Page 76 of Risk Assessment
They walked up the slope to where all the emergency vehicles were parked. He guided her to his truck and opened the door. He settled her into the passenger’s seat, and then hurried around the pickup to slip behind the wheel. “I’ve arranged for our stuff to be packed. It’ll be ready by the time we get there. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine,” she mumbled.
He fired the engine over and turned toward the resort.
“Are you hungry, or do you need a drink?” Dylan squeezed her fingers. He wasn’t letting go of her hand for any reason.
She still had a blanket wrapped around her from the ambulance. “No. I’m fine.” She snuggled deeper into the blanket.
They arrived at the resort, and he kissed her knuckles before climbing from the truck The bellman had their bags at the valet station. He helped Dylan load the suitcases into the back.
Dylan slid behind the wheel and glanced over at her. She looked so small and vulnerable. His heart broke for all she’d been through.
He started the truck and pulled out of the resort. He turned toward New York City. “Look, Raleigh, a lot has happened this weekend, but I think we should talk about some of it.” He glanced over at her, but she was fast asleep. So much for sorting things out.
A bit later, he pulled up in front of her house. A patrol car was there. An officer got out and handed him the key to Raleigh’s place. He’d asked Gabe to get one of his people to come over and change the sheets on the bed and the towels in the bathroom. He’d also asked them to bring fresh flowers. He wanted to erase as much of Josh as possible. It would take a while, but she would eventually feel good again in her own home.
He went around to her side of the car and eased the door open. He scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. He came to a stop in front of the door and was trying to figure out how to unlock it with her in his arms when she said, “You can put me down now.”
He froze for a second. Her voice was rough from her throat being crushed. He put her down as directed, and she moved away from him to stand on the opposite side of the step.
“I, um, had Gabe’s people come…fix everything.”
“Thank you.” Her face was blank. The sun was setting, so part of it was lost in the shadows.
He nodded. “Will you be okay here tonight? I can call Lauren and ask her to come back for a couple days if you want. There’s not a doubt in my mind, she’d like a break from looking after four kids.”
“I’ll be fine.” She stared at him, her eyes hidden in shadow.
He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but he also couldn’t keep quiet. Not now.
“Look, Raleigh, I know this weekend was…intense. Starting a relationship from something like this is probably not the best move, but I don’t want you to feel like I took advantage of the situation to just have sex with you. I really like you. A lot.”
She glanced at the door and then turned back to him. She stepped forward into the light. Tears glistened on her cheeks. “You kept your word.” It came out almost as a whisper. Her voice was husky with emotion.
“What?”
“You kept your promise to keep me safe.”
“Well, that’s debatable. Youwerekidnapped and held hostage, so I don’t know if you could say I kept you safe.”
“But that was my fault for not listening to you. And you came for me and rescued me, and you even made sure Josh was safe.” Her voice broke.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Don’t cry.” He gathered her in his arms. “I did what had to be done, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
“I knew when I saw you that you would keep your promise.”
“Always. I’ll always keep my promises to you.” He felt her nod against his chest.
“I know.” A shiver went down her body.
She leaned back in his arms and looked up at him, her green eyes luminous with tears. “I’m safe now, right? You’ll keep me safe? It’s over?”
“Yes, darlin’, it’s over. You’re safe. Promise.”
“So…” She looked up at him. A small smile played at the corners of her lip. “I made a promise to you as well.”
Dylan frowned. “I don’t follow. What promise?”
