Page 68 of Home Team Advantage
She shrugged.
“Why are you sneaking away in the middle of the night?”
“Why are you skulking around a parking garage in the middle of the night?”
“That’s easy. I was waiting for you.”
That gave her pause. “Why?” she blurted, then followed that up with, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Thank you, for everything, but I have to go.”
“Do you?” he pressed. “Why?”
She did turn around then. “Because it’s not safe for me here,” she said with fire flashing in her eyes. “Because I’m essentially an escaped convict. Because?—”
“Wait. No one told you?” he interrupted.
“Told me what?”
Matt cursed. How could they not have told her? “That Eddie Campbell confessed to everything—switching the meds, lying about the watch, setting you up by stashing all that stuff in your room. All charges have been dropped, Anna. You’re a free woman.”
She blinked at him. “I’m what?”
“Cleared of everything.”
She looked down at the ground as if the eye contact was too much for her. After a moment, she asked quietly,. “What about … what about the guy who kidnapped me?”
“Falco? He’s been dealt with accordingly.”
“What does that mean?”
“How about you let me accompany you back to your room and I’ll tell you?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
ANNA
Anna hesitated. She wanted to hear what he had to say. Mostly, she just wanted to be around him a while longer. Even now, his very presence wrapped around her like the best blanket. Warm and comforting.
But … if she went back to the room, she might not get another opportunity to disappear.
Maybe you won’t have to, a little voice whispered in her mind.
“You’re safe, Anna. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
That was how she found her hand in Matt’s as they stepped back into the hospital. They’d only taken a few steps before he lifted her up in his arms. They made faster progress with his long strides, but she didn’t care about that. She was too busy memorizing the feel of being pressed against his chest, his strong arms holding her as if she weighed nothing.
He received a few looks and raised eyebrows when he stepped out of the elevator and began walking to her room, but incredibly, no one said anything. Anna even thought she saw one of them hiding a smile.
“Want to explain why you seem to have carte blanche around here?” she asked as he settled her in her bed.
“They know me.”
“How?”
“I’ve been, as you say, skulking around all day.”
“You were here?”
He nodded and gently removed the borrowed sneakers. “I haven’t left since we brought you in. Well, except for about two hours when Michael was with you. I had something I had to take care of.”
