She nods her head, her teeth clattering from shock. “M-my phone is under th-th-the couch. S-Sheriff Williams knows h-how the app works.”
I brush my hand over her hair and wish I could stay with her, but once again, I have to force myself to walk away. “Her phone is under the couch. Can I move it?”
“Yes,” Sheriff Williams answers.
I lift the couch and set it aside, then crouch and pick up Kelcie’s phone. I hand the device to the sheriff.
“Thank God I installed the cameras for Kelcie,” he tells me as he goes into the app. “I only did it because I thought it would help her feel safe.”
He goes silent, and I walk closer to watch the security footage with him, praying to God that it shows my hand wasn’t near the gun.
When I see Kelcie fighting Colby, who’s almost twice her size, I begin to feel sick with disgust and anger.
Lick jumps over Kelcie and begins to maul Colby’s arm, and then it shows me punching the bastard. He moves his right arm, trying to point the gun at me, and Lick darts around, biting and yanking at his wrist. The barrel points at Colby’s face just as he pulls the trigger.
“Jesus. That’s one hell of a dog you have there,” Sheriff Williams mutters.
“Can I go wait with Kelcie?” I ask.
“Yes. Stick around, though. We need your statements, and the ambulance should be here already. Have them check Kelcie.”
I nod before jogging out of the house. I hear Lick growl as a paramedic examines Kelcie’s face.
“Is she okay?” I ask the first responder.
She glances at me. “Are you her partner?”
“Yes,” I answer while I indicate for Lick to relax.
“Kelcie will have some bruising, but she should be fine. I’ll give her an ice pack to help with the swelling. Keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four hours, though.”
“I will.” I place my hand on Kelcie’s knee, where she’s sitting sideways on the passenger seat of my truck. When the paramedic walks back to the ambulance, I duck my head to catch Kelcie’s eyes. “Sheriff Williams just wants our statements before we can leave.”
She blinks a few times before her face crumples, and she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck. I hold my woman, thankful none of us were seriously injured.
“Are you okay?” Kelcie asks as she pulls back to take hold of my hand so she can look at my knuckles. They’re busted, but I don’t give a shit. “Let Brooklyn look at your hand before she leaves.”
Assuming Brooklyn is the paramedic, I shake my head. “I’m not letting her touch me. I’ll take care of it myself.”
I hear Mrs. Adams screaming across the street, but I can’t make out any of the words. The front door opens, and I see Deputy Stone struggle to hold her back as Mrs. Adams cries, “You killed my son! You murderer! You killed my baby!”
Lick begins to bark, and I quickly silence her with a command while pulling Kelcie back against my chest. I press kisses to her hair and say, “We’ll leave soon.”
Deputy Stone finally gets Mrs. Adams back into the house and shuts the door. I watch as the paramedic jogs across the road, and I hope she’ll give the woman something to calm her.
Snow begins to fall around us, and I let go of Kelcie. “Move back into the truck. I don’t want you to get cold.”
She does as she’s told, and I pull my coat over her.
“God, this weather is miserable,” Sheriff Williams says as he comes out of the house to take our statements.
We spend the next ten minutes recounting everything we can remember, and when the sheriff seems satisfied for the time being, he says, “You can’t stay here today. Do you have anywhere else you can go?”
“My parents’ house,” Kelcie answers.
Surprise flickers over the sheriff’s face. “Okay. I’ll find you there if I have any more questions.”
I think to add, “We’re going to visit Jordan for Christmas. We’ll be gone three days at the most.”
