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“Sure you would.” Bryant sipped his scotch, studying his brother over the rim of the glass. “But I was happy to help. Think she’ll sleep the rest of the night?”
“I hope so. She hasn’t slept well since Shannon was attacked.”
It was interesting to watch the emotions play out across his brother’s face. Olivia was right; there was something there between him and the pretty blonde.
“I hate sitting here, waiting for the cops to find this guy. I wish there was something we could do.” Bryant frowned at his suddenly empty glass and went to pour himself another.
“Me too. But anything we might try would put one or both of them in danger.” Swirling the brown liquid around in the crystal, James studied his brother. “Maybe Tracy had the right idea, getting out of town.”
“None of us can afford to just disappear. And when would we come back? We have to accept that the cops may not catch him, and then what?” Scowling, Bryant sipped his drink. “We all move away, start over? Let him chase us out of town? Fuck that.”
“Point taken. I just want them safe, Bry.”
Bryant’s expression softened with understanding. “Me too. So, we keep them safe. You enforce the rules with Livvy and, well, I guess we hope she can talk Shannon into following along.”
Laughing, James shook his head. “Good luck with that. The best we can hope for is her brush with death has scared her into being more careful. And her firm, for that matter, since they seemed to think it was no big deal.”
“Fuckers.” Bryant’s grip on the tumbler tightened. If it hadn’t been solid crystal, James might have worried it would shatter. “They deserve to be in that hospital bed, not her.”
“No argument from me.” It still grated that he hadn’t been able to make them see how important it was to protect her from the start. Maybe if he’d pushed a little harder, Shannon wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed with a black eye and fingerprints on her neck.
“Hey. Cut it out.”
Looking over, he found Bryant glaring at him. “What?”
“I can see you blaming yourself. Stop.”
“It’s hard not to feel like there isn’t more I could have done for her.”
“Well, like the cops told Livvy, this is all on the asshole who attacked her. Nobody else.” Pausing, Bryant shrugged and smiled what James always thought of as his ‘Lawyer Shark’ smile. “Well, maybe the assholes at her firm, too. But not you. Got it?”
The lecture helped to settle his nerves as much as the scotch had. “Got it. You staying the night?”
“You need me to?”
It was tempting, but in the end they needed as much normalcy as possible. “Nah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. I’ll meet you at the hospital to help move the brat’s friend.”
After he’d left, James spent some time washing out the glasses they’d used and tidying up before returning to Olivia’s bedroom. She was still stretched out on her bed, snoring quietly.
Their bed was more comfortable, but he risked waking her if he tried to move her. And she really did need the sleep. Stripping off his clothes once more, he stretched out beside her and pulled her into his arms. She whimpered softly, and her forehead crinkled like it did when she was worried, but she quickly settled down again.
The love he felt for her was enough to bring a stronger man to his knees. Brushing the hair from her face, he drank in her features, memorizing them as he’d done hundreds of times before. “I’ll keep you safe, little one. No matter what.”
* * *
He and Olivia bothcleared their schedules the next afternoon so they could take Shannon home with them. She’d called that morning to let them know she was definitely being released, but nobody could seem to tell her an exact time. James met Olivia and Randall, one of their newest realtors, at the house they’d just finished showing.
“Hey, boss!” Randall greeted him cheerfully when he got out to open Olivia’s door for her. “Headed to the hospital?”
“Yes. Thank you for tagging along with Olivia today. I had a meeting I couldn’t get out of.”
Randall waved a hand in the air. “It was my pleasure. I think this one’s in the bag. Liv’s really great at this, you know that? I may tag along some more, see if I can’t pick up some tips,” he added with a wink.
Olivia rolled her eyes, but her cheeks had turned pink with pleasure. “You’re good at this, too, Randall. You just need to be more confident. And find ways to turn potential negatives into positives, like we talked about with the yard on this one.”
“Right, smaller yard, less grass to mow, but still enough space for entertainment. Got it. See you guys at the office!” With a last wave, Randall turned and headed for his car.
