Page 85 of Building Courage

Even though the police had taken pictures of the wreckage, she’d taken her own and saved them to a flash drive for Martin. He’d need documentation for an insurance claim and a civil suit if he decided to really hold Tate accountable.

She looked around the room at the shrinking mess. They were making headway bit by bit.

Tucker jerked the marble rolling pin free from the remnants of a large-screen television. It would have to be carried out and thrown in the dumpster behind the apartment complex. The rolling pin was still in one piece, so he carried it into the kitchen and set it on the counter.

The leather couch and chairs were still whole and unscathed, as was Martin’s saltwater aquarium with its colorful fish. The coffee table and end tables were scratched and gouged, and one still had a ten-inch carving knife embedded in it, but they could be repaired.

As Tucker drew the knife from the table, it screeched, and Martin, standing close by, flinched.

A glass-doored display cabinet stood open. Tucker picked up the heavy glass object Tate had been taunting him with. Brynn realized it was an etched glass award for an article Martin had written for a fashion magazine. It had somehow survived the mayhem. He put the award on the center of one of the shelves of the cabinet and walked around the room looking for other things that might have been displayed there.

The way he’d handled himself during the altercation with Tate…the way he had taken him down and pinned him to the floor…had been impressive. He’d learned those moves through his training, she was sure. But it wasn’t his skills that drew her in and made it impossible for her to ignore his presence in the room. It was something more. Something that made every nerve in her body light up with desire. But that something had a kernel of fear settling in the pit of her belly.

Why couldn’t she ever do anything easily?

She shifted her focus to Martin, who was progressively moving even slower than he had when he’d first arrived home. She approached him. “Have you taken something for the pain?”

There was a touch of bitterness in his tone when he answered, “The doctor gave me something at the hospital, but it’s wearing off. It seems Tate emptied my entire medicine cabinet into the toilet. I’m certain he probably stole the four-year-old Oxy that the doctor prescribed me when I broke my ankle skiing long before now.”

What had made Martin think he could save Tate? His beautiful pale blue eyes avoided looking directly at her. Surely, he wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed about what had happened…?

“I have some pain medication in my medicine cabinet, and I have a guest room where you can lie down while we finish cleaning up.”

“The super said he’d be back up to fix the door and install a new doorknob and lock. I’d rather stay in my own apartment. I refuse to be chased out.”

“I’ll go get the pain meds then. There’s no reason for you to hurt while you’re being stubborn.”

That coaxed a small smile from him.

“You’re the most generous and loving person I’ve ever met, Martin. He never deserved you.”

“No, he didn’t.” He didn’t sound bitter now, just tired.

She set aside the broom. “I’ll be right back.” She’d get him a few of the pain pills, and though he’d been cleared by the EMTs, he needed to see his doctor.

Tucker carried the trashed flat screen down the hall while Oliver followed with several garbage bags. They got on the elevator.

She rushed back with the medication, gave it to Martin, then went into his bedroom. Tate had poured shampoo and anything else he could find on the bedclothes. She put the sheets and comforter he’d cut into ribbons with a kitchen knife into a trash bag and systematically wiped off the oak headboard, nightstand, and other furniture. She found clean sheets in the hall closet and made the bed.

The tempered glass of the shower door had shattered into tiny pieces. So, she swept it up and deposited it in the large trash can Oliver had brought. Opening the laundry hamper, she found a single pillowcase and reached for it. It was unusually heavy. Looking inside, she found watches, a few chains, and several rings. Tate had obviously been going to steal the jewelry. Feeling that Martin’s privacy had been invaded enough for one night, she placed the items on the dresser and tossed the pillowcase back into the hamper.

She added the comforter and sheets to the list of damaged and destroyed items on the kitchen counter, then approached Martin as he put the few items salvaged from the wreckage in the living room back in the glass-fronted cabinet.

“I thought you might want to lie down for a little while, so I’ve made the bed and cleaned the bathroom. The shower door will have to be removed and replaced, but I have a shower curtain and rod you can use until they’re repaired.”

“Thanks, Brynn.”

Oliver and Tucker came back into the apartment.

Martin laid a hand on her shoulder. “How ’bout you pick my next boyfriend? You’ve got a really good guy there.”

“I know. And if I run into his gay cousin, I’ll be sure to introduce you.”

Martin’s brows rose though the movement was bound to hurt. “He has a gay cousin?”

Brynn laughed. “I have no idea, but I’ll be sure to ask.”

She scanned the room, which was now cleaned and straightened. The coffee table and end tables were the worst for wear, but everything else looked usable. The barren spot where the flat screen had been mounted on the wall stood out, but the smaller television in the bedroom had managed to escape destruction and would provide him some entertainment while he healed.

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