“Good.” He steered me around, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Let’s get you to the station to make a statement. We have tweezers there.”
Chapter 26
After a grueling session with Detective Pierce, one Nick Basanelli interrupted half-way through to conduct his own set of questioning, I went home absolutely exhausted. At least I’d been able to pick all the slivers and bark out of my hands before spraying them with antibacterial stuff the police kept available.
Nick’s newest lecture on staying out of the investigative side of my job had only irritated me. Part of my job was helping to investigate.
My day just got worse when I saw the motorcycle parked in front of my garage. Come on. Wincing, I got out of my car and headed for the porch.
“What the hell happened to you?” Aiden stood from his position on the porch swing.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped.
His frown darkened as he caught sight of my filthy foot. “I’m not sure. Just wanted to check on you.”
Wasn’t that sweet? I felt like punching him right in the face. I shrugged, my teeth started to chatter; whether from wet clothes or delayed shock, I wasn’t sure. His eyebrows lifted, and he grasped my arm to propel me forward. We walked into the warm kitchen. The aroma of stew from the crockpot hit me instantly. Man, I was hungry.
Aiden sniffed the air like a wolf with a scent. “What is that?”
“Tuscan Soup.” I had thrown the ingredients into the crockpot before heading to work earlier. Man, what if Nick was right? What if I could get through to Aiden for answers? I didn’t like myself very much for thinking that way, but I had just been chased through the woods by a couple of killers. So, why not? “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Why don’t you open a bottle of wine while I change?” I nodded at my wine rack—I needed a drink. I started limping forward with my decrepit sandal. My other foot left a brown squishy trail in my wake.
A hand on my arm stopped me, and I looked up into concerned blue eyes. “Are you injured anywhere?”
The sweetness threatened to shake my resolve, and the temptation to snuggle into his big chest caught me hard. I shook my head. “No, just cold.”
A frown settled between his brows as he pulled a stick out of my hair. “Where does it hurt?”
Everywhere. “Um, I may have a couple of bruises.”
He grasped my wrists with the lightest of touches, turning over my hands. Raw, red scrapes slashed across both palms, even though they’d been treated at the police station.
Everything around him stilled. Even the air. I gulped.
He lifted his gaze, a muscle spasming in his jaw. “Where else?”
I shrugged. Aiden angled his head to the side, staring at my legs. My knees started to tremble.
His eyes fired. “Do I need to kill somebody?”
I huffed out a laugh. He didn’t even smile.
“Um, no.” He had to be joking. Didn’t he? It figured his time of being my hero was long past. The hint that he’d like to be one again gave proof to Nick’s analysis of him. Just great.
“What happened, Angel?” Aiden asked.
The trembling moved north until even my shoulders shook. “I don’t think I can talk about it.” Yeah, I wanted to trust him. At this point, I couldn’t trust anybody. Except maybe Detective Pierce, and we didn’t even like each other.
Aiden nodded once. Not like he was agreeing; more like he was having an internal conversation. “We’ll see. Are you in danger now?”
“Right this second?” Not if Aiden wasn’t a threat.
“Yes,” he said, his voice low and smooth.
“No. The police arrived in time.” I didn’t like this conversation. “Of course, maybe you know the guys who chased me. They were the men from the brown van who shot at us the other day.” Then I watched him closely.
