Page 139 of Shadows of You

“Quick thinking. I like it.” He turned to Clint and Officer Adams. “Can you get this piece of garbage up and book him for assault?”

“With pleasure,” Adams said, bending down to replace the aprons with cuffs.

“Everyone’s going to know you’re a liar. They’ll come for you,” Oren screamed.

“He’s crazy,” Aspen whispered as Clint and Adams tugged him down the hallway.

I forced myself to pull back and look at Aspen’s face. “I think we need to take you to Doc and get you checked out, just to make sure you’re okay.”

She shook her head but winced. “It’s just a shiner. It’d hurt worse if anything was broken.”

I scowled. “You don’t know that.”

Aspen sent me a pleading look. “I don’t want to go to the doctor. I just want to go home.”

Lawson studied her for a moment. “You lose consciousness at all?”

“No. I didn’t even hit the floor.”

My gut twisted. Aspen had been in this hall fighting for survival. Alone.

“Roan,” she whispered.

My gaze jerked to her.

“Stay with me.”

I knew what she meant. Stay in the here and now. Don’t let myself get pulled into the past. Into memories she knew could drown me.

I pressed my forehead to hers. “I’m with you, Tender Heart.”

Aspen let out a long breath. “Good. Then you can listen to me tell Law how I broke the asshole’s balls.”

I wanted to laugh because I knew it was what Aspen was going for. But I couldn’t quite get myself there.

As she recounted every moment of the encounter to Lawson, my body strung tighter. Oren Randal was clearly unstable and obviously fixated on Aspen. It was a recipe for disaster.

Lawson moved to the back door and motioned to an evidence tech. “Grab a photo of this and see if you can get any prints. Someone tampered with the lock.”

I glared at the door. “We’re getting you better locks and an alarm system here.”

“Roan—”

“Don’t,” I snapped. “I’m doing everything I can not to lose it right now. Please just let me do what I can to make you safe.”

Aspen pressed a hand to my chest and stretched up onto her tiptoes. Her mouth took mine in a long, slow kiss. “Okay. Just promise me you won’t get lost in the woods. That you’ll stay with me.”

The woods of my mind could be a dangerous place. It was easy to spiral there. But I had Aspen and Cady to fight for, so I’d always come back.

“Not going anywhere,” I promised.

“Good,” she said with a pat to my chest.

Lawson cleared his throat. “Gonna need to take a few pictures of your face now, and then again after the bruises develop.”

“Not now,” I gritted out.

Aspen squeezed my arm. “It’s okay. I can do it.”

---