Page 143 of Chasing Shelter

“Did they make you feel like you were under surveillance or living in a police state?”

This time, Ellie simply clamped her mouth shut, giving me her unspoken answer.

“They were getting paid to sip a latte and have a snack, catch up on some paperwork, and keep yousafe. Is that really so bad?”

“Why do you have to be so dang reasonable?” she growled.

“It’s my superpower.” I brushed my lips across hers. “Do you know how hard it was for me to leave you there this morning?” Empathy flooded Ellie’s expression. “It was like walking away and leaving my heart right on the counter. It nearly killed me. But I did it because I don’t want to steal that sense of normalcy from you.”

“Chief,” she whispered, nuzzling into me. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t think enough about how this might be makingyoufeel.”

I pulled her tighter against me. “Well, this is why we talk things out.”

Ellie smiled against my neck. “That is very adult of us. Pretty sure this is a mature relationship or something.”

“Or something,” I said with a chuckle.

“I need to go back to The Mix Up. I stormed out and told Thea I was going to perform a citizen’s arrest.”

That had me laughing harder. “I’ve got cuffs on my belt. Feel free to use them.”

Ellie pulled back and quirked a brow. “I think I could be into that, Chief.”

“Good to know.” I kissed her, forcing myself not to take it deeper, and then helped her up. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”

She started to argue and then stopped herself. “Thank you.”

I guided Ellie through the bullpen and out onto the sidewalk. While the temperatures were certainly dropping, the sun shone brighter than ever. “Pick you up in an hour?” I asked as Ellie started down the street.

“I’ll be the one with the badass security detail,” Ellie called back.

“Tell Beth you called her a badass. It’ll make her day.”

Ellie laughed. “Will do.”

The screech of tires had my head jerking up, trying to find the source of the sound. A sedan with darkened windows but more than a little wear and tear on its body tore away from the curb a block down. I reached for my radio to call it in to patrol when the vehicle veered off course. Not taking off down the road but heading straight for Ellie.

43

TRACE

The worldaround me slowed and sped up all at once, everything in supersonic speed until it froze for single snapshots. The sedan jerking to the right. Someone screaming. Ellie’s head snapping up. Her eyes going wide with shock.

There was nothing between her and the vehicle other than open road and a curb. Nothing that would slow or stop it. Some part of me was aware of movement. I ran. With everything I had in me.

A burn lit in my thighs, my lungs. I pushed harder as the smell of burning rubber filled the air. I hit Ellie around the middle, sending us both flying. We landed hard, me on my back and Ellie on top of me, but I didn’t stop. I rolled us until we reached the cover of a parked vehicle.

I caught the sound of brakes and squealing tires again, then nothing. For the count of one, two, three. Then shouts, a muffled array of voices. But all I could think about was Ellie.

I rolled us one more time until I had her on the sidewalk, being as gentle as possible. Her eyelids fluttered as she looked up at me. “Wha?—?”

My hands hovered over her face, where an angry gash sliced her brow. “Tell me where it hurts.”

“I-I don’t know. Trace, are you—?” She started to sit up, but I held her down.

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