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She relaxed in the chair. Heath had been wonderful, no doubt about it. But Dillon she knew the best out of all Seth’s brothers and was the most comfortable around. And right now, that counted for a lot.
The paramedics started to pack up. At some point, a gurney had been wheeled into the living room. Heath nodded at her phone and pointed to his chest. “Seth, I think Heath would like to talk to you, and the paramedics are taking Nitro with them, so I need to see if he’s okay.”
“Right. Call me when you get to Jinx’s place.”
“I will.”
“I won’t be happy until I’m holding you.” The phone did little to hide the gruffness in his voice.
Hers wasn’t much better. “I know. Me too. Speak to you in a bit.” She handed the phone to Heath and went over to Nitro who was now lying on the gurney. Behind her, she heard Heath’s voice as he reassured Seth she was okay. But her concentration was focused on the somewhat bedraggled figure in front of her. “Look at you.” She gestured to Nitro’s bloodstained gray T-shirt and bandaged head. “My hero.” She bent down and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, honey.”
“All in a day’s work, babe.” He gave her a crooked smile.
“You could have got seriously hurt.”
“The alternative was him attacking you. Besides, I had my trusty sidekick following behind.” He glanced at Ryan, who now wore a clean T-shirt over his jeans.
The doctor walked over and kissed Harper on the top of her head. She turned and hugged him. “Okay, my two heroes.” She glanced at both men. “Seriously, guys. Thank you.”
Ryan tightened his arms around her before taking a step back. “The paramedics need to get Nitro to the ER to check for a concussion. I’ll follow and bring his sorry ass home.” His expression turned serious, and his voice turned low, commanding. “I believe you’re calling Jinx?”
Wow, at some point Ryan had managed to turn all badass and she’d never noticed until now. Probably because she’d known him since he was in kindergarten.
She pointed to Heath speaking on her phone. “As soon as he’s finished, I’m calling.”
Ryan squeezed her shoulder. “Then we’ll get going. Phone me if you need anything.”
“Sure.” Harper gave Nitro’s arm a comforting squeeze. “Don’t forget you’re covered under the café’s health insurance.”
“That’s why I’m there. For the benefits.” Her head barista chuckled to himself as Ryan rolled his eyes.
“Idiot.” But one that she loved. And Ryan, too. They hadn’t hesitated to put themselves in harm’s way for her. Some families are chosen. She watched the paramedics guide Nitro, followed by Ryan, out of her apartment.
As Heath finished talking with Seth, Dillon rushed into the living room. His hair looked like he’d raked it with his hands multiple times, and his white T-shirt and jeans were rumpled. Likely dragged on in a hurry. “Harper.” He opened his arms and she walked into his hug. The comforting warmth conjured a fresh burn of tears, but again, she fought them back. “I’m so glad you’re safe, kiddo.” He kissed her forehead.
“Thanks, Dillon.” She stepped back and tried her best to give a reassuring smile. And failed judging by the way his brow creased. “I need to call Jinx and get dressed. Give me a few minutes, okay?”
“Of course.” He moved aside so she could pass.
Once in her room she rang Jinx, whose sleepy greeting soon gave way to threats of violence against the long-gone intruder. Jinx said she’d have a glass of wine ready for her bestie upon arrival.
By the time Harper dressed and gathered up Mal and his gear, the adrenaline rush that had kept her going over the last thirty minutes had waned. It took two attempts with her shaking hands to close the zipper of her overnight bag.
Mal had picked up on her fear, turning skittish and putting up a fight getting into his cat carrier. “Come on, baby. We’re having a sleepover at Aunty Jinx’s. It’ll be fun.” The kitty blinked through the plastic grid, his plaintive meow telling her he wasn’t convinced all was well.
Dillon insisted on doing a walkthrough of all the rooms, checking the locks on windows as she waited in the living room. Meanwhile, Heath finished with the two remaining officers.
The big detective told her that officially her case would be passed to another detective who was on his way and would contact her. Darn, she hadn’t even thought about Heath being stuck on desk duties or that from what Seth had shared he worked in Homicide. A crime team would dust for prints on the back entry door, but considering the guy had worn gloves, he wasn’t hopeful. He gave her a hug, reassuring her he’d lock up her apartment. He was waiting for Adam, who would, no doubt, inspect every inch of her apartment and the entry points of her building.
After thanking Heath again, she was grateful for Dillon’s steady arm around her shoulders as he led her and Mal to his SUV parked out front. Forty minutes later, and two glasses of wine down, she was curled up in the bed in Jinx’s spare room, Mal fast asleep at her side.
She envied the kitten’s peacefulness, wishing she could banish the troubled thoughts in her head. The memory of Nitro fighting off the prowler played in her imagination like a scene from a scary movie set on repeat.
At some point, exhaustion took over. Her last thought was of Seth and the comfort of knowing he’d be back later that morning tempered by the sobering truth that whomever invaded her privacy was still out there, watching.
* * *
Seth tossed the notepad on his desk and leaned back against the high-backed chair. Friday already. Thankfully, the weekend stretched out before him.
