“Never mind,” Hugh said hastily. He must’ve seen the signs of impending breakdown in her expression. “That can wait. Let me get these cuffs off.”
Grateful for the reprieve, Jules held out a hand to Hugh.
“I thought you didn’t like me,” she said after swallowing several times. Her voice still sounded rusty. “And why do you carry a bobby pin around with you?”
“For my man bun,” he said absently, working on the cuff around her right wrist. Jules glanced at his shaved head and frowned. “And it wasn’t that I didn’t like you. I just didn’t trust you.”
“Okay.” Although that stung a little, Jules couldn’t blame him. After all, she had committed multiple felonies. He was right not to trust her. “So what changed?”
“You brought my boy back to life.” As the cuff clicked open, he met her eyes. “Don’t screw him over. We’re kind of related now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make your life a living hell.” He started fiddling with the lock on the second cuff.
“Kind of related?” she echoed, feeling dazed and wondering if this whole conversation was a product of her traumatized brain.
“Yep. You want Theo? Otto and I come with him. We’re a package deal.”
Next to them, Otto snorted a laugh. “Lucky you.”
The idea warmed Jules, even as it terrified her. Not only was she opening her life to a cop, but, it appeared, to the entire K9 unit. Her attempts at staying away from law enforcement officers had failed dramatically. She didn’t know if this would help keep her family safe or if it would bring their new lives crashing down.
“Yeah.” Even she wasn’t sure if her words were true—not yet. “Lucky me.”
Chapter 22
The sun was just dropping behind the western mountain peaks when Theo came around the final curve of the rutted driveway and saw Jules on the porch steps. Dee and the two younger boys were running around the yard, playing some kind of game that seemed to be a mix of rugby, lacrosse, and freeze tag. They shouted hello to Theo and welcomed Viggy into their game.
Stopping a few feet from the bottom step, Theo paused, looking at Jules. The red-gold light of the sunset warmed her face and hair, and she smiled at him. It was as if she controlled something in him, and he had to smile back. Not that he fought it…at least anymore.
“Hi.”
“Hey.” Theo took the last few strides he needed before sitting next to her on the step. “How are you?”
“Okay, surprisingly,” she said, leaning into him. “How about you?”
She still wasn’t close enough for his liking. Theo wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in tight. “I’ve got another week of mandatory leave and a whole new round of critical incident debriefings, but I’ll live.” It felt good to say that. “Gordon Schwartz skipped bail. I don’t think he’ll come here, but stay alert. Call me if you notice something suspicious, have a bad feeling, notice anything off at all.”
“I will,” she promised, and then gave him a slow smile. “You could stay here, too, if you like. Keep a…personal eye on things.”
He smiled back, feeling a surge of relief so intense it was almost painful. He’d almost lost her again.
Reaching up to the hand dangling over her shoulder, she caught his fingers in hers. “It’s nice to have you here.”
It was nice to be there, to feel the bite of fall in the air with Jules pressed close to his side, watching the kids and his K9 partner playing against the backdrop of the mountains. Theo realized that, for the first time in months, he was glad to be alive.
“Want to go see a movie tomorrow?” he asked, trying to play it off as casual even as his body tensed.
She stiffened, as well, turning to stare at him. “A date?”
“Yeah.”
“A real date?”
“Uh…” He sent her a sideways look. “What’s the other option? A fake date?”
Her laugh had a sharp edge to it. “I don’t know.”
“When I saw your SUV, and I knew you were in the diner…” He blew out a harsh breath as the remembered fear flooded through him. “I’ve never been so scared. Ever.”
Her fingers tightened around his.
“If something had happened to you, I would’ve been so pissed at myself for all the time I wasted. I should’ve asked you out that first time I saw you at the diner.” He stared at Viggy, who was dancing circles around the laughing kids, before meeting Jules’s eyes. “I don’t want to waste any more time. I love you. I want to be with you.”