Page 30 of No One But You
BAILEY
“Are you ready to get started?”Officer Mehrtens asked as she connected the feed to Max’s laptop and a loading bar appeared on the screen.
I tucked my legs beneath me and cuddled into the corner of the sofa, grateful that my body had healed enough for me to be able to do so without it hurting.I wanted to cover my head with a blanket and ignore all of my real-world problems.It would be even better if I could snuggle with Max.I’d learned there was nothing as comforting as having his arms around me and his strong chest pressed to my back.
Unfortunately the police needed answers, and I was their best shot at finding them.
There was also the minor detail that I wanted to avoid getting hurt again, and making sure the people who hurt me were caught was the best way to achieve that.
So, yeah.Hiding from my problems was tempting, but it wouldn’t do me any good.
“May as well.”The words were flat, but I forced myself to look at the screen as the loading bar vanished and the image resolved into a familiar landscape.
“I’m here,” Max said, taking my hand and squeezing it.
Warmth flooded me.He’d been such a rock this past week.Everything I needed, he was willing to give.
I dreaded having to leave.Not only did I not want to lose my excuse to spend time with him, but the thought of spending a night all alone in my cottage with no one else around gave me the shivers.
There would be no one whose presence I could take comfort in, and no one to wake me if I had a nightmare.No long, lean body to seek shelter from during the night.
Honestly, going home sounded terrible, but it was also inevitable.
“We’re just starting up the track,” Connor said, his voice coming through loudly enough that I had to assume he was the one wearing the camera.They’d probably decided it was best for Nate to have his hands free in case they ran across anything concerning.
Mehrtens came around to hover behind us, and I did my best to tune her out and focus on the grounding heat of Max’s palm against mine as the path appeared on screen and they started their journey along it.
I made myself focus on the scenery as they continued, although I did take a perverse pleasure in hearing Nate’s grunts of effort in the background.It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one who struggled on the steep trail.Of course, Connor was as silent as a cat.He could probably traverse hills and ravines in his sleep.
My stomach knotted as they turned off toward the hut, but instead of continuing along the trail, they left it and wound between the trees.
“This is where we found you,” Connor said, coming to a stop.“Anything?”
“No.”I bit my lip, hating to let them down.“Maybe if you turn around so I can see everything better.”
He turned in a slow circle, but the trees and shadows didn’t ring any bells.I closed my eyes and tried to mentally run back through the day of the attack, but no more details had exposed themselves to me.
I blew out a breath.“Sorry.Nothing.”
“We’ll try the cabin,” Nate said, his hand appearing at the edge of the screen as he motioned for Connor to backtrack to the trail.
We watched as they rejoined the trail and followed it to the hut.Connor paused as they entered the small clearing before moving closer.That movement, which mimicked my own from a week ago, threw me headlong into a moment I wished had stayed forgotten.
A face jerking toward me.
My breath freezing in my lungs.
The man lunging, his dark eyes like burning coals.
And then running, running, the ground rushing up to meet me.
A hand wrapping around my ankle.
I gasped and tried to back up, but there was nowhere to go.The sofa surrounded me on two sides, and Max blocked off another.
Max.
I threw myself onto him, burying my face in his chest and clutching at the fabric of his shirt as I struggled to fill my lungs with air.
