But for now, Sydney was safe. Gloriously alive. Wrapped in her new scarf and coat, cheeks pink with excitement, an adorable bunny purse bouncing at her side.
They ate lunch at Leroy’s Diner, and she practically swooned over the milkshake, fries, and ridiculously oversized sandwich that Roxanne brought her. Roland just watched her, soaking in the sunshine of her laughter. He didn’t miss the way Levi kept his foot against hers under the table or the way Sydney leaned instinctively toward any warmth they gave her.
After lunch, they hit a couple of shops. Sydney found a tiny boutique and tried on sunglasses she absolutely didn’t need for winter, posing dramatically while Roland offered exaggerated nods of approval and Levi pretended to take fashion notes.
Then came the bookstore. It was quiet and cosy, smelling like old pages and pine-scented candles. The second they walked in, Sydney exhaled like she was home.
“You boys go look at your man-books,” she teased. “I need to go touch every single cover in the romance section.”
Levi raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”
Sydney nodded. “I’ll stay in the shop. Promise. I’m just… happy. I want to browse for a few minutes, see if they have any books by my favorite indie authors.”
Roland studied her, then glanced at Levi, who gave a quiet nod. “We’ll be right over there,” Roland said, tipping his headtoward a nearby shelf. “History section. The most boring thing imaginable. If you so much as sneeze weird, we’ll hear it.”
She grinned and kissed his cheek. “Noted.”
For the next ten minutes, Roland skimmed a hardcover about frontier architecture while Levi perused a book on survival knots.
But something nagged at Roland. A twitch of unease. He didn’t know if it was the lighting, the angle of the street through the shop window, or just plain intuition, but something itched under his skin.
He was turning toward Levi, just about to speak, when he realized he wasn’t the only one on edge. Levi wasn’t looking at a book, he was scanning the area when a scream split the air.
Roland dropped the book andran.
He burst out the front door on Levi’s heels, heart thundering, every muscle in his body snapping to high alert.
They saw her instantly. Sydney, just outside the shop, struggling violently against a man trying to drag her toward a dark sedan parked halfway on the curb.
“Get your hands off her!” Levi roared, voice like thunder.
But Sydney didn’t need rescuing just yet.
She wasfighting. Not flailing, butfighting.Her knee connected with the man’s groin, and he doubled over with a gasp. She twisted, elbowed him in the jaw, and when he grabbed her arm again, she bit downhard.
“Let go of me!” she screamed, voice breaking. “Help! Somebody help me!”
Several people nearby had already turned, phones raised, and Roland heard the blip of someone calling 911.
Levi reached them first, slamming the man into the hood of the sedan with a growl that sent shivers up Roland’s spine.
“Don’t youdaretouch her,” Levi hissed.
Roland was at Sydney’s side in an instant, his arms wrapping around her as she sobbed and shook. “It’s okay, baby. You’re safe. We’ve got you.”
She was clutching him like a lifeline, but even through her tears, she choked out, “It’s Greg. He looks different, his beard is gone, but it’s-it’s him. I didn’t freeze. I—I fought.”
“Youdid, little bird,” he whispered fiercely, kissing the top of her head. “You wereincredible.” But inside he was roiling. The rage at the man who dared to try and take what was his was so immense it took all of his willpower to keep it in check so he could care for Sydney instead. He would have to, and did, trust Levi to handle this.
Greg was face-down on the hood, pinned by Levi and the growing crowd of concerned bystanders keeping their distance. Roland saw the unmistakable sheriff’s cruiser pull up moments later, lights flashing. Deputies piled out. Levi raised his hands and stepped back slowly, and Greg was immediately cuffed and hauled upright.
The sheriff himself got out of the second car and took one look at Sydney’s tear-streaked face before nodding grimly.
“You must be Ms. du Preez,” he said, but didn’t wait for her to respond. “You’re safe now, we’ve got it from here.”
Roland felt Sydney sag in his arms, relief crashing over her. Levi came to her side, wrapping one arm around both of them as she buried her face in his chest.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
