Page 98 of One Kind Soul

“We found you because Aidan Travers contacted Detective Donovan Henley after you called him from here. After conferring with Henley in Vermont and us here on Kauai, police in California were able to trace the call back to this location,” the officer who had cut her free said.

“Lynda has people working for her too,” Nicole said. “She said she had people waiting for a text from her to hurt my friends in Vermont if I didn’t meet her here.”

“Already taken care of,” the officer said. “We picked up one Martin Leapsy and he was extremely talkative once we described prison to him. He gave us all the names we needed.”

“So my friends? They’re safe?” Christian is safe?

“Yup. Maplehaven police picked up three individuals who gave us the same information Leapsy did.” The officer arrowed a thumb toward Lynda who was now on her feet and cuffed. “She’s going back to prison, but definitely a more secure one.”

EMTs came onto the scene and escorted Nicole out of that shitty apartment. They checked her over and fortunately she was fine. After a trip to the local police station and giving her account of the events, Nicole was cleared to leave.

And there was only one place she wanted to go.

Chapter Seventeen

Christian stretched, taking in the room around him and needing a minute before he remembered he was at Donovan’s house, trying to stay safe while Nicole was in the middle of danger. He was such a coward. In every romantic movie he’d ever watched, the hero always did something rash and risky to save the heroine. He couldn’t recall a single movie where the hero hid.

But in his defense, he had gotten sidelined by anaphylactic shock. He could have died from that bee sting.

Still, he needed to do something. Sitting up, he raked his hands through his hair a few times while on Donovan’s couch. He pushed to his feet then stopped short when he looked outside.

It was dark out. Why is it dark out? When he’d talked with Tessa, it had been super early in the morning. Had he . . .? Holy shit, had he slept through an entire day?

“Tessa?” he called.

“Yeah?”

He jumped when her voice came from the kitchen behind him. “Fuck, you scared me.”

“Sorry. I was making us some dinner. Landon and Aliza went back to their house with Donovan’s permission and a police escort so Landon can do his radio show, but I figured you and I have to eat.”

“How long have I been asleep?” He padded on bare feet into the kitchen and sat at the island after giving Remi a solid rubbing. “It’s nighttime.”

“You slept the day away, but you needed to, Christian. Your body went through a crisis.” Tessa paused. “Or maybe I should make that plural.”

“Yeah. I still feel sluggish, but I also feel amped up. Like I can’t relax now that I’m awake.” He drummed his hands on the island counter. “So I guess there’s no news about Nicole?”

Tessa shrugged as she stirred something that smelled wonderful in a big pot on the stove.

“Didn’t that call with Nicole’s father help any?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She averted his gaze, staring intently into the pot.

“I feel so helpless.” He slumped forward to rest his forehead on the island. “I suck as a hero.”

A moment later, Tessa’s arms came around his shoulders in a hug. “That is ridiculous, Christian Henley. My best friend in the world needed a ride from Boston to Maplehaven and you volunteered. Without asking for any compensation. Hell, you didn’t even ask me for gas money.”

“It was going on your bill,” he mumbled, not picking up his head from the island.

“Then in Boston, you used your body—your body, Christian—to shield my best friend from dying a horrible death by runaway van.”

“I didn’t consciously make that decision. I just did it.”

“I know.” Tessa rubbed a circle on his back that felt really good. “That’s what makes it even more heroic. You didn’t weigh the risks at all. You just acted for Nicole’s benefit.”

He shrugged.

“Next you proceeded to treat my best friend like royalty,” Tessa continued. “You went so far as to give her your love, Christian. You gave her your heart which might be the most heroic thing.” She pressed a kiss to the back of his head then returned to the stove. “So don’t let me hear any of this not-a-hero crap.”