“Where is she?” I asked quietly, afraid if I spoke any louder, I’d break down.
“She came to before the ambulance arrived, but they wanted to check her and the baby over.” Carianne wrung her hands. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks wan. “They’re checking her now.”
“Have you been checked over?” Sloane cupped Carianne’s cheek. “You look pale.”
Carianne nodded. “I’ve been looked over. I’m still so jittery. The police had a lot of questions and they said they’ll be back.” Her lip trembled. “Do you think I’ll go to jail?”
“Carianne.”
She turned to Walker.
“Tell us everything you know.”
At Walker’s calm command, she explained what Callie had told her when she was conscious in the ambulance—two men had broken into the bakery, looking for something. They hadn’t expected Callie’s defense skills, and she fought them off.
“The police found one of them smashed into your bakery counter,” Carianne told Sloane. “Callie just smashed his head right in there. Really bad arse of her. They took him away in an ambulance too. I don’t know if he’s alive.”
Pride and rage mingled. That Callie had even been in that position …
“Anyway, she got out and ran into the street. I was coming out of the Gloaming. I broke up with my single dad and was feeling sorry for myself, so I’d wasted the whole night looking for a hookup.” She blanched. “Getting off track. Anyway, I glanced down the street and I thought I was seeing things because there was Callie backing onto the road with her hands up in the air. So, I was about to go to her when I saw this huge bloke with a gun pointed in her face. It was like a scene from a movie. Well, I didn’t think.” Tears blurred in her eyes. “I just hopped into my car and drove the bloody thing at him. What if I killed him?”
“Carianne.” Walker bent his head to meet her eyes. “You saved my daughter’s life. There is no way I’m letting anyone punish you for that.”
“Really?” Her tears spilled over.
“Really.”
“I second that.” Sloane slid her arm around Carianne’s shoulders. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” She sniffled and then looked at me.
I nodded in gratitude. “Anything you ever need, it’s yours.”
Carianne shook her head. “Callie’s my friend, Lewis. I’ve always kind of hero-worshipped her, you know. I’d never let anyone hurt her if it was in my power to stop it.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a comforting pat on the arm before striding toward the reception area where a nurse worked at a computer. “Hi, I’m looking for my fiancée, Callie Ironside.”
She held up a finger before continuing to type.
I tried not to get agitated.
And just when I was on the cusp of barking at her, the nurse finally stopped typing and looked at me. “Can I help?”
Grinding my teeth, I took a second before I repeated my words.
She nodded and typed at her computer. “She’s with the doctor now. I’ll let you know when you can see her.”
“Is she okay?”
Her expression softened. “I can’t say.”
Fuck.
I reluctantly returned to the waiting area and slumped down into a chair next to Walker, repeating what the nurse said.
A little while later a woman in a blue midwife’s smock appeared. “Callie Ironside’s family?”
We all popped up out of our chairs like we were in a game of Whac-A-Mole.
