Page 60 of Every Broken Piece
That punk kid wants Tess and I’m not giving him the opportunity. He had his chance and lost it.
She plunks the hand not holding the leaves on her hip. “What’s wrong with Conor?”
“He can’t protect you like I can.”
“And what are you protecting me from?”
My shins bump her coffee table when I step toward her, halting my forward motion. Probably a good thing because I would’ve grabbed her shoulders and kissed the shit out of her and that’s the last thing we need right now. “The man who attacked you is still out there. No way in hell am I leaving you unprotected, and Conor is no protection.”
Her eyes narrow. “Be nice.”
I snort. “I refuse to play nice when it comes to your safety. If you want me gone, I’ll go. I’ll hate it. Hell, I probably won’t go far, but I’ll go. What I won’t do is leave you unprotected.”
Her eyes go wide. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll hire someone to keep you safe.”
Now she scoffs. “You can’t do that.”
“Can’t I?”
Her mouth opens, then snaps closed. Her lips thin in anger. “Fine. Make yourself at home, I guess.”
She stomps toward the kitchen, and I bite back a smile. Arguing with her should anger me, frustrate me at the least. Instead, it’s one of the biggest turn ons ever. I’m quickly learning that verbally sparring with Tess makes me feel more alive than anything has in a long while.
“The fridge is probably empty,” she says from the kitchen. She returns minus the dead leaves and glares at me. Does she think the lack of food will drive me away?
“I’ll place a grocery order.” I arch my back, rubbing at the spot where the spring dug into me. I’m too old for sleeping on couches, but not too old to have a beautiful woman sleep on top of me. I’d happily endure more springs in my back for her.
“They won’t deliver here.”
I bite my tongue to keep from telling her that she needs to move somewhere safer. I just barely won one argument, I’m not about to press my luck by starting another.
“I need to take a shower. Wash the hospital off me.” She tilts her head to the short hallway that leads to three doors. “There’s a bed in my office that you can use.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Taking a shower?” I don’t want her alone where she could easily slip and fall. What if she gets dizzy and passes out?
“You’re sure as hell not following me into the bathroom while I shower.” She disappears down the hall. A door softly clicks shut and I curse because now I’m definitely picturing her in the shower naked.
“Shit.” I rub a hand over my head and stare at the ceiling, trying to dispel every erotic image I have of her.
My phone vibrates and I pull it out of my pocket, happy to have something else to think about. There are five missed calls from Jack and a text that says CALL ME in all caps.
I dial Jack as I head into the kitchen.
“There you are,” he says. “Of all times to ignore me.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you. I brought Tess home from the hospital and got her settled in.”
I peer into her refrigerator and just like she said there’s not much there. A few cans of soda, a Styrofoam takeout container that probably needs to be tossed, and half a bottle of orange juice.
“I have information on the woman in the hospital lobby,” Jack says.
I close the refrigerator door to stare out the small window above the sink with a view of the brick wall next door. Small plastic cups filled with water and plant clippings in various stages of growth are lined up on the windowsill. My fingers drum a staccato on the edge of the sink.
Detective Hardwick text me the name of the woman who’d been causing a scene in the hospital lobby. I asked Jack to look into Sandra Jansen.
“What’d you find?” I ask.
