Page 75 of Denial
“Dammit,” I whisper. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Too focused on the keypad, I don’t hear the lock click from the inside.
19
Alice
Sutton emerges,pistol in hand, poised to tackle an unknown threat. The door opening takes over all rational thought. I collide with the hard force coming out of a house for the second time tonight. He reacts quickly and catches me before I can fall back on my ass.
“Please don’t be mad.” I gulp in a ragged lungful of air. “I needed somewhere safe to go.”
The surprise on Sutton’s face morphs to rage the second he lays eyes on mine.
“Who did this?” His snarl is deadly, unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before. He scans the space behind me with the tactical light attached to his gun. “If it was that fucker from the bar, I’ll kill him."
“Someone was in my house.” My pulse skyrockets again. I clutch the sides of his sweatshirt in tense fists. “I got hit with the door when they ran.”
Sutton loops his arm around my waist and drags me into his house, slamming and locking the door behind us. He rearms the security alarm and pins me to the wall at my back.
The foyer light flipping on nearly blinds me.
His throat bobs beneath his salt-and-pepper stubble, the sound of his swallow telling. His jaw tenses. Those blue assessing eyes roam my face, locking onto the bloody gash above my eyebrow. Palpable anger swells between us.
“That bad, huh?” I try to joke but end up flinching in pain.
“Don’t laugh.” He sounds so serious that tears prick my eyes. His gentle fingers slide beneath my chin, tilting for his inspection. The way he scans my face feels physical. The bruises throb beneath his steady stare. “Who did this?”
I try to laugh. To regain control. To find that sarcastic humor that usually insulates me through my struggles. A smothered sob croaks in my throat instead.
“Sutton,I’m scared.” My voice completely breaks beyond my control.
He holsters his gun and slides his palms up my neck, cradling either side of my head until I’m forced to meet his gaze head-on.
“I’m not,” he replies gently. “This is what I do, Firecracker, all day long, so leave it to me, okay? I’ve got you.”
My lips quiver, prompting me to bite them to keep them still.
“Jesus,” he murmurs. He coasts one hand up my neck to palm the back of my head. “Come here.”
I let him pull me into his chest, choking back tears. My ear settles against his sternum. The steady thrum of his heartbeat slows my own. The heavy weight of his arm wraps around my back like an anchor, and I melt into him, close my eyes, and breathe in his familiar scent. When was the last time I was held like this? I fight the urge to burrow my face against his warmth. I don’t want to ruin his sweatshirt with my blood.
He shifts but doesn’t release his hold on me.
“It’s Sutton Stone. I’m off duty. I need units dispatched to a possible burglary.” He rattles off my address. “Suspect fled on foot. Also, I need someone to come over to my house. Right. No, not me. It’s my nanny. Send a medic too. She has a head wound. Seems superficial, but I’d like her checked out. Thanks, Sher.”
He pockets his phone and gingerly moves the hair away from my temple.
“Are you okay?” The strands atop my head move with his question.
“I’m fine.”
“Bullshit, Alice. You sure as fuck aren’t fine.”
“I’ll be fine. Better when I can get cleaned up.”
“Come with me. I have a first-aid kit in my bathroom.”
Sutton leaves his arm around my waist, guiding me down the stairs to the bedrooms.
“Wait.” I stop us on the steps. “Is Nellie here?” The thought of scaring her with my condition prevents me from going farther.
