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“You bitches called the police?”The door shook again.Annette whimpered.
Ellie drew Annette into her arms.“He can’t get in.”Ellie had made sure of that.She didn’t care if the shop got wrecked; she and her clients were protected in this room.Well, as protected as they could be.
“Sir, back away from the door.”
“Go to hell.”
The next thing she heard was several thumps and then quiet.A knock on the door sounded loud.“Ma’am?It’s the police.Mr.Carpenter has been detained.It’s safe to open the door.”
Ellie took a deep breath, released Annette, and unlocked the door.Bracing her body behind it, she opened it a crack.As soon as she saw Logan, it felt like her bones turned to noodles.She hadn’t realized Logan was a patrol officer.Her body went limp.
His eyes widened when he saw her.“Ellie?Are you okay?”
She opened the door fully.“Now that you’ve restrained him.”Ellie jerked her chin to where Annette’s ex stood with two other offices in handcuffs.
“I’m just trying to talk to my wife,” the man yelled.
“Ex-wife,” Annette said, her voice shaking.
“By threatening these two women,” one of the officers said.
“I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Ellie shivered.How many times had she heard that from her ex?She turned away from the door.“It’s okay, Annette, the police are here.”
“Thank goodness.”Annette moved toward her.“This is the fifth time he’s violated the restraining order.”
“Officer Wolfe, ma’am.”His eyes softened.“I’ll need a statement from both of you.”He glanced over his shoulder, and the other two officers took Annette’s ex away.
Ellie stepped out of her office and looked around at the mess: Books and papers all over the place, chairs turned over, and it looked like there was crack in the wood frame of the front door.She sighed.
“It will be okay,” Logan said softly.
“I’m not worried.”She wasn’t.All this was easily repairable, Annette’s psyche was another thing.Logan grabbed a couple of chairs, straightened them, and gestured for them to sit.
Annette practically fell onto the chair.“I’m so sorry, Ellie.I had no idea he’d follow me here.”
“Don’t worry about it.”Ellie patted Annette’s hand.“This is an easy clean up.”Wasn’t that the truth?Blood was a lot harder to clean, right?She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was older and wiser now, and her safety plans had worked.
Logan took a seat across from them.“Please tell me what happened here.”
* * * *
Logan watched Ellie’s face.Rage flowed thought him, but he did his best to keep a lid on it.Ellie was very composed for someone who’d been confronted by a raging ex-husband.He wrote down Ellie’s and Annette’s statements.He offered Annette an escort home, but she refused.
He walked with Annette to her car then returned to Ellie’s shop, where she was already picking up the mess.Her brunette hair floated around her shoulders, hiding her face.
“Are you okay?”he asked.
“Fine.”She waved her hand in the air after she set books back on the table.“Good thing I don’t have any other appointments today.”
Logan stayed to take statements and because he needed to know Ellie was okay.“Does this happen often?”he asked as he straightened the chairs.How could a party planning business draw this kind of clientele?
“No, it doesn’t.”She blew out a breath but still wouldn’t look at him.“You don’t have to stay.”
“I do.”Logan noticed how she fluttered around, picking up and straightening things.Her hands shook, a telltale sign of stress.“Ellie,” he said her name softly, and when she looked at him, he opened his arms.“Come here.”
She all but ran into his arms.He pulled her into his embrace.“It’s okay, sweetheart.”
