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I watched as Lincoln walked out of the office. Jessie gently rubbed my belly, and the baby nudged his hand. It was silent between us as we waited for Lincoln to come back with the sheriff.
When he did, I was shocked to see a young, blonde woman walk in behind him. She smiled warmly at me while Lincoln took a seat on the other side of me, his hand grabbing mine, linking our fingers together. “You must be West, yes?” she asked me.
“Um, yeah,” I answered.
She grabbed the desk chair and maneuvered it so she could take a seat in front of me. “I’m Sheriff Ingleman, but you can call me Kayla. Can you recount to me what happened with Darren Jenkins?” she asked me.
So, I recounted to her what happened from the moment I parked the SUV and got out to when the other guy, whose name was apparently Ray, managed to pull me away and Jessie stepped in with Lincoln.
“Do you mind if I take some pictures of your neck and your arm?” Kayla asked me. “It’s for proof so when he’s taken to court, there is clear proof that he grabbed you first, giving you the right to act in self-defense, and so we have proof that he also tried to strangle you.”
“Easy, baby,” Lincoln soothed, pressing his lips to my temple when I tensed, ready to bolt. “It’s for documentation and proof,” he reminded me. “No one here is trying to put this on you.”
“Hun, the cops in this town—we run on facts only,” Kayla spoke up, drawing my eyes back to her. “Trust me, as soon as the police force of Farley heard you were moving here, they gave us a call, but we chose to ignore them. We like to get to know the people of our town, and so far, you nor the two men at your side have caused us any trouble. Darren Jenkins is constantly in some kind of drunken fight, so the fact that he lashed out at you is very, very believable, and everything in front of me firmly backs up your side of the story.” She leaned forward a little. “You’re not going to jail, West, and you’re not being taken in. I just want to take pictures of your neck and your arm for proof, and then I want one of your men to take you home and let you get some much-needed rest.”
I swallowed, wincing. “Okay,” I breathed, relaxing somewhat at her reassurance.
She smiled and grabbed a small camera from her jacket. Jessie and Lincoln moved out of the way, but both of them kept their hand on my thighs, reminding me that they were still here with me, that they weren’t going anywhere, just as they had promised.
Once Kayla was done taking pictures, she smiled at me. “Go on home and get some rest. I have what I need.”
Lincoln leaned over and brushed his lips against mine as she walked out of the office, speaking into her radio. “Let Jessie take you home, baby. I’m going to stay here, see that everyone goes on about their day, and finish up work.”
“Be safe,” I told him.
A beautiful, crooked smile tilted his lips. “Always, baby.”
Jessie stood up from the couch and lifted me up into his arms, carrying me out of the office. “I can walk,” I told him, my voice still raspy.
He grunted. “Let me have this. I failed you, baby. You fucking got hurt when Lincoln and I should have protected you.”
I frowned up at him when he set me in the passenger seat of his car. “That’s not true,” I told him, shaking my head. “You guys didn’t fail me. You still came, still took care of me.”
“This shit shouldn’t have happened at all, West,” he glowered.
With that, he closed the car door, ending the conversation.
27
West
Jessie was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Though he laid in bed with me, I knew he didn’t sleep, and it meant my rest was fitful because he was so tense and lost in his own mind.
I sighed, staring out the window. The sky was overcast, storm clouds moving in. Lincoln was probably on his way home. Jessie was in the kitchen putting together dinner since I was shit at making any kind of food.
But even now, he was still lost in his own head, not even bothering to flash me reassuring smiles or promises of what he would do to me later. He wasn’t being normal. And it was making me feel like I was coming out of my skin.
I saw Lincoln’s truck pull into the drive, and I quickly got up from the couch, going outside to meet him. He slid out of his truck and walked up the steps, his eyes flashing with worry when he saw me waiting on him. He quickened his steps, reaching me in record time.
