“Sergeant Collier,” Taggart stammered. “I didn’t, um…I was just…”
Collier moved around the counter to stand between the patrolman and his view of the living room. “In one pathetic, perverted breath, you have insulted and degraded my friends and my partner.”
“I didn’t…I meant no disrespect.”
“Yes, you did. Those three women are stronger, smarter, and have more goddamn heart and grit than you could ever hope to possess. You will speak to them and about them—and every other woman on the goddamn planet—with respect. If I ever hear bullshit like that come out of your stupid face again, Taggart, I will personally see to it that you are on traffic control for the rest of your miserable, uninspired career. Do. You. Copy?”
“Yeah, yes, Sergeant.” Officer Taggart’s voice cracked nervously.
“Get out of my sight.”
Taggart had probably never moved so fast in all his life as he disappeared back out the door. Collier reclaimed his coffee and resumed his position leaning against the counter. “Where were we?” he asked as he looked at them over his mug, his eyes flashing triumphantly.
Corey muttered, “Officer Austin, I’d like to report a murder.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Corey, is something wrong?” Thayer asked drowsily when Corey joined her again on the sofa. “I heard Jim shouting.”
“Nothing, babe. Collier and Steph are in the kitchen. They’re handling it.”
Thayer made an ineffectual move to pull herself up. “Do they need to speak with me?”
“Here.” Corey grabbed a pillow and eased her forward slightly to place it behind her so she was sitting up more. “No, not today.” She assessed Thayer carefully. Her color had returned and her trembling had ceased. She placed her hand on Thayer’s chest over her heart.
Thayer sighed. “What are you doing?”
“Checking your vitals.” Corey smiled gently.
“And?” She moved a hand from her lap to place over Corey’s.
Corey’s throat closed and her chest tightened again with all the fear and desperation of earlier. Her breath shuddered and her eyes filled with tears. “I love you,” she whispered, tears falling silently onto their hands.
Thayer brushed tears from Corey’s cheeks, her own eyes shining with emotion. “I was really scared.”
Corey nodded. “More or less scared than last time?”
Thayer closed her eyes briefly. “How is that even a question we have to ask?”
Corey had no answer. It seemed so absurd that they were going through this again. The only difference being their roles were reversed, though she would take being physically injured any day over the sheer terror and emotional agony of knowing Thayer had been in danger.
Thayer moved the towel and ice packs from her lap and let them drop to the floor so she could pull Corey closer, cupping her hands around her face and brushing her tears away with her thumbs. “Would you believe me if I said I was equally afraid because all I could think about both times was never seeing you again?”
Corey gulped a breath somewhere between a sob and a laugh and dropped her head onto Thayer’s chest, her emotions cracking open fully as she wept and clutched at Thayer’s shoulders.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Thayer whispered. “I’m okay.” She ran her hands through Corey’s hair and across her back, holding her close. “We’re okay.” She continued to hold her and murmur soothing words until Corey quieted. “You know, maybe we should look at this as a unique opportunity.”
She raised her head, searching Thayer’s golden eyes, dancing with love and humor. “For what?”
“Couples therapy.” Her lips twitched into a smile.
“Seriously?” She gaped at her. “You’re cracking jokes now?”
Thayer’s smile widened. “Ouch.” She touched her fingers to her split lip and tempered her smile. “I’ll fall apart later. We’ll never make it if we’re both a wreck at the same time, so you let me know when you’re ready to take over.”
Corey almost came unglued again at Thayer’s strength and humor, the love in her eyes and gentle smile on her lips. She was determined to keep it together. “I think you can safely tag out whenever you need to, babe. I got this.”
“I know you do.” She pulled her down for a tender kiss. “Can I ask you to help me with some things now?”
“Anything.” Corey sat up.
“I would like to take a bath.” Thayer started to push herself up. “And I’m starving and all I can think about right now is that pan of leftover lasagna.”
Collier and Steph were waiting for her when Corey emerged from helping Thayer to the tub. She had filled it with water and bubbles and left Thayer alone at her request. Corey knew she needed time to process what had happened and was relieved she felt safe enough now to be alone.
“Everything all right?” Steph asked.
“Yeah.” Corey flicked the oven on and got the pan of lasagna in one hand and a beer in the other. She slid the pan in the oven and cracked the beer, draining half at once.
“Are you sure?” Collier asked.
Corey wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“All right.” He nodded. “We’re heading downtown. We have to start the report, check in with the hospital and meet with IA and the brass about the shooting.”
“You’re leaving?” Corey glanced around for the first time and considered the house and yard through the windows. There were no more police, the coffee pot was empty, and there were half a dozen mugs in the sink. All her attention had been so thoroughly focused on Thayer that she really had no idea what had happened or what time it was.
“Yes, but we’re leaving Warren here,” Collier said. “He’s outside in his car at the moment, but he’ll be patrolling the property and checking the perimeter overnight, including any traffic on the lake.”
She straightened, alarmed. “Why? Is something—”
“No.” Steph held up her hand. “You and Thayer are safe. We just wanted to make sure you felt that way.”
Corey blinked at her, her gaze darting to Collier, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. He looked away, as if embarrassed at being caught out in an act of compassion. “Thank you.”
“Try and stay out of trouble for Christ’s sake. You two could probably find danger in a greenhouse. Think I’m getting an ulcer,” he barked over his shoulder as he headed for the door.
Corey stared after him, feeling overwhelmingly grateful for his presence in her life, thinking maybe one day she would tell him—or maybe not.
“You two going to be okay?” Steph broke into her reverie.
“Um, yeah.”
She reached out and squeezed Corey’s hand. “Call for any reason, okay?”
“Thank you.” She walked her to the door. She saw Warren sitting in his car in the middle of the driveway and she watched Steph and Collier speak to him a moment before they left.
Corey knocked softly on the bathroom door. “Thayer, you okay?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to grab a shower in the master. Just bang on the wall if you need anything.”
“Mmm hmm.”
She kept her shower short, just needing to scrub off the film of fear sweat she felt still clung to her. She toweled off her hair before slipping into clean sweats and a T-shirt. The kitchen and living room smelled of lasagna and Corey wished she were hungry, but the idea of eating held no joy for her. She pulled the pan from the oven. There was still no sign of Thayer.
“Thayer, the food is hot.”
“Be out soon.”
She didn’t want to intrude on whatever Thayer was going through right now. Thayer knew she was here and where to find her. She pulled a plastic container from the cabinet and filled it with lasagna, sticking a fork in the middle of it. She grabbed a few napkins and a bottle of water and headed out to the driveway to feed Officer Warren.
She chatted with him for a while and found she liked him. He was a local with fam
ily in the area. He went to JCU for a degree in criminal justice and was six years out of the academy. He was ambitious to move up and was studying for the detective’s exam already.
It was getting dark by the time Corey headed back into the house, and she was surprised not to find Thayer either in the kitchen or the dining table. The pan of lasagna was right where she had left it and was untouched, except for the piece for Officer Warren.
“Thayer?” The bathroom was dark, the air still warm and damp from the bath.
She stepped into the doorway of Thayer’s bedroom, and though the light was off, she could see her wrapped in her thick white bathrobe, hair damp, lying on her side in the middle of the bed facing away from the door. “Babe, are you all right?”
The only answer Corey heard was a shuddering breath and anguished sob as Thayer’s body began to shake before she finally broke down.
Corey crossed the room, slipping onto the bed behind her and gathering her close against her. “I’m here.”
Thayer pulled them even closer as she cried. Corey had no idea how long they stayed like that. There were no words and Corey didn’t offer any. She just held Thayer close for as long as she needed. Her breathing slowed and Corey thought she had fallen asleep until she stirred, gripping Corey’s hand and slipping it inside her robe, placing it over her breast.
“Touch me,” Thayer rasped, her voice hoarse with emotion.
Corey tensed, not pulling away but uncertain. “Thayer—”
“Please, make love to me. Help me forget just for a little while.”
Corey pushed herself up on one arm and tugged gently on Thayer’s shoulder to roll her onto her back. “Babe, are you sure?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her golden eyes dark with distress and arousal. “This is what I need.”
Corey held her gaze as she tugged the belt on Thayer’s robe loose, parting it open and caressing her breasts and belly, her skin warm and smelling of lavender from the bath. She eased the robe from Thayer’s shoulders and pulled it from beneath her, leaving her naked on the bed.
Thayer sighed, her lips parting slightly as she clutched at Corey’s shoulders and let her eyes drift closed.
Corey knew she just needed to be loved gently and completely to be taken care of—caressed inside and out—until she felt safe again. Corey removed her hands only long enough to strip off her clothes before she lay next to Thayer, their naked bodies as close as she could get. She stroked her sides and back with long, slow sweeps of her fingers.
Thayer shivered beneath her touch, skin pebbling and nipples hardening with the stimulation. Corey reached for the blanket at the end of bed to cover them. Thayer wrapped her arms around Corey’s waist and simply held on while Corey covered her with languid touches and soft kisses across her neck, chest, and shoulders. Without their usual playful banter, relentless teasing, and power plays, they were left with a quiet, intense intimacy where Corey poured out all her love and strength and Thayer opened herself up and let it fill her emotionally and physically.
Thayer’s climax was as heartbreaking as it was beautiful, and Corey silently wept with her when she cried out. Her anguish and ecstasy seemed to drain completely, and she collapsed in Corey’s arms.
She pulled Thayer close, tucking her head into the crook of her neck and pulling the blanket over them again. Sleep was a long time coming for her, but she was content to feel Thayer’s warmth, heart thrumming close to her, and listen to her breathe, safe and peaceful.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Corey woke to streaming sunlight and an empty bed. She slid her arm over to Thayer’s side, but the sheet was cold. “Thayer?” Corey rolled over, squinting out the window. The sun was bright and seemed well past dawn. She had slept late. “Thayer?”
For a moment she managed to forget the horrors of the day before, but then she blinked and they came rushing back in a flood of terror, forcing Corey to her feet and into her discarded clothes. She skidded down the hallway, panic racing through her heart as she pinballed off the wall and into the kitchen. “Thayer.”
Thayer’s head jerked up from her plate, her eyes wide with alarm as she pushed herself from the table to stand. “What’s wro—”
Corey slammed into her, wrapping her arms around her in a fierce hug. “You weren’t there.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Thayer sounded confused. “You were sleeping really hard and I was hungry.”
She tightened her grip and buried her face in Thayer’s neck. “Are you all right?” She pulled away but kept her arms laced around Thayer’s waist.
“I’m okay, I promise.” Thayer looked her over. “Are you?”
She ignored the question and grasped Thayer’s hands in her own, wincing at the dark red abrasions circling her wrists.
“Corey,” Thayer said sharply to get her attention. She pulled her hands from Corey’s grasp. “I just needed to eat something.”
She blinked a couple of times. “Right. Okay. Right.” She looked around. “What are you having?”
“Lasagna.”
“For breakfast?”
“More like brunch. It’s nearly ten.” Thayer shrugged. “Do you want any? You haven’t eaten in a while.”
“No, thank you.” She felt out of sorts and out of balance still. “Just coffee.”
“I made a pot,” Thayer said as Corey shuffled toward it. “I wish you’d eat something.”
“Later.” Corey poured herself a mug. She stood at the counter drinking it when Thayer’s hands came around her waist from behind.
“Thank you for taking care of me last night.” Thayer kissed the back of her neck.
“You’re welcome.” She turned in her arms and circled Thayer’s waist. “What else do you need?”
“I need you to take care of yourself too,” she said seriously, before reaching across the counter to where Corey had tossed her glasses at some point. “Put these on. I need the light right now.”
Corey slipped them on, realizing all the blinds were open where they’d been keeping the house dim for her. “Better.”
Thayer nodded. “Pick something and eat, sweetheart, please. I need you strong because I don’t know if I can be right now.”
She breathed deeply, understanding. Thayer wouldn’t be able to focus on herself if she was worrying about her.
Thayer kissed her gently before going back to her still warm heaping plate of lasagna.
Corey popped a bagel in the toaster and topped up her coffee. “Do we need to feed and water Warren?”
“He left twenty minutes ago.”
Before Corey could comment, there was a knock at the door. Her eyes flicked to Thayer who went rigid. “It’s okay. I got it.” She felt a little jumpy too and was acutely aware for the first time that Thayer didn’t have a peephole. She made a mental note to put one in. She stared at the door as if she could see through it.
“Corey? Thayer?” a familiar voice called. “It’s Rachel.”
“And Dana,” a second voice chimed.
Corey exhaled and opened the door. “Hey.” The sight of their friends with matching expressions of concern and relief nearly undid her again.
“Hey.” Rachel saved her from having to say more by offering a powerful hug, which she gratefully returned while Dana scooted by them, giving Corey’s arm a brief squeeze.
“I’m glad you’re here, Rach,” Corey said when Rachel finally let her go. She frowned at the gauze bandages around Rachel’s arms and hands.
“I’m fine, dude. Gives me an excuse to see Frankie to touch up my vampire pinup girl,” Rachel answered Corey’s unspoken comment, referring to the tattoo artist they both saw. She gestured to the tattoo beneath her bandaged right forearm.
Corey nodded absently. “Wait. How did you know to come here?”
“Collier called the shop this morning and told me what happened, and he told me I should come out. I called Dana.”
She moved from the door. “Come in.”
“Holy shit this place is
fucking amazing.” Rachel looked around the kitchen and great room. Dana was sitting in a chair at the table opposite Thayer, applying ointment to her wrists.
Thayer seemed relaxed with her friend and Corey was grateful for their presence. “You want coffee?”
“Do I want coffee?” Rachel scoffed. “Hey, gorgeous, how are you?” She wrapped an arm around Thayer’s shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Better now.” Thayer leaned into her for a moment.
Corey poured them both a fresh cup. “Let’s go outside.”
She brushed her hand across Thayer’s back as she went by and was rewarded with a loving smile. With Dana here she knew she was in good hands.
They stepped out onto the deck into the bright sunshine and warm late August air. Corey adjusted her glasses as she stared over the lake and tried to reconcile the peaceful beauty she always enjoyed with the horrifying violation they had endured not twenty-four hours before.
“You want to talk about it?”
Corey was quiet a long time, working to settle her emotions. “I thought I was going to lose her, Rach.” She finally breathed. “In the most horrible way imaginable. My mind was going through every fucked-up thing he could…” her voice hitched, “...he could be doing to her and I was so far away.”
“Don’t, Cor. Don’t torture yourself with what might have happened. You were here. The police got him and Thayer’s okay.”
She blinked back tears and toed the dirt at her feet, not even realizing she had walked down the deck and over to the shed where they found Thayer. Her foot hit something hard and she reached down to dig it out of the dirt. She stared dazedly at the knife Collier had given her.
Rachel sucked in a breath. “Was that his?”
“No.” Corey brushed dirt off the blade and folded it closed. “It’s the knife I used to cut Thayer free. He tied her up with fishing line.”
“Motherfucker.”
“Yeah.” Corey closed her eyes tight against the image. “Let’s go in.”
Dana was at the table wolfing a plate of lasagna. “I never say no to Nana’s lasagna,” she mumbled.
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