Gracie called him.
Her hand is still in mine, limp and icy, but Gracie hasn’t reopened her eyes. She’s not sleeping, but she’s not quite here with us either.
“Braxton?” Nolan prompts, a hint of impatience tinging his voice.
“I don’t know much,” I croak out. “There was a break-in, and Gracie was inside when it happened.” My eyes slide to the florist, all the lights on as police officers move in and out. “I don’t even know if they caught the guy.”
Nolan shakes his head. “I thought this town was safe.”
“It is…” I trail off as Darren reappears, peering into the ambulance at the two of us.
“We need to get going,” he says uncertainly, “but we can only take one person.”
Nolan immediately looks down at me, his expression expectant and eyes hard. He’s waiting for me to try to claim that spot, and he’s gearing up for a fight, but I just tip my chin at him.
“He’s going.”
Gracie’s hand tightens on mine, just briefly, and I glance at her, but she doesn’t move. I swallow past the lump in my throat as I stroke my thumb over her knuckles, bending back down and talking to her softly.
“I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay? Either in Ashland or at home.” Her lashes flutter, peering up at me with tired eyes, and I give her a small smile. “I’ll bring Mom.”
“Okay.” It’s almost inaudible, but it’s a coherent word, and relief swells in my chest. I stroke her hand one last time and then let her go. I stand up, walking past Nolan, but he reaches out, grabbing my arm.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. “For being here for her.”
I shake my head. “Don’t thank me for that,” I say gruffly. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” I hesitate, hatingasking him for anything, but— “Will you keep me updated? Please.” The word gets stuck in my throat.
Nolan gives me an appraising look before nodding. “I can do that.”
“You need my number?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s still in Gracie’s phone.”
“Thank you.” I give him a weak smile.At least she hasn’t completely erased me yet.“Take care of her.”
Nolan pats my shoulder, and then I’m jumping out of the rig, stepping away so Darren can shut the doors. Less than a minute later, I watch as they pull away, leaving me standing there feeling helpless and completely out of control.
The ambulance disappears around the corner, but I still don’t move until Nick comes to stand at my side.
“Is she okay?” he asks quietly, but I can only shake my head. Nick sighs. “The guy was gone by the time the first patrol car arrived on the scene. There’s some blood inside, but we don’t know who it belongs to.”
“Gracie had blood on her head,” I mutter. Nick doesn’t say anything, but Ifeelhis wince. “What?”
“It, uh…It wasn’t just Gracie’s head. The perp…” He rubs a hand over his jaw, not quite meeting my eyes. “He had a knife. We’ve got it in evidence. The asshole dropped it when he ran.” He pauses again, looking like he’s eating something bitter.
“Just tell me.”
“I didn’t see the damage, but he sliced up Gracie’s back.”
I press my hands to the back of my head, letting out a loud curse as I look up at the sky. “How the fuck does this happen? When was the last time Sterling Creek had a fucking madman with akniferobbing places?”
“I’d rather teens started setting houses on fire again,” Nick deadpans, but holds his hands up when I glare athim. “Too soon. Right. We’ll catch the guy, Brax. He’s fucking up, making mistakes. No one’s ever seen him before until now. Someone will talk to Gracie tomorrow, and she might be able to point us in the right direction.”
“That doesn’t help,” I murmur, staring at the spot where the rig disappeared from view. I sigh, a sound weary and bone-deep. “I feel so fucking helpless right now. What am I supposed to do?”
He lifts a shoulder. “I’d suggest going home and getting some sleep, but I know that’s not going to happen.” He pauses, and I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my face. “Give me an hour. You can stay at my place tonight.”
“No beer,” I mutter.
