“The fuck did you just say?” he shouted.
“Huh?” I asked, confused by his outburst.
“You knew she was going to burn your house down?”
“No, I didn’t. Well, not exactly. Shit,” I stammered and pinched the bridge of my nose. “She came to the hospital trying to get a prescription for pain pills. She threatened me in the parking lot and told me she would be back. She came back the night before the fire and didn’t get what she wanted. She was escorted out by hospital security, and she was pissed. I didn’t think she would try to burn my house down, though. I’m not even sure how she knew where I was staying,” I told him.
Before I could register what was happening, he had his cell phone pressed to his ear and walked away from me as he quietly spoke to someone. When he ended the call, he turned back to face me, “An officer will be coming by to take your statement in a little bit.”
“What? I don’t want to make a statement,” I shouted.
“You have to. Your mother and her whatever tried to kill you. They’ve already issued warrants for their arrests, but this new information proves it was premeditated.”
“I fucking knew this would happen if I came back here! For the last eight years, I’ve managed to live my life without that woman infecting any part of it, and now, after two weeks of living in the same town with her, she has affected my job and destroyed my home!” I screamed as tears of frustration ran down my cheeks.
And then something happened I didn’t see coming and wasn’t prepared for. He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. “It’s going to be okay, River. Everything’s going to be okay.” As he gently rubbed my back and whispered reassuring words, I was almost tempted to believe him.
I allowed myself to be comforted by him, to enjoy the safety of his arms around me, to let his masculine scent wash over me and relax me before I pushed against his chest—his undeniably rock-hard chest—and took a few steps back to put some much-needed distance between us.
Jonah stepped forward with his hand extended, but three sharp knocks on the door halted his movement. After checking the peephole, I opened the door and let the two female officers into my hotel room.
While I was silently scolding myself for my stereotypical thoughts as I was one hundred percent expecting the officers to be male, I apparently missed something.
“River? You okay?” Jonah asked, appearing directly in front of me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, what did I miss?” I asked and felt my cheeks redden.
“Just the introductions,” the first woman said. “I’m Officer Dunk, and this is Officer Underwood. Are you ready to give us your statement?”
“Yes?” I said, though it came out like a question. “Sorry, I’ve never done anything like this before, so you’ll have to talk me through it.”
Officer Dunk smiled kindly. “No problem, sweetie. You tell us what happened. We’ll ask any questions we have, then we’ll put it all into a formal report, have you read it, and sign it if you agree with everything on the report,” she explained.
So, I spent the next thirty minutes telling them what happened with my mother in the hospital parking lot. “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable discussing what happened while she was a patient without the presence of a representative from the hospital,” I said and shrugged. “HIPAA.”
They both nodded in understanding. “Honestly, the threats and the physical contact happened outside when I was off duty and she was no longer a patient.”
After a few more questions, they said someone would call me when the official report was ready for me to review and sign. “Ms. Lawson, we’ve issued warrants for their arrest, but as of right now, neither are in custody. It would be wise to be alert and cautious until they have been apprehended.” Then, she pointedly looked at Jonah and lifted her chin before letting the door close behind her.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked.
He grinned. “She’s a family friend. Well, they both are, but that was her way of telling me to look out for you without actually saying it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“No one said you did. But would it hurt to have someone watching your back? At least until they’ve been arrested?” he asked.
Sighing in exasperation, I admitted, “I guess not.”
Jonah tried to convince me to have dinner with him, but I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. Before leaving, he finally told me, rather awkwardly, that he was staying in the room next door until his home was cleared and to let him know if I needed anything. I agreed and then fell face down onto the softest mattress in the world and drifted into a deep sleep.
Brrrrnnnngggg! Brrrrnnnngggg! Brrrrnnnngggg!
The loud and obnoxious noise startled me awake. My eyes flew open but immediately slammed shut when the bright white flashing light assaulted them. It took two seconds for me to realize the fire alarm in the hotel was going off.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I screamed to the ceiling as I slid my feet into the slip-on sneakers I borrowed from Kennedy.
I startled again when someone pounded furiously on the door. “River!” Jonah screamed. “Rivvveeerrr!”
