Pierce exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “I’m just trying to be what she needs.”
Glen’s gaze flicked toward the hallway again. “Just keep her safe,” he murmured. “Please.”
Pierce nodded once. “I will.”
He glanced at his watch. It had been almost forty-five minutes since he left Charley in his bedroom. And he was starting to get a little antsy.
After another ten minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore, and he excused himself to go and check on her.
???
Charley stood under the showerhead, letting the hot water trickle down her skin, as if it could rinse away the images stuck behind her eyes.
Her arm stung a little when she shifted, the covered bandage pulling faintly. But the heat had felt wonderful on her body and helped loosen the tightness in her muscles. For the first time since the shots rang out, she felt like she could actually take a full breath without it catching in her chest.
After noticing that her fingers were starting to prune, she shut off the water and used the fluffy towel to dry off.
She still felt shaken and was still numb a little, but at least she was clean.
After slathering on her lotion, she slipped into her comfy tank top and pajama pants, being careful not to bother her arm. It was starting to ache again, and she knew she should take something, but she wanted to eat something with it, or she would end up with a stomachache.
She heard her phone buzz from the bedroom. When she walked over to Pierce’s bed and looked at her phone, she saw she had messages from Alex, Bailey, and even Irish.
A small, watery laugh slipped out of her before she could stop it. It didn’t feel like humor so much as relief—because these people, this messy, loud, stubborn military family, wrapped their arms around you whether you were ready or not.
Family.She thought to herself.It was the word Jessica had used at the cookout.
Charley lowered herself onto the edge of Pierce’s bed and sat for a moment as she read through the messages. Alex’s made her smile even though she sounded bossy as hell. And Irish and Bailey’s message actually made her laugh. They had told her how worried they were, to call them for anything, that they didn’t hold her betrayal against her. They had been referring to the night of the grand opening, when she embarrassed them by getting Sienna to tell everyone about their camping trip. They weren’t really mad. They had even laughed about it later that night, and they all still joke about it.
A soft knock sounded at the bedroom door, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Hey,” Pierce’s voice came through gently. “Can I come in?”
Charley swallowed and forced a small smile even though he couldn’t see it. “Yeah.”
The door opened, and Pierce stepped inside, then closed it behind him. His gaze immediately found hers.
Charley gave him a small smile, and warmth flickered through her chest. She could tell that he was worried about her. She appreciated him more than he knew. He had been her rock today. Without him by her side, she would have probably been hospitalized.
Pierce crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, his knee brushing against hers.
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.
Charley tilted her head and tried for something light. “Clean,” she said. “Which feels like a miracle, considering I looked like I had lost a fight with a crime scene.”
Pierce’s mouth curved, the tension in his face easing just a fraction. “Yeah,” he murmured, a soft huff of laughter escaping him. “Clean is good.”
The smile fell from her lips, replaced by honesty she couldn’t keep tucked away anymore. “I do feel a little better,” she admitted. “Still processing it all. But the shower helped.”
He nodded. “Sometimes it takes a while,” he said. “Trauma, like what you experienced, doesn’t just switch off.”
Charley’s gaze dropped to his hands resting on his thighs, the way his fingers flexed like he was fighting the urge to reach for her. “Any updates?” she asked quietly, even though she already knew the answer by the look in his eyes. Plus, he was doing that jaw thing again.
“Ray spoke with his friend at the police department. Dr. Marwood was found murdered.”
Charley’s stomach dropped, and she covered her mouth. “Oh, my God!”
Charley stared at the wall for a second, her mind spinning. She looked at Pierce.
