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How did he get her to drop thempermanently?
On that thought, theelevator car had dinged and doors slid open. One step into thehallway he’d seen his neighbor on the floor beside Elodie’sunconscious form.
Fear wasn’t an emotion hedealt with often. Not in his line of work or his life in general.It hit so hard he grunted, the taste of it metallic in his mouth.Chance had dropped the bagels and run to her side, on his knees.“What happened?” he demanded.
He’d known Roger for tenyears. Ever since he’d moved in. The man was built like a prowrestler and worked as a bouncer. He was also a total teddy bear onthe inside unless someone was hurting women, animals, or kids. Thenhe turned scary.
Kind of like Elodie that way.
“Some asshole had a rag toher mouth. I think he knocked her out. He was trying to drag her tothe elevator. I yelled. He left her and ran for thestairs.”
A rage that he wasn’t evenaware he could possess shot through Chance like an inferno. Whatthe fuck?
Part of him wanted to huntdown the motherfucker and rip his head from his body. Again,something cupids didn’t ever think, let alone do. But Elodie moanedsoftly. She needed him.
Chance would have morequestions later, but for now, he framed Elodie’s face with hishands. “Elodie?” Nothing. “Ellie. Baby girl, please wakeup.”
A tiny flutter to her eyessent a spike of relief straight through his heart.
“That’s it, gorgeous,” heencouraged. “Eyes on me.”
She gave the tiniest, most precious frown.“Is it time to fuck some more?”
Beside him, Roger coughed.Chance shrugged, too focused on the woman lying in the hall outsidehis apartment to care what his neighbor thought about that. “No,Ellie. It’s time for you to wake up.”
The eye fluttering turnedto blinking until she finally managed to force her eyes all the wayopen, frowning at him, then at Roger. “Um? Hi?” she said to hisneighbor.
Roger grinned, though theexpression was more relieved than amused. “You’re all right now,”he said, softly, giving her leg an awkward pat. “The guy ranoff.”
“Guy?” Her frown turnedhazy and then she stiffened, jacking up to sitting so fast shebonked heads with Chance.
Rubbing at his temple, hesat back. “Do you remember anything?” he asked.
“Some of it. Someoneknocked at your door. I thought you forgot your keys…but it was…”Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth. Then she glanced atRoger and appeared to reconsider. “Do you mind if we go inside?”she asked Chance. “I’m feeling a bit woozy.”
Chance didn’t even ask. Hejust scooped her up, the same way he had last night for much morepleasurable reasons and walked them inside to the couch where helaid her down. Only to wince when Roger followed a second laterwith the bag of bagels he must’ve gathered off the floor and got aneyeful of Elodie’s clothes strewn across the otherwise immaculateroom.
That’s what he got forbeing a neat freak.
“You should call thepolice,” Roger said.
“Already handled, myfriend,” Chance assured him. Not that he would. Elodie wouldn’twant that. Gods and sirens didn’t involve humanauthorities.
“Right.” Roger depositedthe bagels on the kitchen island before quickly backingout.
The door was closed beforeeither he or Elodie could say anything. “Who was that?” she askedfinally.
Chance blew out a longbreath. “Give me a second here,” he said. “You scared the piss outof me, Elodie.” His heart was still pounding.
“I—”
“I’m going to havenightmares about you lying there unconscious like that for the nextdecade.”
Her eyes went wide. “I’m okay. Really.”
“Yeah.” Color was comingback into her cheeks. Thank the gods for that. She was also staringat him like she might bolt. All that talk of being scared for herwas probably against her no feelings rules. Chance cleared histhroat and answered her earlier question. “That was my neighbor,Roger. He scared away the guy who knocked you out.”
She stared back at him abeat. “I would think so. He’s built like a freighttrain.”
