She went downstairs, bare feet quiet on the steps, and stopped with her hand on the front door.
A shadowy figure she recognised stood on the step. She recognised the hair first, then the shape of her shoulders.
It was Matty.
Sloan eased the door open and it stuck, as it always did. She yanked it harder, and when it opened, she stood still for a moment, just staring.
Sloan didn’t know what to do. Happy to see her. Furious at the worry. Scared by the state of her. In the end, none of it mattered.
“Matty!” Sloan gasped, opening the door wider. Her hands came up, warm palms cupping cold cheeks. She pulled Matty inside and into an embrace that ended when their mouths met in a kiss that was soft and brief.
“I was worried sick.” Sloan then pulled back just enough to see her properly. “Where’s your coat? You must be freezing.” She didn’t give Matty a chance to speak.
Sloan shut the door behind them, untied her dressing gown and slipped it off, wrapping it round Matty’s shoulders. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
She took Matty’s hand and led her to the kitchen. Sloan snapped on the light and they both blinked.
“Hot chocolate,” Sloan said. “Then bed.”
Matty stood still in the middle of the room. Her hands were shaking with small tremors she couldn’t hide.
“Sloan?” Her voice was small.
Sloan turned, recognising everything in a heartbeat, and moved back towards her. “I’m here,” she said as Matty fell against her. “I’m here.” Her arms wrapped around Matty. “What do you need?”
“Just—hold me,” Matty said, face buried against Sloan’s neck. “I’m sorry. I’ve messed everything up.”
“You haven’t,” Sloan said. She ran her hand over Matty’s curls, resting her palm against the back of her head. “What happened?”
“I’m still trying to work it out.” Matty pulled back. Her eyes glistened with tears, but she tried a small smile. “I…” She swallowed hard. “I was arrested.”
Even saying it out loud made her flinch. She watched Sloan’s face, waiting for it to change.
Sloan nodded. “I know.”
“You know? How?”
“Let me make this hot chocolate and then we’ll talk, okay?”
She set about it. Milk went into the pan, slowly heating before she added several heaped spoonfuls of luxury chocolate powder. She stirred slowly and let her thoughts settle. Matty was here. Breathing. Warmth coming back into her hands.
When the drink was ready, she poured it into two mugs.
“Okay, it’s late. Let’s go up,” she said with a smile. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“You sure about that?” Matty grimaced, not yet convinced.
“Yes. I’ve assessed the risks and—” Sloan huffed a laugh without humour. “It’s going to be fine.”
Chapter fifty-nine
They settled into bed, mugs of hot chocolate on the bedside tables, pillows plumped and stacked behind them. Matty lay curled into Sloan’s side, under one arm.
“It was horrible,” she said quietly. The cell flashed back—pale blue walls, a slab that might as well have been concrete for a bed. “They put me in a cell.”
Sloan’s arm tightened around her protectively. Her jaw set. “Horrific.” She kissed the top of Matty’s head. “Why did they arrest you?”
“I’d just got home. I knew something was off the second I saw him, but I didn’t—”
