Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Chase,” I gasped, astounded. “Why?”
“I realized my friends were right. Not using the money was stupid. Paying rent when I could buy a place wasn’t smart. Buying this house helped Mr. Hyde. I gave him more than he would have gotten if he’d used an agent. It was my way to say thanks. The added bonus was you would be with me.” He smiled. “My dream girl.”
I shook my head. “Nightmare girl is more like it.”
He inched closer, laying his hands on top of mine. “Why do you have nightmares, Cinnamon? What happened to you?” He lowered his voice. “Trust me enough to tell me. Please.”
All I could do was look at him, my throat too thick to talk. He shifted and moved closer, pulling me in between his legs, surrounding me. “I’m right here, Hannah. Nothing can hurt you.”
“My mom wasn’t happy about my being a cop because of what happened to my dad.”
He nodded in understanding.
“But she supported me. I passed and got a job with the OPP. Ontario Provincial Police. I had an older man as a partner. Ross. We got on well, and he taught me a lot. He knew my dad. Not well, but enough. I think he saw it as a chance to look after a fellow officer’s daughter and give her the benefit of his experience.”
“Sounds like a good guy.”
I had to swallow before I could talk again. Chase reached beside him to the thermos of water he carried everywhere and pressed it to my lips. “Drink, baby.”
I swallowed the cold water, grateful for it. When I was done, he laced our fingers together and squeezed my legs. “Right here,” he affirmed.
“We got a domestic dispute call. The wife answered the door and let us in. She said her husband had beaten her and then fell asleep. She was too afraid to try to leave. He appeared and said she was lying, that he’d pushed her around a little but she’d provoked him. That she did it all the time.”
Chase stroked the tops of my hands. They were beginning to tremble.
“One moment, they were arguing. The next, he backhanded her. Ross and I went for our guns, but he was faster. He had one in his waistband under his shirt we didn’t see. He shot Ross in the neck and me in the chest.”
“Jesus.”
“It hit just above the vest. Ross went down, me beside him. The wife was shrieking—these god-awful noises. I’ll never forget the terror they made me feel. I sat up, trying to get my radio, the husband was yelling and waving his gun. I was trying not to lose consciousness. Ross was bleeding out. The husband kicked me, knocking me down. He was going crazy and screaming he was going to kill us all.”
Chase reached over and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me and sitting back, holding me to his chest. He was breathing hard, a slight tremble to his arms. “Jesus, Hannah. Jesus Christ.”
I kept talking, unable to stop now I had started. “I kept blacking out. I remember telling the husband to let me call in to dispatch—to try to save Ross. Not to kill his wife.” A sob escaped my throat. “To please let me live. All I kept thinking about was my mom getting that visit. My superiors telling her I was dead.”
“What happened?”
“The neighbor heard what was happening and she called 9-1-1. They sent reinforcements.” I shuddered. “He was ready to die rather than go to jail. Take all of us with him. But the other officers distracted him somehow, and they got a clean shot. He was dead before he hit the floor. I recall crawling to Ross and holding his hand, saying we were going to be okay.” I had to shut my eyes as the tears flowed down my cheeks. “I was too late, and he died in front of me.” More tears followed. “I passed out from blood loss, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital and my mom was there. I’d had surgery to remove the bullet.”
His arms tightened. He held me so close I could barely breathe, but I didn’t want him to loosen his hold. I felt safe and protected. Loved. I rested my head on his shoulder, letting his closeness soothe me. Keeping one arm banded around me, he ran his hand up and down my back, the motion gentle and warm. He murmured hushing noises, whispered my name, and pressed kisses to my head.
“I’m sorry, Hannah. I hate knowing you went through that. That it is still affecting you.”
I sighed and drew back. He kept his arms around me, gazing at me with worry.
“Have you had counseling?”
“Yes. Lots of it. And it helped. But when I’m stressed, it resurfaces.”
“Being here stresses you?” he asked, horrified.