Page 27 of Blue Norther
She nodded, and I gently closed the door. I waited until I heard the locks click into place before I turned around and marched back inside.
What the fuck had she been thinking, staying inside when she came home to an unlocked door? If she didn’t want to move in with me, I needed to figure out how to make it clear I was moving in. God, I could just see it now, the way the tip of her ears would turn red like they always did when we argued.
As I walked through the kitchen, the floor above my head creaked again. I wasn’t about to take any chances. My weapon came out of the holster. I walked through the kitchen to the small bathroom that held the washer and dryer.Clear.Once I was back out, I climbed the stairs to the second floor. The first bedroom was untouched. The bathroom in between was the same. But the second I opened the door to the room Violet was clearly sleeping in, my heart rate doubled.
I focused on the task at hand, walking down the room, checking for an intruder. When the space was clear, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed dispatch.
“Has anyone been in the cabin with you?” I grumbled as I sat my ass down in the driver’s seat. The bag I packed with clothes from the laundry instantly went over my shoulder and into the back. I had my finger on the door lock a second later.
“What are you doing? Why are you putting my bag back there?”
“Vi.” I set my hand on her arm, hoping the contact would make what I had to tell her somehow easier—it wouldn’t. It’s disgusting and vile, and for a second I think that maybe I can get away with giving as little detail as possible. “Has anyone else been at the cabin?”
“No. I’ve barely been here a week. Who the hell would be in the cabin with me?”
My fingers tighten around the steering wheel as I force the air from my lungs. “Someonewasin the cabin. I’ve already called it in, gave them permission to come out here, and told them if they needed to speak with you they can come to the ranch tomorrow. Right now, I’m taking you home. And you’re moving in with me. Tonight.”
“Sorry,” she gasped, “did you say someone had been inside? How do you know?”
“It was messy in your room. Things thrown around.”
Her shoulders relaxed as her head hit the back of the seat. “I’m a messy person, Colt. That was just me unpacking!”
I grimaced, thinking back on the downright vile things that had been done to her clothes. “No. It wasn’t.”
Her head didn’t move, but her eyes found mine. “What do you mean?”
“Your…uh…” I cleared my fucking throat, remembering how all her delicate undergarments were strewn about the bedroom. How they were placed on her bed. How they were violated… “Someone had been in your room. It looks like they sifted through your underwear drawer and they left some physical material behind. That’s why I called in my guys. They’ll get the evidence to the lab, and if there’s a DNA match on file, we’ll get this son of a bitch.”
“I’m sorry…Did you just sayphysical material? As in what?”
“It looks like someone used your clothes for…”Christ.I didn’t fucking want to say it out loud, much less to Vi. I knew she'd be horrified. “For an intimate sexual act, Vi.”
A violent shudder rolled through her body.
“Oh my God. That’s so…ew.”
I reached out, my hand settling on her leg. “It’s okay. I’m going to keep you safe while we get to the bottom of this. I’m going to take you home.” It wasn’t a promise I made lightly.Everything inside me was screaming to get Violet out of there and back to the ranch where I could make sure she was safe.
“No. I don’t have to go to the ranch. You don’t have to?—”
“Your piece of shit baby daddy didn’t stick around,” I snapped, her eyes going wide at my outburst.What was wrong with me?“Look. You proved that you could do it on your own—I get that you wanted to do things your own way. But this threat is real, and the threat is here now. I’m not taking any chances. He didn’t stick around to protect the two most precious people on Earth, but I sure as fuck will.”
“It’s not like that…”
“Then tell me what it’s like,” I begged.
Violet turned away from me, her head resting on the back of the seat.
“I’ll go with you to the ranch,” she whispered, closing her eyes and effectively ending our conversation.
Colt
Violet was silent as I helped her out of the truck and up the porch steps. With every passing second, I could feel the weight growing heavier on her shoulders. She’d physically shrunk into herself, and I just wanted to get her inside so I could wrap her up in my arms.
“I’ll just head up to the guest room,” she whispered, looking over at the bag in my hand. “I’ll take that with me.”
I cringed. “Uh, you can’t.”
