“Drop us off first, yeah?” Sully was saying to Jude. She didn’t care where they were going, only that her friends had come to support her.
“I have a friend pulling the tapes from the Baltimore pharmacy room, but I have a feeling of what we’ll end up seeing there.”
“What do you mean?” she asked looking at Jude’s solemn face in the rearview mirror.
Beside her, Thalia squeezed her arm. “Remember the day we were out for a walk and Bentley came running around the corner and nearly knocked you over? I was telling the guys that when we returned to the hospital, the alarms kept going off.”
Hope sparked in her chest as that afternoon formed in her mind. Crashing into something hard and looking up to find Bentley red-faced and panting. The way he impatiently watched her collect her belongings from the ground. ReassuringThalia that hospitals often needed security to respond when the announcements were made over the PA system.
“We think Bentley put the stolen drugs in your bag yesterday at my parents’ house, then called in a tip to the local precinct,” Sully said.
“I pulled the call records,” Jude said. “An anonymous male reported a woman fitting your description and the make, model, and license plate of Sully’s car. It had to be Bentley or one of his friends.”
She glanced around the car. They weren’t just at the court to support Sully, but her as well. Their eyes were bloodshot or sported dark circles. Sully was wearing the same clothes he had yesterday to his parents’ house. “How late did you spend working on this?”
“Sully called us from his truck right after you got detained,” Red said. “We all went directly to the police station, but they wouldn’t let us see you no matter what we said. After that, we went back to your place and tried to figure out what the hell happened.”
When Jude pulled into the parking lot of the town house, relief swamped her. Home. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be allowed back here. Ever welcomed back into the safety of Sully’s arms.
“Take care of her,” Jude said meeting Sully’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “We’ll get this straightened out.”
“I will. Thanks for your help.” Sully unbuckled and slid from the car and Thalia gave her a hard hug.
When they stepped inside the familiar surroundings, tears welled up behind her lids once again. Her legs felt wobbly as Sully led her directly to the main bedroom.
“Sit down, love,” he said stopping by the bed. Once she was sitting, he walked into the connecting bathroom. The sound of water hitting the bottom of the soaking tub rushed to her ears.She was still trembling with cold when Sully returned to the room.
“Shouldn’t we talk about everything?” Her teeth chattered. Part of her was afraid now that they were alone, he would start to question her, but he didn’t.
“The only thing I care about right now is taking care of you.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “We’ll talk once you’ve relaxed in a hot bath, have on some comfortable sweats, and a full belly.”
He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Arms up, baby.” She raised them over her head and let Sully pull off the police station’s thin orange shirt. He immediately shoved it in the trash, followed by the elastic-waist pants. He turned off the faucet and helped her step in. Then he waited as she sunk beneath the steamy water. He’d added her favorite shower gel to the bottom of the tub, adding a thick layer of bubbles to the top. “Call me when you’re ready to get out if you’re feeling unsteady. Your towel is in the dryer, so it’ll be nice and hot when you’re ready to get out. I’ll bring in some comfortable clothes in a few minutes but take as long as you’d like. Anything special you want for lunch?”
She shook her head, and he crouched beside the tub. A wince crossed his face, and she narrowed her eyes. “You shouldn’t be bending your leg like that. Not if it hurts.”
“Please humor me. I just had the woman I love taken from me. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I’ve been questioning if what I did at the traffic stop was right. Going over it again and again, wishing I didn’t let them take you.”
She shook her head. “There was nothing you could’ve done. When I saw you, Red, Jude and Thalia in the courthouse this morning, I was sure I was imagining it.”
Something pained flashed across his face. “You didn’t call.”
“I didn’t call anyone. I thought… I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me.”
“I will always want to hear from you. Relax. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
He returned after she’d languished in the tub, relishing in the hot water until some of the chill that had seeped down to her bones dissipated. As promised, Sully returned with a dryer-warmed towel and a matching Navy sweatshirt, pants, and her fuzzy socks. This type of care and attention was something she’d never experienced before. When she padded out into the living space, Sully had lunch set up on the kitchen island. He’d gotten takeout from a café down the street.
“I figured you could use some calorie-laden comfort food.” He motioned to the mac and cheese, tomato bisque, and paninis spread out on the granite counter.
“Good choice.” She took a little of each and sat down at the table across from Sully. She lifted her spoon and ate some of the soup, the rich taste of tomatoes and cream warmed her from the inside out. Still, she couldn’t eat much. Her stomach still clenched at the thought of the conversation she needed to have with Sully. When they were finished, Sully cleaned up the kitchen and motioned toward the couch. He pulled her onto his lap, wrapped a blanket around them both and held her tight.
“Why didn’t you trust me to have your back?” he whispered, but she could hear the edge of hurt slicing through the soft sound.
She swallowed hard. “I—It would’ve been too painful if you hadn’t. When you got in your truck, I assumed you thought I was guilty.”
“Me standing by your side has nothing to do with innocence or guilt and everything to do with me loving you. You need to know that my love isn’t conditional. You don’t need to be a saint to earn it.”
“Those drugs weren’t mine.”
