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“I can’t imagine what the neighbors are thinking,” Dani muttered.
“I’ve already talked to Benny. He lives next door and works at the PD, remember? He knows there was an intruder. He and Lisa were worried about you. I told them you were upset but unhurt. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes.”
He heard the tremble in her voice and saw the tears on her face.
“I’m so sorry this happened, but it’s over. Concentrate on that. The only person who still holds a grudge against you is in a wheelchair and he will likely die in prison. You are well and truly safe now. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. I’ve got you.”
Her heard her inhale, then felt the exhale of her breath against his arm. Minute by minute, he felt the tension in her body easing. And because he could do it unobserved now, watched her fall the rest of the way asleep, and thought what it might be like to fall asleep with her in his arms and wake up to her beautiful face every morning.
The ME finally arrived, did the initial inspection of the body, got the pictures he wanted, and then they removed the body and took it back to Bowling Green for an autopsy.
Aaron’s partner, Yancy, was on scene, and as everyone began filing out of the house, he and another officer stayed behind to do a quick cleanup, then locked up the back of the house and paused in the hall to let Aaron know.
“We tried to put the room back together,” he said. “The back is locked up, and we’ll lock the front on our way out. Sorry this happened to your girl.”
“She’s not my—”
Aaron stopped. He couldn’t say the words. Instead, he nodded and watched as they turned the lock, then pulled the front door shut behind them.
After the chaos from before, silence made the housefeel empty. He didn’t want to let her go, but she wasn’t his to hold. Instead, he brushed a kiss across the top of her head, then pulled her a little closer and stood with her still in his arms.
She stirred.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, and carried her through the house and back into her bedroom. She roused as he was laying her down.
“What’s happening?”
“Everyone’s gone. It’s over, honey.” Then he pulled the covers up over her and brushed the hair from her forehead.
She rolled over onto her side.
He straightened the covers and was about to turn out the lamp when he saw fresh tears on her face.
“Leave the light.”
“Okay,” he said, and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“If you need anything, I’ll be right outside your door.”
She sighed.
He walked out of the room and went straight to the kitchen, found a mop bucket and a mop, filled the bucket with water, poured a cup of pine-scented cleaner into the water, and mopped the entire kitchen from one corner to the other, then mopped the pathway from the front door where the police had come through, wiped down every surface in the kitchen, and turned out the lights.
He paused, then inhaled. Everything felt clean again.
He took his gun back to the office and put it up,then laid down in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he heard her voice.
“Aaron, are you there?”
He sighed, then got up and walked into her room.
“I’m here,” he said, and stretched out on top of the covers beside her. “I’m here.”
As he was falling asleep, the last conscious thought he had was that he no longer had an excuse to be under the same roof with her. She didn’t need a bodyguard anymore, but he needed her.
Charlie Raines was going home, and his parents were overjoyed.
