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"You too. Thank you, Greta." I disconnect, shoving my phone back into my pocket. My hands still shake when I unlock the door to the storeroom and hurry through the store to the front door. A Silver Spoon Falls deputy waits on the other side, one hand on the radio on his hip.
"Ms. Crawford?" he asks.
"Yes," I whisper.
"I'm Deputy Alaric Groves. Can you tell me what happened?"
"Yes, I was—"
The loud roar of motorcycle engines cuts me off. Deputy Groves and I both turn to look as a large group round the corner, speeding toward us. Finn is at the front of the group, his red bike as unmistakable as he is.
"Shit," Deputy Groves mutters, glancing at me. "Friends of yours?"
"Yes. Finn Taylor is my…" I trail off, not sure what to call him. "He's mine," I finally say, settling on the only thing that comes remotely close to describing the way I feel about him. He's mine, my heart, my soul, mine.
Deputy Groves inclines his head in a nod.
"Scarlett!" Finn roars, pulling his bike to the curb and then killing the engine. It's barely stopped before he's off it, closing the distance between us in ground-eating strides. His expression blazes with intensity, his green eyes on fire with urgency.
I race toward him, hitting him like a meteor.
His arms close around me, and my feet leave the ground.
"Fuck," he growls, burying my face in his throat. His body shudders against mine, and I realize in that moment that the last ten minutes were just as terrifying for him as they were for me. More, perhaps. Because I knew he would get to me. I knew he'd protect me. But he was afraid he wouldn't.
"I'm okay," I whisper, clinging to him.
"I'm never letting you out of my fucking sight again," he growls.
***
"Say that again."
Uh-oh.
"Um, I saw him at the hospital when I picked Aunt Ophelia up from dialysis the other day?" I squeak, fighting the urge to squirm as Finn's face turns red and his head threatens to explode.
"You didn't tell me that," he growls.
"I forgot."
"You forgot to tell me that this motherfucker has been stalking you?"
"I didn't know he was stalking me!" I cry. "I thought it was just a weird coincidence."
Finn pinches the bridge of his nose, looking at his brothers. "I want someone at the bookstore around the clock."
The big one—okay, they're all big, but this one is a freaking giant—looks grim. The expression doesn't look natural on him. He reminds me of Aunt Ophelia. "I'll make it happen," he says. "We'll get cameras set up around the perimeter too. I'll have someone at the hospital while Miss Ophelia is in dialysis as well."
"Aunt Ophelia!" I gasp. "Oh my gosh. She's still waiting for me at the hospital."
"I sent Rulie over to sit with her," Finn says, cupping my jaw. "She'll be just fine until you get there, pretty baby."
"Rulie might not be," one of his brothers mutters.
Deputy Groves snorts and several of the brothers chuckle. I guess they all know my aunt too. Yeesh. Is there anyone in this town she hasn't terrorized with her craziness at some point? Never mind. I don't want to know.
"What about the house?" The brother in charge—Cash, I think his name is—asks. "We should keep an eye on her and Miss Ophelia while they're at home until someone runs this motherfucker to ground to see why he's been stalking your girl."
