He wished he could take her pain away, while at the same time, was so damn grateful it was just her ankle that was hurt, aside from some scrapes and bruises.
“Okay, Miss Taylor, all done.” The paramedic finally pulled off his gloves and stepped back. “Based on your range of movement, the ankle doesn’t appear to be broken. You’re welcome to go to the hospital and get an x-ray if you want, but I think it’s just a bad sprain, made worse by the walking you did on it.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital,” she said quickly, leaning into Kayden’s side. “I just want to go home.”
“Well, plenty of rest and ice is my advice then.”
She nodded as the paramedic walked away. Kayden was about to help Tilly up when Eastern came over to them.
“Hey.” His brother studied Tilly’s face. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry to ask you to do this, but I need you to take me through what happened tonight.”
Kayden growled. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” She was exhausted.
Eastern opened his mouth, but Tilly touched a hand to Kayden’s chest.
“It’s okay.” She took a breath before looking at Eastern. “I was about to leave for the day when I realized I had an urgent invoice to pay. I went back in but I couldn’t find it on my desk, so I searched Pixie’s. That’s when I found the framed photo in her bottom drawer, of her wearing the watch that had Macy’s blood on it.”
Eastern nodded. “The framed photo with the broken glass.”
Tilly cringed. “The broken glass was me… I was so shocked, I dropped it. I was going to leave, but I heard something on the deck. I thought it was Jake.” Her lips turned down. They’d already told her about how they’d found Jake and how paramedics had rushed him to the hospital. “I saw the door to the café close.”
“That’s when you called me?” Kayden asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, and then I walked in to see Pixie standing at the safe. She pulled a gun on me. Told me she helped her father pay his medical bills and it drained all her money. That his death made her want to get out of here and live her life. She admitted to killing Macy because Macy caught her stealing from the first safe. And shooting Jake. She said the money was Linda’s.”
A shudder coursed down her spine, and he pulled her closer.
“How did you get away without her shooting you?” Eastern asked.
“My dad—” She straightened, eyes widening. “Oh my God, my dad! I completely forgot! He was here. He came out of nowhere and tackled me. He saved me from being shot, but thenhewas shot in the stomach. Is he okay? God, please tell me he’s not dead.”
Her father had been the source of the blood. The person who’d run.
Kayden and Eastern exchanged a look. A look Tilly obviously caught.
“What?” she asked.
Kayden cleared his throat. “The café was empty when we got there…and so was the safe.”
She frowned. “You mean he was able to take the money and get away after beingshot?”
Seemed to be the case. Looked like not much stopped the guy from seizing an opportunity to take money that wasn’t his.
“I’ve had an APB out for his arrest since we found out he was in town,” Eastern said, pulling out his radio. “And local hospitals will notify my office if they treat a gunshot wound.” He looked back at Tilly. “Go home. Get some rest. We can chat some more tomorrow. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded, but no part of Kayden believed that.
The second his brother left, he stepped in front of Tilly and cupped her cheek. “How are you really doing?”
“It was Pixie. All this time, the murderer the entire town was looking for, Jake’s shooter, and the person who framed me…she was sitting right outside my office and I didn’t even know.”
“None of us knew.” But damn, he wished he had. He should be better than that.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You saved me.”
