Evan saw Miller struggling to rise from where he lay behind Geoff. He’d obviously been trying to protect Sierra, and Geoff had done something to harm him. There was blood on his muzzle.
Blood also dripped from Geoff’s right arm to the floor. Miller had done some damage of his own.
“What theory is that?” Evan asked.
The words felt acidic as he spoke them. Every part of him wanted to charge Geoff and rip out his throat. But he had to gauge the situation. There was every likelihood that the asshole was hyped up on drugs. Having once hung around users, he knew that made Geoff particularly dangerous.
Plus, Sierra was injured. Could Geoff harm her further before Evan could get to him?
Geoff laughed, the sound unhinged. His eyes gleamed. When he bent down and touched Sierra, Evan took a step forward.
“I wouldn’t,” Geoff said, his voice raising an octave.
Evan stopped. Geoff smiled…that same, creepy smile that Evan had once joked about with Sierra.
God, why hadn’t he listened to her?
“I want to know if you’ll choose to save the dog or the girl,” Geoff taunted. “Because I’ve decided you can’t have both, shitbag.”
The ultimatum severed the last of Evan’s control. He was across the span of floor between them in a fraction of a second. Geoff didn’t even have time to get a stronger hold on Sierra to do anything more to her.
Much like it had when he was twelve and beat a kid within an inch of his life, Evan’s reason fled. Animal instinct took over. It was no longer about avoiding possible threat or injury from Geoff. It was simply about eliminating the source of the threat altogether.
No sooner did he get Geoff to the ground than the sound of heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway reached his ears. The police had arrived.
Oh, hell no.
By the time the police reached the broken door, Evan had shattered Geoff’s nose and blackened both of his eyes. That was all he could manage before he had to put his hands up and allow the police to secure the scene, himself included.
His anger left him in a cold rush as he watched several officers stop by Sierra. One of them held two fingers to her neck, his expression grim. Only then did the thought occur to Evan that she might not be alive.
A bleak lifetime suddenly stretched ahead of him, one without Sierra’s dimpled smile in it. He thought of waking up every day knowing he could never hear her voice again…never experience the joy of her laugh, never kiss her sweet mouth.
Was that what he thought he wanted?
Please, God, no.
“Get the EMTs up here,” the officer barked.
“Is she okay?” Evan asked.
His voice barely made it past the tightness in his chest. He was pressed face-first against a wall as one of the officers frisked him.
No one answered him.
“She’s my girlfriend,” he said in a louder voice. “Please tell me if she’s okay.”
“Sir, you need to calm down,” said the officer pressing Evan against the wall. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Evan Dorsey. This is my place. You’re here because I asked Detective Michaels to send you. I came home and found…this.”
“What I see are two very injured people, an injured dog, and you,” the officer said, “with blood on your hands.”
“Call Detective—”
“Yeah, yeah. Michaels. We got it.”
No one spoke another word to him as the EMTs arrived and started administering first aid. Evan watched as well as he could from his position. Relief made his knees weak when the EMTs rolled Sierra over and she moaned.
“BP’s low,” one of the EMTs said. “I think most of this blood is hers. Let’s get her stable and get her out. Have surgery on standby.”
Evan’s fear spiked. He knew then that Sierra wasn’t in the clear.
There was still every possibility that he could lose her.
Chapter 52
“Evan, are you all right?” Regina asked as he was led into the lobby thirty minutes later. “They won’t tell me what’s going on. I saw a stretcher roll out of here before they let anyone inside. It was Sierra, wasn’t it?”
He nodded, unable to say more.
Turning to the police officer standing beside Evan, she asked, “What hospital are they going to?”
Evan didn’t hear the response. His emotions had retreated, leaving him blessedly numb. He barely registered when Regina tugged at his hand.
“Evan, Sierra needs us,” she said. “Let’s go to the hospital. Please, honey.”
He nodded, unseeingly following her to her SUV. The police had reached Detective Michaels and had taken Evan’s statement. They determined that he’d been trying to protect Sierra. They’d determined the same thing about Miller, who was even then being cared for by Dr. Paulk. The vet had stepped in to treat Miller and help the police process all three dogs for possible evidence. Beck’s forepaw was once again sprained. Miller’s injuries hadn’t yet been determined, but the vet suspected a rib injury.
The numbness had settled in while they placed Sierra on the stretcher. Now, he embraced it. It helped keep him from focusing on the fact that his last words to her had been spoken in anger, when he threw her love for him back in her face.
He didn’t remember the ride to the hospital, nor did he remember getting to the waiting room once they were there. Regina took care of communicating with the hospital staff to get more information while he sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair and stared at a television showing The Wizard of Oz.
“She’s still being evaluated,” Regina said when she joined him. “Deanne will be here soon. Do you want to wash up, honey?”
Although he knew he had Geoff’s blood on him, he shook his head. Rather than argue with him, she took his bloodstained hand and clutched it in both of hers.
“Who was the man who did this?” she asked after a while.
“His name is Geoff Hoch. He’s the cousin of Larry Uhre.”
She frowned. “The Atlanta second baseman?”
“Yes.”
“Why in the world would he want to hurt Sierra?”
“I’m really not sure.”
But he feared it was all because of him.
An hour later, a nurse came out from between two swinging doors. Evan rose with Deanne and Regina, anticipating that the news would be about Sierra.
“Ms. Stratton?” the nurse asked, looking between Regina and Deanne.
“Yes,” Regina said. “Is our daughter…is she all right?”
“Your daughter’s a tough young woman. Most of the injuries she sustained were superficial. A few of the deeper cuts required suturing, though, and she has a mild concussion. We sedated her so we could remove all of the glass embedded in the wounds. She’s being moved to a room. We’ll want to keep her overnight for observation.”
Tears filled the eyes of both of Sierra’s mothers. Evan sank back down into his chair.
“When can we see her?” Deanne asked.
“We’ll let you know as soon as she’s in a room,” the nurse said before she turned and headed back through the doors.
Sierra’s parents walked off to make some phone calls, probably updating friends and family about her condition. Evan got up to use the restroom, deciding that he might as well get as cleaned up as he could. When he got out, he spotted Detective Michaels and the lead officer from the apartment building standing in the waiting room.
“Could we have a word with you, Mr. Dorsey?” the detective asked.
“Sure.”
They walked outside the waiting room to a quieter, more private area. Once they stopped, Evan looked from one policeman to the other.
“This is Officer O’Brien. We thought we’d update you on a few things, ask some routine questions related to the investigation,” Detective Michaels said.
“Okay.”
“From what we’ve been able to determine based on the building’s security cameras,” Officer O’Brien s
aid, “the perp entered your apartment at approximately eleven p.m. It appears that he vandalized your apartment between that time and when Ms. Stratton left her apartment and entered yours. Based upon the urine near the dog cages, we suspect Hoch harmed one or both of the animals during this time period, as well.”
“The cameras don’t provide audio,” the detective continued, “but we suspect Ms. Stratton heard the commotion in your apartment. She ran down the hall as if alarmed about something. When she opened the door, one of your dogs exited your apartment. He was limping.”
Evan’s gut twisted. The son of a bitch had been hurting his dogs all this time. Sierra had suspected it and tried to protect them, even when he wouldn’t listen to her. Of course she would have cast aside all good sense when it came to the boys if she heard Geoff doing something to them.
“We’re still analyzing the scene, but it appears she ran in on Hoch and got trapped in the apartment with him. Judging by some of the things he’s been saying, he intentionally lured her over. We’re still trying to get more details on that.”
God. She must have been insane with fear. It sounded like something out of a horror movie. This shit wasn’t supposed to happen in real life.
“The perp’s right wrist is broken,” the detective said. “We believe your dog did that damage. The bites are pretty extensive.”
Evan suddenly wanted to hug his dogs with a fierceness that surprised him. Since that wasn’t happening, he nodded.
“My dogs aren’t in any trouble, are they?”
“No,” the detective said. “The perp broke into your home and attacked your girlfriend, whom your dog defended. He deserves a medal, if you ask me.”
“As to that,” Officer O’Brien continued, “is she really your girlfriend?”
Evan frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that the perp is shouting to anyone who’ll listen that she isn’t your girlfriend…that you dumped her. Some nonsense about how he’d still bet on the girl. We want to be clear on the nature of your relationship with Ms. Stratton before the investigation continues.”
Heat rushed up the back of Evan’s neck. He looked at a distant wall for a moment before meeting their gazes.
“We had an argument,” he admitted. “One that was largely my fault. But there’s no denying she’s my girlfriend. She likes to say that she’s meant for me. I’m starting to think maybe she’s right.”
* * *
The room slowly came into focus. Sierra vaguely remembered that she was in the hospital. She’d seen both of her mothers at some point during the night. The conversations she’d had with them seemed disjointed in her mind. Everything was a little cloudy, as a matter of fact. The nurses had given her some painkillers and another sedative to help her sleep.
Turning her head, she spotted Evan standing beside her bed. His back was to her. The early morning sun bathed his profile in golden light.
“You’re so pretty,” she sighed.
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Me?”
She nodded. “Wish I had my camera. Are you really here?”
“Yeah.” He approached the bed and lifted her hand.
Her brow furrowed as she tried to concentrate. It was astonishingly hard.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“You don’t remember? You were attacked…cut by glass.”
She lifted a hand at that. “‘Course I remember that part,” she snorted. “Kinda hard to forget. Think Miller saved my life.”
His hold on her hand tightened. “He broke the bastard’s arm.”
“Stopped Geoff from hitting me. Well, the first time. Gonna buy him lots of treats when I get home. Don’t care what you say.”
“I’ll help you pick them out.”
“But you don’t like me,” she reminded him.
Pain flashed in his eyes. “Of course I do. What I said before was said in anger.”
“And fear,” she tacked on.
His shoulders rose and fell. “And fear,” he repeated. “All of this has helped put things into perspective.”
“Does that mean you’re going to stay in Atlanta?”
“That means I’m giving it more thought than I initially intended.” He brushed a teal curl from her forehead and held her gaze. “I thought I’d lost you. It about destroyed me, Sierra.”
Her heart squeezed. “I’m sorry, Evan.”
“Don’t apologize. I just want you to understand why I’m going to take the time to figure out where my head is in all of this. I want to avoid causing you even more pain than I already have. The one thing I wanted to avoid after I lost my mom was getting so attached to someone else that I couldn’t handle losing them. I’ve realized that I’ve gotten that attached to you. Now I have to figure out if I can live with it.”
Even in her medication-buzzed state, she understood what he meant. If he couldn’t live with it, he’d leave Atlanta and deal with the pain of separation somewhere else, knowing that at least she was still alive.
Her eyelids drooped. She knew he’d be gone when she next awoke, and the knowledge broke her heart. There was still so much left unsaid between them. She couldn’t remain conscious long enough for that, though.
Sometimes, she thought as her eyes closed, progress was painful.
Chapter 53
Cole and Everly opened their home to Evan and the boys after the attack. His apartment had been deemed a crime scene and was going to require extensive repairs, which Caroline said she would handle once she was given clearance to do so.
The team experienced shock and turmoil after the news about Larry hit the airwaves, but it seemed to solidify them. Atlanta clinched the division two days after the attack.
Evan called Sierra daily to check on her. She went home with her parents, who intended to keep her and Leo with them until his apartment was rehabbed so she didn’t have to deal with the construction noise. He knew Sierra wanted him to come and see her, but he couldn’t. Not yet.
She would never know the depths he’d fallen to when he thought he’d lost her. The uncertainty, brief as it was, had pulled him back to the dark, soulless place he’d only started emerging from after his mother’s death. So far, all life had taught him was that it was fleeting and full of pain. What good could possibly come of opening oneself up to that?
On the morning of the last game of the season, he worked out in Cole’s home gym, then showered and grabbed a cup of coffee. He was sitting at the large island in the kitchen reading Facebook posts on his laptop when Everly walked in.
Well, more like waddled in, he supposed. Their baby was due in a little over a month. Evan thought she looked ready to pop the baby out right there in the kitchen. Her top swelled over her round belly. It was kind of charming, actually.
“Good morning,” she said. “All ready for the big game this afternoon?”
He shrugged. “As always.”
“I’m looking forward to going,” she said, pulling the orange juice out of the fridge. “Pee Paw’s over the moon that he gets to go. Hopefully the weather stays decent so we don’t melt.”
“Hopefully. Hope the kid stays put for you, too.”
She laughed and sat across from him with her glass of juice. “She’s not going anywhere. I’ll have to get up to pee every half-inning, but that’s about it. Don’t tell Cole, though. He’ll just worry the entire game about me slipping while walking up and down the stairs.”
“My lips are sealed.”
But he knew Cole would worry anyway.
“Sierra told me she really wished she could make the game,” Everly said, her gaze on his face. “Her parents want her rested for the big Savannah event in a couple days, though.”
His jaw clenched as he stared into his coffee mug. “I know.”
“I was thinking that since it’s an afternoon game today, it might be nice to get together with her and her parents afterwards. Maybe dinner, kind of a private celebration.”
“I have a meeting with Caroline
after the game,” he said. “I’m not sure how long it’ll last.”
“Oh,” she said. “Okay.”
She took a few sips of juice, her eyes still intent on him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After a moment, she set her glass down.
“Look, Evan, I’m usually the last person to intrude on anyone’s personal life. I went through most of my teens and early adulthood keeping everything inside, shutting everyone else out. My business was my business, and I didn’t need anyone judging me because of it. I had no friends, no romantic relationships. I told myself I didn’t want them or need them.”
He met her gaze. She was a kindred spirit, he realized.
“But I was wrong,” she said. “I’ve discovered that the key to finding contentment isn’t learning to deal with my problems on my own. It’s having someone to share those problems with, someone who can help me work through them, help me get through the dark times.”
He thought about when Cole traveled to see her on the anniversary she’d dreaded.
“Do you ever think about who you lost?” he asked.
“Every single day.”
“Don’t you worry that you’ll go through that again?”
“Yes, nearly as often.” She paused and then asked, “Are you happier without Sierra?”
Hell no, he thought. He was goddamn miserable. But he didn’t reply.
“I ask because, for me, I’ve decided that whatever time I have with Cole is better than a lifetime without him. I wouldn’t trade what we have for the world. If, God forbid, it all ended tomorrow, at least I’d have the memories of our time together to sustain me.”
He considered that in silence. There was no doubt that the time he’d spent apart from Sierra had ripped him to shreds. He’d thought it would be easier to gain perspective and emotional distance. Instead, he was sinking without a lifeline.
Everly got up and walked over to a drawer. Pulling it open, she took out a business card. She walked back and slid the card across the island toward him.
“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping myself,” she said, “but I think you would benefit from making an appointment. It’s helped me.”