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“We’ll make sure you’re safe, miss.” McCaffrey straightened, switching into protective mode. He kept his eyes focused down the hall as Aaron stepped into the apartment.
Aaron scanned the interior, taking note of windows and doors and checking any hiding place.
He took an extra couple of minutes to study the living space. Somehow, her apartment was exactly what he expected. It was minimalist and neutral but had small warm touches throughout. He noticed a Bible on the coffee table and pursed his lips.
He didn’t know why it surprised him to see she hadn’t lost her faith. As a girl, she’d loved church. Even when he was a teenager, he had noticed her fearless care for people. He could remember one Sunday when a man came in with half of his face missing from cancer. His friends made a few comments he didn’t care to remember, but Sydney walked right up to him with a big gap-toothed smile and asked him about the cowboy hat he carried in his hand.
Aaron had watched as the man handed his hat to Sydney and she tried it on, laughing when it fell over her face.
“Is it safe?” Sydney called from the hall.
“Uh, hang on.” He cleared his throat and moved into the rest of the apartment, which only consisted of a single bedroom and a bathroom.
“We’re clear in here,” he said after entering back into the living room.
Sydney stepped inside. “I hope I didn’t leave any dirty laundry laying around.”
“Are you kidding? This place is spotless.”
“Would you mind staying for a minute?”
“Yeah, of course. I can wait until you feel settled. Or at least more at ease.”
She jerked her thumb back over her shoulder. “Do I just shut the door on him?”
Aaron laughed. “Yeah, don’t worry. He’s used to it. Aren’t you, Mac?”
“Have a good evening, miss. I’m quite comfortable out here.” He shut the door for her when she hesitated.
She dropped her purse on the couch. “Thanks for staying. I don’t expect you to stay long. You have to sleep sometime, right? And it’s been a long night. I just — ” She was flustered. “Never mind. Um. I actually … I was thinking.”
He wanted to take a step toward her, but instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Yeah?”
She thought about her words before she spoke them. “I don’t think I ever said thank you to you when you came to my house before.”
He looked around him. “I’ve never been here.”
“Not here. When I was a girl. The first time you rescued me.”
He huffed out a laugh and looked at his feet. “I don’t know how much rescuing I did back then. Your dad gave me a pretty big kick in the pants for interfering. Then I got another one from my dad.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more back then.”
“But if you hadn’t come in, your dad never would have come over.”
“What?”
“What?”
“My dad turned up at your place?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I guess not.”
“I was supposed to be asleep, but I never slept well after one of my dad’s tirades. I heard the knock and I snuck down the hall. I thought maybe it was the police, but it was your dad.”
“That same night?”
“Yeah.”
