“It’s—”
“Cody, I need your help in here,” Barry called from the kitchen before he could finish.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Saved by the old man. I’ll be back.”
Harper turned toward the door, but the woman was already gone. With a sigh, she pulled out the full trash bag from behind the bar and grabbed a can of cat food.
She heard Tommy the second she stepped outside. He came straight over to her and rubbed against her legs.
“Hey, boy. Have you been waiting for me?”
She’d been feeding him a lot lately, because, well, whywouldn’tshe want to come and have a pat and some cuddles with the friendly alley cat?
Setting the trash bag beside the cat bowl, she lowered to her haunches. The small can had barely been opened and Tommy was already trying to get his head inside.
“Hang on, buddy. I need to get it into your bowl first.” She chuckled as she emptied the can, and he immediately purred and hunkered down to eat the food. She scratched his head. “Maybe one day you’ll let Cody take you home. I think he’d be a good cat dad.”
In fact, she’d come to the conclusion he was probably good at everything.
With a shake of her head, she rose to her feet and moved to the dumpster. She’d just dropped the bag in when a quiet noise sounded behind her. She started to turn—
Rough fingers clenched her hair, yanking her head back.
She screamed and her assailant shoved her into the brick wall beside the dumpster. Her head collided with the surface, and a burst of pain blasted through her skull.
The attacker’s head lowered and a deep voice said something, but the buzzing between her ears was too loud and she couldn’t make out what they were saying. It wasn’t just the buzzing that distracted her though. It was the pain in her head. The heatof the person’s body, pressing her own to the bricks, causing claustrophobia to crawl through her veins.
She couldn’t think. Could barely breathe. It brought back all the memories of being a kid and having her father intimidate and hurt her.
The panic was starting to suffocate her when a door opened, then a loud, angry voice boomed. “Hey! What the fuck are you doing?”
Suddenly, she was released. Her knees caved and she dropped to the ground. Heavy footsteps pounded the ground, growing distant…then warm hands touched her arms before she heard Cody’s deep, calming voice.
“Harper! Are you okay?”
She looked up, holding his gaze like it was the only thing keeping her conscious. She tried to nod but was almost certain her head didn’t move.
She wasn’t okay. Not even close.
Cody wanted to hit something.No, not something. He wanted to find the asshole who’d shoved Harper against the wall and drive his fist into the jerk’s face.
He’d bruised her. Hurt her. Scared her.
He lowered Harper onto the desk in his office, then immediately turned to search through the cabinet for the first aid kit. He’d already texted Eastern before carrying Harper in here. The station wasn’t far, so he wouldn’t take long. But it wasn’t enough, dammit!
The asshole who’d attacked her had gotten away. Cody could have chased him, but he couldn’t make himself leave her. Barryhad given chase, but despite the old man’s boasting about his stamina, he hadn’t been able to catch the asshole.
He returned to the desk and grabbed an antiseptic wipe. Gently, he patted the cut on her forehead, his gaze moving back to her wide eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you in time.”
She looked at him, a small frown creasing her brow. “It’s not your fault. You saved me.”
“You shouldn’t have needed saving. You certainly shouldn’t have gotten hurt. Not outside my bar. Not when I was so close.”
He was still dabbing the cut when she cupped his cheek. “Cody. Don’t take the blame for someone else. Someone attacked me. And if you hadn’t gotten to me when you had…” She stopped, her chest rising with a deep inhale. “I don’t know what would have happened. But I don’t think he would have just left. Thank you.”
He wrapped his fingers around the wrist of the hand cupping his cheek, needing to touch her. To feel her pulse beating beneath his fingertips. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
The door behind him opened and Eastern walked in, a deputy close on his heels.
