Janie gave Emmett a look before standing from the chair. She leaned down and gave her friend the gentlest of hugs.
“We’ll let you get some rest.” She kissed her friend on the temple. “I’ll be back tomorrow. And call if you want me to smuggle you in something more edible than what they’re giving you here.”
“Okay.” Devon rewarded her with a weary smile.
“Love you, Dev.” She gave her friend another parting squeeze of her hand.
The other woman’s fingers held hers a bit tighter. “I love you back.”
As they were leaving the room, Blake appeared at Devon’s door with a huge bouquet of flowers.
“Hey.” Emmett greeted his teammate. He eyed the flowers and shot Blake a questioning glance.
“What?” Blake shrugged. “I figured if Devon had to be stuck her a couple more days, she might like something bright and cheery to look at.”
Janie’s chest grew warm, and her lips began to spread into a wide, toothy grin. But her smile fell when the cut on her lip from earlier started to pull.
A flash of a memory from Campbell’s hand cutting across her jaw struck, and she squeezed her eyes shut. But then she felt Emmett’s comforting hand on her lower back, and she knew she was safe.
She opened her eyes and brought her gaze up to his. The worry she found there nearly broke her.
Not now. Not here.
“Can we please go home?” Janie blinked the sudden rush of emotion away.
“Of course.” His stare held hers as he carefully pulled her to his side. Turning to Blake, he asked, “You ready?
Earlier, after Blake and the others had driven her and Emmett to the hospital to get her arm stitched, he and the rest of the team had driven the SUV back to the office. While they cleaned her blood from the back seat and floorboard, Blake had driven his personal car back to the hospital so they’d have a ride home.
“Let me set these down in here really quick, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
Janie couldn’t help but wonder about Blake’s interestin her friend. It could be something as simple as their kindred tech genius spirits.
Or it could be something more.
Emmett linked his fingers with her good hand and kissed the top of her head. “Come on.” He winked. “Let’s get you to the car.”
Thirty minutes later, they’d said their goodbyes to Blake and were walking into Emmett’s apartment. He closed the door behind her, setting the alarm as soon as the door was locked.
“Are you hungry?” He moved toward her slowly.
Janie shook her head no.
“Want me to run you a bath?”
Another jerky shake.
Her throat felt tight, and it was becoming hard to swallow. The corners of her eyes stung, and her nose burned from her efforts to keep the overwhelming emotions at bay.
“Hey.” Emmett closed the distance and pulled her close, careful of her injured arm. “It’s okay.” He cupped the back of her head, guiding it to his chest. “You’re safe now.”
The comforting words broke her. A loud sob escaped, and Janie’s face crumbled into a puddle of tears.
As he had in that terrifying basement, Emmett scooped her up, holding her with ease as he carried her to the couch. He sat down, lowering himself while keeping her secure in his strong arms.
“I know,” he crooned. “That’s it. Cry as loud and as much as you can.”
He shouldn’t have said that, because it only made her sobs grow stronger.
