
“You’re going to regret this one day,” I seethed, my voice low. “And when you inevitably come crawling back, begging for your daughter’s attention—” Bill scoffed, the sound grating down my nerves.
It took everything I had not to ball my hand into a fist and let it fly through the air. My knuckles connecting with his face would be all too satisfying. But I felt everyone’s eyes on me—I knew they recognized me. I couldn’t hit him. I couldn’t raise my voice and yell at him the way he deserved.
I could do nothing but say this:
“You’re so fucking obsessed with control, you’d rather break your daughter’s heart than ever love her?—”
“I do love her,” he spat. “That’s why I don’t want to see her in this town. With you.” His face shifted to disgust, and I clenched my jaw. “She deserves someone better than you—someone who makes more money than a fucking sheriff in some small town. You’ll never give her everything she needs?—”
“I might not have a lot of money,” I said quietly. “But even if I had all the money in the world, it wouldn’t matter. Because all she wants is someone to love her. And I do.” He opened his mouth, but I continued. “I know that's hard for you to believe. But it’s true. It’s all she’s ever wanted— your love. You were the first man she loved, and you were the first man to break her heart.” I laughed bitterly. “I can’t even call you a man with a straight face, because a man doesn’t act the way you do. A man doesn’t treat his kid the way you do.” I looked at the table, and I knew my anger and hatred showed clearly on my face. “I hope you all get what you deserve.”
Lydia gasped, saying something in that drunken, slurred way that only she understood what she was truly saying. I tossed a wad of cash on the table before I stormed out, wanting to find Willow and take her home where I could comfort her after this shitty day.
I shoved the door open and stepped outside. The cool air immediately assaulted me, and I inhaled deeply. I looked around, not seeing the valet or Willow anywhere.
“Willow?” I called, waiting for her to pop out. But she didn’t. I took a step forward, looking around. It was dark, and the restaurant was out in the middle of nowhere, between Cedar Ridge and Blackrock Bay. “Willow? Sweetheart?”
There was a shuffling sound at the alley, and I hesitantly made my way there. But when I peered around the corner, all I saw were taillights at the other end. They disappeared as quickly as they came, and I looked around again.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Willow. I smiled as I answered. “Hey, where are you?” There was a muffled, shuffling sound, but she didn’t answer. “Baby?”
“Braydon, where are you taking me?”
Dread pooled in my stomach at the words. They were muffled and far away, but I’d heard them clearly enough.
“Willow?”
“Why are we going to Blackrock Bay?”
Blackrock Bay.
I yanked my keys from my pocket as I sprinted for the truck. I barely unlocked it before I yanked the door open, and sped out of the lot, my tires kicking up rocks. I fishtailed out onto the road, my hand trembling as I soared down the highway.
Fuck.
Braydon? Who the fuck was that?
I slammed my hand into the steering wheel. I couldn’t be that far behind them.
Where was this guy taking her? Was he alone? A million thoughts rushed through my mind as I pressed harder on the gas. Way in the distance I saw red brake lights, and I just knew it was them. I held my phone between my ear and shoulder, listening as Willow tried to make conversation.
I reached for the glovebox and pulled out my work phone. Toby’s number was on speed dial, and he answered on the first ring.
“Track Willow’s phone,” I said, blurting out the number. He didn’t ask any questions. My fingers drummed against the steering wheel as I listened to his typing. “Hurry the fuck up. Someone took her!”
“It looks like she’s headed for Blackrock Bay,” he said. “Want me to contact Blackrock Bay PD?”
“Yeah, and EMS. I don’t know what the fuck will happen.”
“On it.”
I heard him speaking into another phone, but he never hung up. It took me a moment to realize I couldn’t see the brake lights anymore. Where the hell had they gone? I peered down side streets as I passed them, but nothing.
Where was she?
My stomach churned with every passing second. I felt like I was moments away from being sick. I’d never felt this amount of fear in my entire life. With Trinity, it was helplessness. With the break-in, it was helplessness . But now…now it was pure terror.
“Toby!” I shouted. “Where is she?”
“I can’t see an exact location,” he said, his voice loud. “But she’s in Blackrock Bay. She’s only about fifteen minutes ahead of you.”
“Fifteen minutes is a long fucking time,” I snarled.
“Blackrock Bay PD is en route.”
“I always hated living on the bottom floor,” Willow said, her voice far away.
Bottom floor. That usually meant an apartment.
Okay.
Okay.
I took a deep breath. I had to keep a level head if I wanted to save her. My palms were sweaty, the phone nearly slipping from my hand as I gripped it tighter.
“EMS en route,” Toby said. “I’m on my way, too.”
“What? No?—”
“I’m on my way,” he repeated firmly.
I took a shaky breath. I couldn’t argue with him—I wouldn’t.
“I’ve been watching you for a while,” a man’s voice cut through the phone, and my heart leapt into my throat. “Only two months. But in that time, I feel like I’ve really gotten to know you. But then—then you chose that fucking sheriff guy over me , your soulmate.”
My stomach dropped.
This was my fault? I shook my head. No, it wasn’t my fault. It was this guy’s fault—he was unhinged. He wasn’t mentally stable.
Who the fuck was he?
Thoughts soared through my mind as I tried to figure it out. Then it hit me.
Braydon.
The dumbass kid from the bakery.From the diner.
I slammed my palm against the steering wheel. I should’ve kept a closer eye on him—I shouldn’t have let her walk outside?—
“We’re at Blue Haven Apartments in Blackrock Bay. Apartment 104,” Willow’s voice suddenly filled my ear, loud and clear.
“I’m coming, baby,” I said, my voice shaky. “Just hang—” Something crashed, then the line went dead. “Willow? Willow!”
I screamed until my throat was raw, until I couldn’t breathe.
Fuck. What happened? Where was she? Was she alright? Was he hurting her?
Blue Haven was close to the edge of town. I pressed my work phone to my ear, hearing Toby on the other end. “Blue Haven Apartments,” I told him. “Apartment 104.”
“Got it.”
“I don’t have ears on her anymore,” I rasped. “What if he’s?—”
“We’re gonna get your girl back, boss,” Toby said, his voice low and fierce. “She’s gonna be fine.”
“But what if?—”
“No what-if’s.” I took a breath, grounding myself. “She’ll be fine.”
I pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and froze. “I’m here,” I muttered, scanning the building numbers for Braydon’s.
There it is .
“Stay in the car until backup arrives,” Toby said, but I ignored him as I pulled my gun from the glovebox and slipped out, quietly shutting the door. “—” I hung up and slid my phone into my pocket.
Rocks crunched under my feet. Crickets chirped. The moon was the only light I had.
Slowly, I crept across the parking lot, the metal of my gun clinking together in my hand.
Then I heard her scream, and nothing else mattered.
Nothing mattered.
My life, my career, nothing.
Just her.
Willow.
My girl.
I sprinted forward, hearing Braydon shout something I couldn’t make out as I skidded to a stop in front of the door. If I lost her, I wouldn’t survive it. I wouldn’t .
My foot rose, and I slammed it into the center of the door, sending wood chips flying.
One moment, Willow was clutching her stomach, groaning and gasping for air. Then the next, Braydon reached down and yanked her to her feet. He pressed a gun into her side, and before I even realized what I’d done, my gun was aimed at him.
I didn’t take my eyes off his. “Drop it,” I said roughly. “Let her go.”
“I can’t,” he shouted. “I can’t!”
My finger twitched on the trigger. “You don’t want to hurt her, do you?” I said, taking a hesitant step forward. “You love her, don’t you?”
He blinked a few times, his brows crashing together. “But?—”
“She’s special, isn’t she? She’s sweet, and gorgeous,” I continued. “You want to be with her, right?”
“Ye—yeah,” he mumbled. Roughly, he shook his head, his blond hair swaying. “You’re her boyfriend. She lied to me. She lied—” Willow whimpered as he pressed the gun harder into her side.
“Hey, hey,” I said, taking another step forward. “She didn’t lie about anything. Look at me. Braydon, look at me.” He blinked a few times before focusing on me. “Drop the gun.”
My finger twitched again. One more move from him, and I’d shoot. I’d never fired my gun on duty before, but for her, I would. I didn’t have a choice.
“Come on, Braydon,” I said calmly. “Drop the gun. Don’t hurt her.”
His thumb slid over the gun, and the click was deafening as he cocked it.
Everything happened all at once—one moment, Willow was standing, and the next, she rammed her elbow into his side. A gunshot rang out, and I lurched forward as she fell to the ground.
I kicked Braydon’s gun away as blood seeped from his shoulder. He screamed as he clutched it. Smoke still poured from the tip of my pistol, my heart hammering in my chest.
“Blackrock Bay PD!” someone shouted from behind me.
I dropped my gun to the ground and kicked it away, lifting my hands. “Sheriff Caldwell, Cedar Ridge Sheriff’s Department,” I said, my voice low.
There was so much blood soaking into the carpet. It was all I could focus on—but then Willow made a sound, and everything else melted away as I turned toward her.
She pushed up onto her knees and peered up at me. I dropped in front of her, gathering her in my arms. Tears fell from my eyes as I held her trembling body against mine.
“Are you okay?” I rasped. “Willow, baby. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I pulled away, clasping her face between my hands. A deep red mark bloomed across her jaw, and her lip was split open, but otherwise she seemed alright.
“A little,” she breathed. “I’m fine, though.”
I glanced over my shoulder as an Blackrock Bay cop handcuffed and dragged Braydon out. He kept muttering to himself, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. EMS filed in after that, a group of three men and one woman. I blinked as Dean Barlowe kneeled beside us.
“Trinity isn’t going to like this,” Willow mumbled, her head falling forward to rest on my chest. “She doesn’t like you, Teenie Weenie.”
He reached for her, and she flinched away. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “Do you have to touch her?” I asked, but he just stared at me.
“To make sure she’s alright? Yeah. I do.” He shook my hand off and lowered his face closer to Willow. “Do you want to talk to me alone, Willow?”
My hold on her tightened. I didn’t want her to leave my sight, my arms, but if she wanted to talk to him alone—I took a deep breath. I had to let her.
“I want to stay with Ro,” she said, and Dean nodded.
“Can you tell me where he hurt you?”
She pointed at her face, her wrist, her ankle, then her stomach. “He kicked me,” she whispered.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
My fingers tapped together.
I wasn’t here .
I pushed those thoughts away. Now wasn’t the time. I’d spiral later, not now.
“We should go to the hospital,” Dean murmured. “Just to make sure you’re really alright.”
“I don’t need?—”
“We should go,” I agreed. “I won’t be able to rest unless a doctor thoroughly checks you out.”
Her smile seemed forced, but she nodded. “You’ll stay with me?”
“Every second,” I vowed, pressing my lips to her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
For a moment, I thought she was going to pull away, that I was moving too quickly. But then she melted into me, and my arms tightened around her.
Everything after that was a blur of statements, tears, and anger. Willow reluctantly went to the hospital, and after an hour of being poked and prodded, we left. Physically, she was fine. A little beaten up, but nothing serious.
But I could see the lingering fear in her eyes, the exhaustion weighing heavily on her as she stared out the window. Our fingers were laced together, and I knew I was squeezing too tight, but I couldn’t let go.
Even when we pulled up to our house— our house —I couldn’t let go of her. I couldn’t move. She stared at the house too, the same way she had after the break-in. My heart shattered at the emptiness in her gaze, at the way her lips trembled as she pressed them together.
He’d tormented her—us—for weeks. He was the one breaking into homes and stealing seemingly random objects, but they weren’t random to him. They were items for his future home with Willow.
Just the thought of how fucked up his logic was made me sick.
I thought when I caught the burglar, I’d feel a sense of satisfaction, of peace, but I didn’t. If anything, the only thing I felt was dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. Even if Toby promised that Braydon wouldn’t be let out for a long time, I knew there was no way of knowing that for sure. Not yet, anyway.
And if he was out on the streets again—I shook myself. I couldn’t let myself think about that right now.
My hand was still wrapped around the steering wheel, my knuckles white. I glanced at Willow again.
“Ready to go in?” I murmured, my voice somehow too loud. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t even move. “Baby?”
“He had a gun,” she whispered. My throat went dry at the words, and my hand tightened around hers. It was so small, so fragile, but it was the only thing tethering us together right now. “I thought I was going to die.”
“I would’ve never let that happen,” I said tightly.
Finally, she looked at me, and the expression on her face nearly undid me. Something thick was wedged in my throat, choking me, and my pulse pounded in my ears. I wanted to promise her that she was safe now, but I knew she wouldn’t believe it.
A part of me didn’t believe it, either.
What was I supposed to do? I wanted to hold her, pull her to me, but what if she didn’t want that? What if she wanted space?
But then she clicked her seatbelt off and slid toward me. Slowly. Hesitantly. That was all I needed—I moved to her, cupping her face gently, my thumb ghosting over the mark on her cheek.
“You’re home,” I said softly. “You’re safe. I’m here.”
She took a shuddering breath, her body trembling. Willow threw herself at me, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck. She didn’t sob, she didn’t wail. She did nothing but cling to me.
She fisted my shirt as I buried my face in her neck, inhaling deeply. “I’ve got you,” I murmured, and she moved impossibly closer.
“You always do,” she rasped. “Thank you for coming for me tonight. For saving me…again.”
I smiled, but it was sad. “I told you I’ll always come for you. I’ll always protect you.”
She pulled away to look at me. “You could’ve been hurt.”
I smoothed her hair from her face. “I’d happily give my life for you, Willow.”
Her eyes squeezed shut as she shook her head. “Don’t say that,” she whispered. “Don’t even think it.” Gently, she rested her forehead against mine, breathing deeply. “I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you. You’re—you’re my everything, Ro.”
My arms were tight around her. We clung to each other, our heartbeats falling into sync. Her body was warm, and— whole .
Safe.
She was finally safe.
“You feel like home,” she whispered.
Something inside me cracked wide open.
And then I kissed her. It was slow and deep, and I poured everything into it—every moment that had led us here, every promise I’d ever made.
She was my home.
She always had been.
And she always would be.