“I have every right.” Caleb hauled him to his feet. “You’re on my property. The police are on the way. Soon, you’ll be under arrest for assault and trespassing.”
The fight went out of Garrick all at once. His shoulders sagged, his head dropped.
“Let’s go.”
Wyatt hauled him back through the woods while Caleb went to Millie. She met him halfway and threw her arms around him.
“I’m so glad you came,” she cried into his chest.
“I’ll never make the mistake of leaving you again,” he murmured.
She looked up and opened her mouth as if to say more. Then she pressed her lips together.
He knew they had a lot more to talk about, and this wasn’t the time.
As much as he’d love to talk more, he knew they couldn’t. Not now. Not here.
Instead, he wrapped an arm around her and began leading her back to the house.
By the time they reached the clearing, red and blue lights were flashing through the trees. Sheriff Sutherland’s deputies had arrived.
Maybe this was all finally over.
chapter
fifty
Millie satin the back of the ambulance, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
However, she still couldn’t seem to get warm—probably because her chill was internal.
Her hands shook as she accepted the bottle of water someone pressed into them. She took a sip, wincing as the liquid went down her bruised throat.
Biscuit pressed against her side, refusing to leave her. She stroked his head, grounding herself in the familiar softness of his fur.
The woods behind Refuge Cove were chaos now—deputies moving through the trees with flashlights, yellow crime scene tape stretching between the trunks, radios crackling with updates. Wyatt and Thunder were out there helping.
Garrick was gone. He’d already been transported to the station in the back of a cruiser.
But Millie could still feel his arm around her throat. Could still hear his voice in her ear.
“Ms. Anderson?”
She looked up to find Sheriff Sutherland approaching, notebook in hand.
His expression was kind but professional. “I know this has been traumatic. But I need to ask you some questions while everything is still fresh. Is that okay?”
Millie nodded, her throat too tight to speak unless she had to.
“Can you walk me through what happened? Starting from when you left the house.”
She took another sip of water, trying to organize her scattered thoughts. Then she ran through the events of the evening. She held nothing back.
She told him about the abuse. About Garrick’s admission of killing the PI and assaulting Max.
When she finished, she looked up and her eyes found Caleb across the clearing.
He stood near one of the sheriff’s vehicles, his posture rigid, his attention fixed on her even as a deputy spoke to him.
