Page 36 of Meant to Be
He didn’t react to her stare and continued on. “Did you see your attacker?”
She shook her head. “He pushed me down. I hit my head on my bumper.” Absently, she touched her temple, where he noticed a small scar. “By the time I was able to get my bearings, he was gone. I set off my car alarm, but it’s so common in New York, no one responded.”
Ignoring car alarms was common everywhere, but she didn’t need to hear that now. “I thought you said the police thought the attacker was scared off by a car.”
“Several cars came by and may have scared him, but no one noticed me, even when my car alarm went off.”
Mitch imagined her bleeding, scared, and alone. The violent need to protect her rose, hot and hard within him. Although it was ridiculous, there was a part of him that felt guilty. As if he should have been able to protect her. Even now, fear lingered in her eyes, but also something else. There was a strength that hadn’t been there when he knew her before. There were only two ways to respond to a violent attack: hide from life or decide to live full on. She’d apparently chosen the latter. He felt a surge of pride. Good for her.
“I called the hospital on my phone.” She finished with a shaky breath.
“Parking lot of a hospital. Near your car. Knife in the back.” Mitch ticked off the similar elements between the two attacks.
“Yes, but my injury wasn’t as bad as Jenny’s. It hurt and scared me to death.” She shuttered. “But it wasn’t life threatening.”
“So, did he come back to finish what he botched? Why here and why after six months?”
“Why me?” Fear and bafflement etched her face, and again he felt the need to hold her, to reassure her.
Chelsea delivered their food and drinks. “Can I get y’all anything else?”
Mitch released Sydney’s hand. “No, we’re good.”
Chelsea walked away and Mitch made a mental note to check in on her. Sydney sipped her hot cocoa, her eyes narrowing as she studied the liquid in her cup. “Is there booze in this?”
“Yes. Peppermint booze.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Why?”
“It’s a rainy day and bad things have happened. Chocolate, peppermint, and booze are the best soothers for such days.”
Her lips twitched slightly. “Thank you.”
He nodded, plucking a toothpick with a bacon-wrapped tater round and popping it into his mouth. Sydney stared at him over the rim of her cocoa.
“Just don’t tell anyone. It’s strictly off the menu.” He pushed the plate toward her. “Want one?”
“I think one vice at a time is safer.”
He feigned ignorance. “What’s wrong with bacon and fried potatoes? They’re two of the four main food groups in the South.”
Her smile widened, reminding him how stunning she was. But this wasn’t a date. His partner’s wife was fighting for her life. Had things gone differently, it would have been Sydney. He pushed down the ball of fear in his gut at the thought of a world without her.
“So, were there any suspects in New York?”
She set her cup down. “The detective, Detective Fletcher, looked at all my friends and coworkers, but I guess there was nothing there.”
“Any he focused on?”
“Not really.”
Mitch wondered if that were true. He knew he always had people of interest when investigating a crime. The hard part was finding evidence that indicated which person was guilty. “I’d like his number. Let him know about this attack and see what he might have that can help.”
Sydney reached for her purse, pulled out a business card, and handed it to him. He used his phone to scan the card into his contact list.
“Who’d he take a serious look at?” Mitch handed the card back to her.
She sighed. “The only one I felt might be involved was Doctor Singer. I worked with him in Jordan. I had dinner with him a few times, but when I realized he thought we were dating, I stopped seeing him. But he was persistent.”
