Page 8 of Petals & Promises

“Put me down, Gareth.”

It’s been two weeks since my surgery and one week that I’ve been back home. While I was recovering in the hospital, working with various physical therapists, the guys had decided to make a second nest on the main floor of the house, meaning I didn’t need anyone to carry me around. In fact, I needed to get in at least fifteen to thirty minutes of purposeful activity each day.

“Baby girl, we are about to sit down with two detectives, who will ask you to talk about what happened. You’re just gonna have to suck it up because having you safe in my arms is the only thing that’s going to keep me from chewing their asses out. It’s been two fucking weeks, and they still haven’t found the bastard,” Gareth grumbled as he carried me down the hall to the living room.

Since coming home, the guys had been amazing and doing their best not to smother me. Before I stepped one foot back into our home, I sat them down, and we had an honest conversation about how we were all feeling. While I was the one who had been attacked, fought back, and landed herself in the hospital, this had been hard on them too. We agreed that if I had a night nurse who left in the morning after making sure everything I needed was pulled together, the guys wouldn’t try to smother me. For the most part, it was working.

“Maybe that’s why I don’t want you holding me,” I countered. “I’m not thrilled with the fact my crazy ex-boyfriend is out there waiting for the next chance to drug and kidnap me.”

Ulysses, who’d been walking ahead of us, stopped and whirled around so fast Gareth had to lurch to a stop, making me hiss in pain.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Rosie, I didn’t realize you guys were that close behind me,” Lysse apologized, reaching out to take my hand, searching my face to make sure I wasn’t in too much pain.

We had to hold off on my next dose of pain meds because it made my memory foggy, and I wanted to ensure I could tell the cops everything.

“I’m okay,” I said after a second of taking slow, deep breaths. “Just didn’t have time to prepare myself for abrupt movement. You know, if I were walking, this wouldn’t have been a problem.”

Gareth merely gave me an unamused look. “No, it would have been worse.”

“He’s right. Sorry to break it to you, but on your own, I’m a hundred percent certain you would have crashed right into me instead of stopping in time,” Ulysses agreed, kissing the back of my hand. “Anyway, the reason I felt the need to pull a U-turn is because I want to make it perfectly clear that Randall isn’t ever going to get that close to you ever again. One close call is all any of us, including your brothers, are willing to risk.”

I let out a sigh and squeezed Lysse’s hand. “Add me to that list as well. That’s one experience I would like never to repeat again.”

“Talking to the detectives will be a good step in the right direction. We’ve told them what pieces you’ve shared with us, but I know they have a lot of questions to ask as well,” Gareth shared. “If it gets to be too much, then you say the word, and we’ll tell them to come back another time. What you have to share is important, but, baby girl, your mental health is more important to me, no matter the guilt trip they try to lay on you.” He nuzzled a kiss to my hair, which had me preening under my Alpha’s attention.

“Okay, let’s get this over with,” I urged. “Besides, you said a surprise was showing up later today as well. With this much excitement, I’m gonna need a nap between these major events.”

The two men chuckled, smiling at me as they walked side by side the rest of the way to the living room. Probably a smart choice after our close call.

My other three Alphas were there with two people I didn’t know—a man and a woman dressed in suits. Gareth carried me over to the chaise lounge so I had the most room to get comfortable. Everyone waited as I tucked pillows where I needed them before Gareth curled around me. Warrick chose to sit at the end of the chaise so he could rub my feet for me. Something we discovered helped keep my mind off how uncomfortable I was.

“Here, kitten, it’s your favorite,” Vili said, offering me a mug that looked like an adorable blue llama.

Taking a sniff of the beverage, I sighed in happiness. “Thank you, Vili.”

“Miss Thatcher, I’m Detective Vogal, and this is my partner, Detective Kelsen,” the man introduced. “While I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances, I am glad to see you are recovering well. If you don’t mind, I’d like to cut right to the chase since we have yet to apprehend Mr. Steele.”

“Of course I understand,” I assured him. “Thank you for giving me time to recover before having to relive this nightmare.”

Vogal glanced at Yun with irritation before focusing back on me. “You have some rather persuasive Alphas,” he muttered before flipping open his notepad. “We’ve seen the footage of your studio space, but it didn’t have any audio. Could you tell us what exactly Mr. Steele intended to do when he showed up at your studio?”

I took a sip of the tea Vili handed me, knowing it would help to keep me calm. Once I remembered everything that happened, I’d been having nightmares, but my therapist felt they would dissipate once I was off some of these heavy pain meds and sleep aids. She’d also suggested that helping the police might offer some relief since it allowed me to participate in Randall’s capture.

“I get lost in my world when I sketch. Add in the music playing, and I had no idea Randall was there until he tapped my shoulder. To say I was surprised and confused to find him there is an understatement. I’d told him my dreams for that building and how much I loved it, but not in a way he’d go there to look for me. When I talked with my family, none of them had mentioned to Randall their plan to turn that place into my studio,” I shared, looking down at the burnt orange color of the tea.

Gareth kissed my shoulder, reminding me he was here with me while Warrick firmly squeezed my foot.

“Randall told me I was his and that my pack had no right to take me from him,” I looked up at the two detectives. “I don’t understand why he would think that. Everyone knows when you meet your scent matches, everything changes. Anyone you were with before no longer matters. It’s a harsh and cruel reality when you’re the person who’s rejected, but it’s not uncommon enough for Randall not to know.”

“Are you saying Mr. Steele planned to kidnap you?” Detective Kelsen pressed.

I nodded, taking a gulp of tea now that it had cooled. “Yes, he planned to drug me then head for Trastle, where we would start a new life. The bastard picked there because there was another top hospital for people who have my medical issues. He’d even found a doctor willing to take me on as a patient. What Randall didn’t get is if he used that tranquilizer on me, it would have killed me.”

Kelsen jotted down various notes as I talked. “Do you know what hospital or the name of the doctor?”

“I don’t know the name of the doctor, but I’m positive the hospital he was talking about is Fairview Heart Medical Center,” I offered. “Dr. Arbour had mentioned the other group of doctors performing the experimental surgery I just had were located there. If you ask around who would be able to conduct the surgery, it will narrow down your list of doctors to talk to.”

“Thank you, Miss Thatcher, that is helpful,” Vogal said, then flipped back a few pages in his notes. “The last thing I want to touch on is the number of harassing phone calls and text messages you received prior to the attack. It seems they appeared after a week of total noncommunication. Would you have any insight into what caused this escalation?”