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I tug her against my chest, my arms encircling her, holding her safe. Quinn moves to speak with the security guard, and we all look over as blue and red flashing lights shine through the front door.
Quinn crosses to let the two officers in. They take in the scene, turning to Quinn.
“You called the report in?”
“Yes. I’m Ms. Rampwood’s bodyguard. I was asleep in the ground floor bedroom when I heard a disturbance. I recognized the sound of someone attempting to break into the house and immediately moved to the third floor to alert Ms. Rampwood and Mr. Houston. They moved to the panic room while I called my employer, the Rothwell Agency, to inform them of the situation.”
Quinn’s eyes move to the tied man, the police following the gaze. “I returned to the ground floor, moving around the interior perimeter to ascertain where the suspect was. He managed to jimmy the back door, at which point I took him down and secured him. That’s when I called you and fetched Ms. Rampwood and Mr. Houston from the panic room.”
Thelma and I can’t do much but corroborate Quinn telling us to get into the panic room and later retrieving us. The police speak to the security guard, but by the time he arrived, Quinn was tying the guy up.
The police carefully untie the man, cuffing and hauling him to his feet as they lead him outside. Quinn moves to walk the security guard out, but Thelma is shaking in my arms.
Quietly, I lead her back upstairs, tucking her into bed, and sliding in beside her, my arms closing around her as I hold her tightly.
“I sh-should have done more to h-help her,” she sobs quietly. My heart aches for her. Thelma already works herself to exhaustion for her clients. I’m sure she did everything she could in this woman’s case.
“You can’t blame yourself,” I murmur, stroking a hand through her hair. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I should have d-done more.”
Sighing, I press a kiss to her temple, holding her as she falls into an uneasy sleep.
THELMA
Jimmy holds my hand over the center console, his thumb stroking over the back of it as he parks his brother’s truck at the curb in front of my building in Downtown Seattle. Pressing a kiss to my palm, Jimmy slides out of the car, moving to grab my suitcase and his duffel bag.
Grady climbs out of the back seat, grabs his duffel bag, and follows us to my condo. I sigh, looking around as we enter. It’s been two weeks, and I’ve missed being home. My eyes land on the view, and a sense of belonging settles over me. My eyes find the water, and I smile.
Grady disappears into the spare bedroom to pack his things. He announced that his remit was over, and he was returning to Stanford today.
I don’t think I’m going to miss him. While I’m grateful he saved my life – Dwayne Hale had a flick knife and an illegal firearm in his possession when Grady took him down – I’m ready to live my life without an ever-present shadow.
Jimmy steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he rests his chin on the top of my head, his eyes lingering on the water.
“Did you miss being home?”
I sigh, smiling as my hands slide over the backs of his. “More than I realized until right this second.”
“Can I stay the night?”
I smile to myself, my heart thudding in my chest. “You better.”
Chuckling, Jimmy presses a kiss to the top of my head, leaving to take our bags to my room. Grady reappears before Jimmy, holding his two duffel bags, nodding to me.
“You be well, Ms. Rampwood.”
My eyebrows shoot up as I turn to him with a smile. “No more Thelma?”
He shifts his feet, pinning me with a stare. “Please remember the Rothwell Agency if you have any future security requirements… Ms. Rampwood.”
“Goodbye, Grady.”
He nods, and I swear I see a hint of a smirk as he turns to leave. Jimmy comes out of the hallway and claps Grady on the shoulder.
“Sorry again about the whole fighting thing,” he says cheerfully. “No hard feelings?”
Grady turns to Jimmy. “No hard feelings. You wouldn’t have stood a chance if I had fought back.”
