Chapter 5 #2
Enzo makes a dismissive it’s nothing gesture. “No need to apologize. This isn’t the first late-night meeting I’ve had, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
As Enzo steps back, Alec leads me through the doorway. “Anyway,” Enzo continues, “We were still up. Winter conned me into watching some Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.” He chuckles. “Can you imagine that? It’s not even Halloween yet. And they’re playing Christmas movies.”
“Once it’s October, it’s fair game.” From the hallway to the right, Winter enters the large living room.
She’s holding a wooden tray loaded with an assortment of food.
She smiles at me as she adds, “I know it’s technically too early for Christmas movies.
But they’re better than the Halloween ones.
And Lark got me addicted to them. So I blame her, really. ”
Enzo waves at the two large couches set perpendicular to each other in the middle of the living room. “Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. Ronan should be here soon—since he was still up, he offered to come over. We can fill Knox and Gage in tomorrow.”
Alec guides me to the couch facing the fireplace; where low flames are still crackling. Once I’m seated, he settles down beside me, leaving an unfortunate several inches between us.
Wait.
Unfortunate?
What happened to ‘single is better’?
But before I can examine that thought further, Winter sets the tray on the coffee table with a flourish. “Snacks,” she proclaims. “I thought you might be hungry. So I made some sandwiches, plus we have chips, vegetables, cookies… Do you want something to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee?”
“Oh, I’m okay,” I start.
“Maybe something warm,” Alec interrupts. “For Hazel, I mean. For the shock.”
Winter nods. “That makes sense.” To me, she asks, “Tea or coffee? I might have some hot chocolate in the cabinet, if you don’t mind the powdered stuff.”
“I don’t want you to go to more trouble,” I tell her.
Alec touches my hand. “Have some tea, Hazel. It’ll help.” When I don’t respond right away, he tells Winter, “Tea, please. And I’m good.”
In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t appreciate someone making decisions for me.
But strangely enough, when Alec does it, I don’t mind.
While we wait for Winter to come back with my tea, I pick at half a sandwich and listen to Alec recapping the events of the evening—or at least, the parts he got from Officer Nelson once I passed over the phone to her.
There are details he’s missing, like the color of the masked man’s eyes and the stench of his body odor, but he has the gist of it.
For all my preparations, with the broomsticks in the windows and the deadbolts and the video doorbell, in the end, they did nothing. And if I hadn’t had that pepper spray, hadn’t thought to take it with me while I investigated the sound in the hallway, I might not be here now.
I might be in the hospital, injured after an attack. I might have been violated.
I might be dead.
A shiver grabs hold of my body.
Alec stops talking to Enzo and turns to look at me. His brows pull together and his forehead creases. “You need a blanket.” He hops up and crosses the room to pull a throw off the back of a rocking chair in the corner. Then he hurries back and tucks the soft fabric around me.
Just as he finishes, Winter comes back into the room and delivers a mug of steaming tea to me. “It’s chamomile, ginger, and honey,” she says. “It’s supposed to be soothing.”
“I’ll stoke the fire,” Enzo adds. “Get the room warmed up more.”
My throat thickens.
Tears threaten.
“Are you okay?” Alec asks quietly. He moves a few inches closer to me. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“I’m okay,” I whisper. “It's just… you guys are being so nice.”
“Hazel. We care about you. And we want to make sure you’re okay.”
My brain latches onto the we part of his statement. Does that mean they care about me equally? In a detached way, like you’d care about anyone you know who’s been through a trauma? Or does he care about me more?
Why am I so stuck on this?
But I’m saved from an answer I’d rather not admit by a quick series of knocks at the door. “Ronan,” Alec reassures me. “The only people who have the passcode for the gate are the five of us, plus Winter, Lark, and Rory.”
And less than a minute later, he’s proven right. Enzo greets Ronan at the door, giving him the same sort of chin lift he and Alec exchanged earlier. Then they both head over to the couches, with Ronan taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch as Enzo.
“Hey, Hazel,” he says. His gaze lingers on my nose and eyes for a second. His jaw tightens. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” I reply, feeling a bit like a parrot by now.
Winter gets up from her spot beside Enzo and kisses his cheek. “Okay. I’m heading to bed. I left more sandwiches in the fridge in case you want any.” She throws a teasing smile at Ronan. “I even made a couple of those horrible bologna sandwiches for you.”
Ronan grins at her. “They’re not horrible. They’re delicious.”
She makes a face. “Bologna with processed American cheese and mustard? Ick.”
“Hey, it’s a classic,” he protests. Then he gives Winter an affectionate smile. “Thanks, Winter. I really appreciate it.”
As Winter leaves the room, the relaxed atmosphere seems to go with her. In its place, tension thickens the air, and the three men sit up straighter.
“Well,” Enzo says. “I guess it’s time to get down to it.”
The few bites of sandwich I forced down turn into a heavy lump in my stomach.
Cold sweat prickles at the back of my neck.
My heart races.
Alec pats my hand. “It’s alright. This isn’t an inquisition. We’re just going to talk.”
“Exactly,” Enzo adds. “We can get into specifics later, once you’ve gotten some rest. For now, I think we want to focus on your safety moving forward.”
“Maybe it was just an unfortunate coincidence,” I offer weakly, though I don’t really believe it. My brakes failing was one thing, but now the intruder at my house? I’d like it to be a fluke, but the sick feeling in my stomach tells me otherwise.
Clearly, no one else in the room believes it either, judging from the skepticism on their faces.
Alec’s the first one to voice it, turning to me as he says gently, “I really don’t think it was a coincidence.
The timing of it…” His jaw works. “If someone were trying to hurt you by tampering with your brakes and failed, they might hurry to make another attempt.”
Ronan leans forward. “I have to agree with Alec. It’s suspicious.”
Enzo gives a grim nod. “I know it’s hard to come to terms with. That someone might actually want to hurt you. But given the evidence so far, we have to consider it.”
“I can’t think of anyone in town who would want to hurt me,” I reply. “I mean… I’m just a waitress. What would they be mad about? Their food arriving too late?”
“You’d be surprised by what can set people off,” Alec says. “Some perceived slight that was really nothing, a rejection…”
“But I don’t do anything. I work, go to the grocery store once a week, same with helping out at Rory’s shelter…”
“Maybe a date that went badly,” Ronan offers. “Or someone you turned down.”
Heat fills my cheeks. “I don’t date. It’s been ages since anyone even asked.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize how stupid they are. Can I really guarantee that a chance conversation around town couldn’t have given someone the wrong idea?
“I just… There hasn’t been anyone,” I insist. “If I could think of a time…” My voice wobbles. “But I can’t.”
“We can talk about that more later,” Enzo soothes. “Not when it’s almost midnight and I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Alec’s hand comes to my back, rubbing in slow circles. “Right now, we need to talk about where you’ll stay. And the investigation—”
“The investigation?” I ask. “You mean the police?”
“Not just that.” His hand stills. “I’d like to look into it myself. Along with the rest of the team, that is.”
“You mean like a client?”
Alec exchanges a quick look with Enzo before replying, “Yeah. Like a client. Except you’re not just a client. You’re a friend. A friend we want to help.”
“But the money—”
“We take on pro-bono clients,” Enzo interjects. “We wouldn’t expect you to pay.”
“We’d work alongside the police,” Alec explains. He starts rubbing my back again. “Without the bureaucratic red tape, a lot of times, we can access information they can’t. Plus, we have contacts around the country that can help.”
His eyes search mine. “I just want to make sure you’re safe. We all do. And I think this is the best way, by having GMG take on your case, too.”
Enzo clears his throat. “You can stay here, Hazel. We have cabins set aside for clients, and you’d be safe on the property.”
“You want me to stay here?” My voice pitches up.
Alec nods. “You already said you can’t go home. And I agree. For you to stay there, we’d need to revamp your security, plus have someone stationed there twenty-four-seven. It just makes more sense for you to stay here.”
“But…”
I’m not sure why I’m hesitating. Logically, it sounds like a good solution. Maybe it’s because my poor brain is too exhausted to function properly. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the last three years carving out a life for myself here in Bliss and I’m scared it’s all falling apart.
“It’s not so bad here.” Ronan offers me a kind smile. “The cabins are really nice. Knox built them, in fact. And there are trails through the woods, so you can walk around and still feel safe.”
“Hazel.” Alec draws my attention back to him.
“It’s your choice. If you don’t want to stay here, if you don’t want our help, we won’t push.
But think about the alternative. Staying at the Blissful Sleep Motel by yourself, or back at your house, waiting for the overworked police department to investigate your case… ”
My pulse quickens.
My chest goes tight.
He’s right. The alternative sounds terrible. And considering what they’re offering, there’s no reason to say no.
“What about work?” I ask weakly. “I need to go. My bills…”
“We can work that out,” Enzo says. “It’s not a problem. We’ll take turns going with you whenever you have to work.”
“My assistant has been asking for more responsibility,” Alec adds. “So I can go with you for most of your shifts and let him take over for a change.”
My pulse jumps. “You wouldn't mind?”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “I wouldn’t mind at all.” A beat, and then, “So. What do you think? About staying here and letting us help?”
Is there really a question of my answer?
I return his smile with a small one of my own. “I think… I say yes.”