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A minute later, a tap sounds on the door.
“It’s me,” Sawyer calls out.
“Come in.” He pushes open the door and joins me on the bed. “Is everything okay?” I ask, raising my eyebrows in question.
“He’s awake but drifting in and out of consciousness. He’s not going anywhere. I’ve spoken to Logan. He’s almost here. He also knows we’ve got Poppy.”
“Logan is coming?” I ask in surprise.
“That’s what the earlier phone call was about. He was calling to say he was on his way. He heard you scream, and I managed to tell him what was happening. He’s the one who contacted the cops.”
“Why was he coming here?” I frown, and Sawyer sighs, stroking my cheek.
“He was coming to see for himself what was going on between us. He wanted to make sure I could still protect you.”
“I think you proved you can,” I tell him with a sad smile. “Matt was going to take me. If you hadn’t shot him…” I drop my head as the memory of what happened floods back. “If he’d hurt you, Sawyer, I never would have forgiven myself.”
“Hallie, look at me…” I raise my eyes to his, and he cups my face with his hand. “I’m okay. We’re both okay. It’s over. He can’t hurt you now.” Sawyer tilts my head and brushes his lips against mine. He pulls me into his arms, and we hold each other until we hear the toilet flush in the bathroom. “I’ll go and wait downstairs. Come down when you’re ready,” he says. I watch as he leaves the room. He looks as exhausted as I feel, and I can’t wait for this day to be over so I can crawl into bed with him and fall asleep in his arms.
By the time Poppy is finished in the bathroom and we’ve come downstairs, the cabin is swarming with cops, some with guns and some without. Sawyer has positioned Poppy and me on the sofa in the living room while he talks to the guy I’m assuming is in charge. He’s only a few feet away from us, but he’s constantly looking over to check we’re both okay.
Matt was removed under police guard by EMTs a few minutes ago, and I can finally breathe again knowing he’s not here. Poppy had burst into tears when she’d seen him, her hand gripping mine tightly until he was taken out of sight.
Suddenly, the cabin door swings open, and Logan walks in. I’ve only met him once when I was introduced to Sawyer, but from memory, I’m sure it’s him. He spots Sawyer talking to the detective and crosses the room toward him. He takes his outstretched hand and pulls him in for a hug. It’s clear they’re friends as well as work colleagues. Sawyer gestures in my direction, and Logan makes his way to me.
“Hallie, Poppy, are you okay?” he asks, his voice full of concern. “Have the EMTs checked you over?”
“Oh, no… I don’t need an EMT. I’m okay,” I assure him.
“Poppy, I think we should get you checked over.” He gestures with his hand to an EMT waiting in the entryway, and Poppy’s eyes go wide with fear. I take her hand and quickly explain that Logan works with Sawyer and is one of the good guys. A female police officer walks over with the EMT and escorts Poppy outside. She turns and gives me a small smile, and I raise my hand in a wave.
“I’ve arranged a car for you. It’s waiting outside.” He gestures with his head to the door.
“A car?” I ask, a little confused.
“To take you back to Savannah. This is all over. You can go home now.”
“Oh, yes. Of course.” I drop my eyes and fiddle with the hem of the T-shirt I put on before I came downstairs. “I thought I’d be going back with Sawyer.”
“Sawyer needs to finish up here and then we will debrief. You probably shouldn’t wait for him. It’s for the best if you take the car.” I slowly lift my head, and Logan smiles kindly. “Your parents are keen to see you.” I nod weakly, feeling like my heart is being ripped from my chest. The last thing I want to do is leave Sawyer, but I also don’t want to get him into trouble.
“I’ll go and get my stuff,” I tell him, standing from the sofa. I look across to Sawyer, who’s deep in conversation with one of the officers. Not wanting to interrupt him, I quietly head upstairs.
ChapterThirty-Four
Sawyer
After filling the detective in on what happened, I look around for Hallie and see the empty sofa in the living room. I saw Poppy go with the EMTs, but I was sure Hallie hadn’t passed me. I head upstairs and knock on her bedroom door.
“Hey, I wondered where you’d gone,” I say as she swings open the door. She frowns as she steps aside to let me enter.
“Did you speak to Logan?” she asks quietly, her hands wringing together nervously.
“No. He’s talking to the police. Why?”
“He’s arranged a car to take me back to Savannah. He said I shouldn’t wait for you.”
My jaw tics, and I want to punch Logan in the face. “The hell you shouldn’t. You’re going back to Savannah with me, Hallie.”
