Chapter 18 #2
“You weren't a coward. You were right to be angry. I kept secrets and I tried to make decisions without you.” Her voice broke completely. “And then someone tried to break in, and I tried to call you and you didn't answer and I was so scared.”
The guilt that tore through me was sharp, devastating.
“I silenced my phone.” The admission felt like confessing a mortal sin. “I was being stubborn and hurt, and I silenced my phone so I wouldn't be tempted to call you. Harper, I'm so sorry. If something had happened to you because I was too proud to answer—”
“I'm okay.” She pulled back enough to look at my face, her hands coming up to cup my cheeks. Her fingers were cold and trembling. “I'm okay. Chester scared them off. The deputies got here fast. I'm okay.”
I searched her face, looking for lies, for hidden injuries, for any sign that she wasn't as okay as she claimed. I found nothing but exhaustion and lingering fear and relief that I was here.
“I love you,” I said, the words urgent, necessary. “Harper, I love you. I'm sorry for how I left things. I'm sorry for—”
“I love you too.” She kissed me then, desperate and clinging, and I kissed her back with everything I had, trying to convey through touch what words couldn't express. That I was sorry, that I was here, that I wasn't leaving again.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, I became aware of our audience. Davies and his deputies were trying very hard to look busy with their evidence collection. Anna and Jaxon stood just inside the door, Anna with tears on her cheeks and Jaxon with his arm around her.
“We should probably…” Harper gestured vaguely at the broken window, the mess, the deputies.
“Yeah.” But I didn't let go of her, couldn't make myself release her when she'd almost been taken from me. “Davies, what happened? What do we know?”
The sheriff moved closer, his notepad in hand.
“Someone approached the house around eleven-thirty. Tried the front door first, then moved to the porch, testing windows. Harper heard them and locked herself upstairs before calling 911. The perp broke the window here,” he gestured at the shattered pane, “but Chester went after them. We found blood on the porch and a trail leading away from the house. The dog definitely got a piece of them.”
I looked down at Chester, who was now sitting at our feet looking enormously pleased with himself. “Good boy. Best dog in the world.”
His tail wagged, leaving a smear of blood on my floor that I couldn't bring myself to care about.
“We're canvassing the area,” Davies continued. “Got deputies checking hospitals for anyone coming in with a dog bite. Running the blood for DNA. But Connor,” his expression turned grim. “This wasn't random. This was targeted. They had to know Harper was here alone.”
The words settled like ice in my stomach.
“The people who burned down her apartment,” I said, not a question.
“That's my working theory. Ms. Walsh, you mentioned before Connor got here that they showed up again the other day with an offer. Did anyone contact you today about it?”
Harper shook her head. “No. The deadline was today but no one contacted me. I thought maybe they'd decided to leave me alone.”
“Or they decided to escalate,” Davies said grimly. “Make it personal. Scare you into compliance.”
“It worked,” Harper whispered, and I felt her tremble against me. “I'm terrified.”
“You're staying at Anna and Jaxon's tonight,” I said in a tone that allowed no arguments. “All of us. Until we get that window fixed and figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Connor, your house—”
“Can wait.” I looked at Davies. “Can we secure the scene tonight? Board up that window?”
“Already called someone. Should be here within the hour.” Davies closed his notepad.
“We'll have a deputy stationed outside until dawn, just in case they come back.
But Connor, Ms. Walsh, you need to take this seriously.
These people are dangerous, well-resourced, and clearly willing to escalate.
They burned down an apartment building. Now they're attempting home invasions. Next time—”
“There won't be a next time,” I said, my voice hard. “Because Harper's not staying here until you catch whoever's doing this. She's not going to the boutique alone. She's not going anywhere without protection.”
“Connor…” Harper started to protest, and I could hear the defensiveness creeping into her voice, that stubborn independence that both frustrated and amazed me.
“No.” I turned to face her fully, my hands on her shoulders.
“Harper, I almost lost you tonight. I'm not giving them another chance.
You stay with people. You don't go anywhere alone.
And we're done trying to handle this ourselves.
We're done with secrets and making decisions alone.
We're a team, and teams protect each other. Understood?”
She stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the war playing out behind her eyes, the urge to argue versus exhaustion and fear. Finally, she nodded slowly. “Understood.”
“Good.” I pulled her back against my chest, needing her close, needing to feel her breathing and whole and safe. “Now let's get out of here. Let the deputies do their work. We'll deal with everything else tomorrow.”
Anna was already grabbing Harper's purse and her phone from the coffee table. Jaxon was talking to Davies in low tones, probably getting the full rundown of what they knew so far.
And I just held Harper, reminding myself that she was alive and whole and here. That we'd gotten a second chance I didn't deserve, but would be damned if I wasted it.
Starting now.