9. Yun-Sun
“What do you mean he broke in again?”
I realized I shouldn’t be yelling at this officer who was only doing his job.
It wasn’t his fault that Randall showed up once more to the studio.
How the security system and cameras didn’t go off or alert us to someone being there made no sense.
Everything had been upgraded and codes changed to one that no one could figure out with a well-educated guess.
“Sir, I’m aware of the situation, and I understand why you’re frustrated, but the fact of the matter is that Randall Steele broke into the same building he tried to abduct Miss Thatcher from a month ago.
Only this time, when he couldn’t find anything to tell him where she was, it appears he took it out on the building.
I hate to ask you this, but it would be a great help if Miss Thatcher could come down here and tell us if he might have taken anything or if there is some meaning to what damage he did do,” the officer explained.
Rubbing my forehead, I growled out my frustration. The last thing I wanted to do of all days was to drag Bailey-Rose back into that moment. Her nightmares had finally started to lessen, and I feared if we brought her back, it would start all over again.
“How bad is the damage?” I asked.
“Most of it is in the downstairs level. Seemed like she might have been working on something, and whatever it was sure pissed him the hell off. He even left her a note,” he admitted.
Rage hummed in my veins that the bastard dared to speak to her after almost killing her.
He’d left her no choice but to push her body to the limit in order for her monitor to go off.
If anything else had gone wrong or the ambulance was delayed, I wouldn’t have an Omega to curl up in my arms and whisper in her ear how much I loved her.
“Tell me,” I demanded. It came out as an Alpha bark, putting the power of my rank into those words.
There was a sharp intake of breath, telling me this man was a Beta. While they didn’t react to a barked command like an Omega would, it still had influence over them.
“Give her back to me,” the officer answered. “He used some kind of yellow paint he found in the studio and drew something that resembles a bumblebee below the words. Does that mean anything to you?”
“It was the nickname that sick bastard gave her,” I spat.
“Guess he wanted to make sure to leave a clue, just in case we didn’t know who he was talking about.
Take all the pictures you need of that message, then cover it up, or I’m not bringing her there.
She’s suffered enough trauma from this man, and I won’t let him steal one more ounce of happiness from her. Do we have a deal?”
“Yeah, I can work with that. Give me about twenty minutes, then it will be documented and destroyed,” he assured me.
“Good, we’ll see you in twenty minutes.” Hanging up, I took a moment to take a few deep, calming breaths like I’d heard Bailey-Rose’s therapist instruct her to do when things got too overwhelming.
Once my emotions were in check and I wouldn’t risk snapping at my girl, who was the last person who deserved it, I returned to the table.
The guys looked at me expectantly, but my attention was focused on the pastel beauty who was being smothered by two dogs.
If Waffles felt the need to add his help, she was not okay.
I turned to Warrick and with a gesture, asked him to move so I could sit next to her. He obliged and took my seat as I slid in, wrapping an arm around the most important person in my life.
“Omae,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“I know nothing I say right now will change the way you feel, so I will state facts that cannot be argued. You are safe in this diner and at this table with your pack. Waffles is not on alert or guarding the table, which means there is no immediate threat to you or us.”
Another thing we’d learned from her therapist was how to help her when she woke up from her nightmares.
The hardest part for the person experiencing them was knowing what was real and what was imagined.
So it was best to offer them facts they could see and acknowledge, helping their brain to realize they’d been dreaming.
“But that phone call was about him, wasn’t it,” Bailey-Rose stated.
“Yes, it was,” I admitted. While I wouldn’t let Randall’s actions harm my Omega if they could be avoided, I wasn’t going to outright lie to her face. If she found out about the message, then I’d own up to that too, but I was going to protect her for as long as I could.
Bailey-Rose looked up at me, her normally bright, joyful gaze had shadows behind them that weren’t there before. Those shadows weren’t always there, but moments like this, where she had to face that memory head-on, it dulled the sparkle. “What did he do?”
“He broke into the studio again,” I divulged. “I don’t know how he did it without us knowing, but he did.”
“Why? Why would he need to go back there?” she asked, her tone pleading for me to give her an answer that would have all this make sense.
Reaching up, I brushed my fingers along her jaw, wishing I had that answer. “I wish I knew, sweetheart. The cops asked for your help. They need you to tell them if he took anything, left something, or any possible thoughts you might have as to why he came back.”
“Do I have to?” she whispered.
Leaning down until our foreheads met and our noses brushed, I shook my head. “No, omae, you do not.”
“But I should,” she added as if she knew I’d held back from saying it. “The more they have to work with, the sooner they can catch him, right?”
“That is true, but you matter more,” I remind her. “If this will only hurt you, then fuck it… they can manage with what they’ve got on their own.”
Bailey-Rose fell silent for a moment, soaking in my touch and scent as she decided. “Okay, I’ll go.”
“Okay,” I murmured, kissing her as I cradled her face with my hand, trying to infuse all the love I had into the kiss.
Once more, this tiny, gentle soul who held my heart showed me what true strength and courage looked like.