Lead Me Home (Fight for Me #3)(61)

Caleb flailed and tried to jerk free from Seth, the guy so clearly high he looked deranged. “What the fuck are you talking about? That’s bullshit, man. I haven’t been stalking that stupid bitch. I don’t want anything to do with her. That car was on the straight.”

“Save it. You can make your statement at the station.” Seth led him to the back of one of the cruisers and placed him in the backseat.

Brenna breathed out another cry, but this one was made of relief.

I looked over at Ollie and mouthed, Thank you.

He just stared back as if he were promising he wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Inside, Seth took both Brenna and her mother’s statements. First and foremost, Caleb had violated his restraining order. More charges might be coming. Ones related to me and my apartment.

They were still waiting for prints to come back.

Seth was going to put a rush on them, hoping we got something to substantiate our suspicions.

Seth left promising he’d be calling soon.

“Thank you so much,” Brenna told him as she showed him to the door.

“Take care of yourself,” he told her. “Unfortunately, he’ll probably make bail in the morning since he didn’t cause any bodily harm. It’d be good for you to have someone with you at all times.”

Slipping out, he let his eyes move to Ollie and me in some kind of warning before he disappeared down the walk.

From behind, we watched as Brenna tremored with a fresh round of fear.

Ollie stood.

Gruff and rugged but his voice was soft. “Think it’d be good for you to come to my place tonight until we get this sorted out?”

Brenna turned around, her fingertips pressed to her mouth. “You’d do that for me?”

Ollie rocked in discomfort. I saw it for what it was. The way he wanted to protect the world from horrible people. From the type of man we were sure had stolen Sydney from us.

He dropped his gaze when he finally said, “Don’t have a lot to offer people, Brenna . . . but if I can offer this? Take care of you and your son for a little bit?” He looked up. “There’s nothing I’d want more.”



“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did tonight.” Brenna spread her hand over the comforter in the guest bedroom, clearly needing something to busy herself.

“You keep telling me that,” I told her with a soft smile where I sat next to her with my knees hugged to my chest.

“But I really mean it.” Carefully, she peeked up at me. “You know when he started texting me, the first person I thought to call was you. You have a way of making me feel safe.”

“I want you to both feel it and live it, Brenna. You don’t have to live in fear. We’ll make sure of that.”

Silence moved through the space, and I could feel her reservations, a new kind of heaviness moving through her heart. “You really think he did that to your apartment?”

I studied her face. “You don’t?” I asked carefully.

She lifted a shoulder. “The drugs changed him. He was so sweet to me when we first started dating.”

Her voice had turned wistful. Filled with longing of that time. She shook her head. “He’s just fine when he’s not using, but when he does? He becomes rash and impulsive, and a lot of times it translates to aggression.”

She blinked at me. “It’s hard for me to imagine him thinking to go to your place to scare you that way. Leaving those notes.”

I set my hand on her knee. “People do crazy things when they’re desperate, Brenna. It’s part of the problem. The spiral. They dig themselves deeper and deeper until they can’t see a way out, and then they’re doing everything they can to fight it—change it—all the while they’re making the worst choices all over again.”

“I just wish he’d go back to bein’ the person he was when he asked me to the dance in ninth grade.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I know you think it’s stupid. That we’re young. But there was a time when he really loved me and I loved him. We messed up. Did things too young. It got away from us. But we did love each other.”

I took her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think it’s stupid. Not at all. Don’t ever let someone tell you young love isn’t real. But sometimes things change. Things we can’t control. All we can control is the here and now—and right now—you and that little boy deserve so much more than what Caleb has been giving you.”

“I know that.”

“Good.” I blew out the strain that weighed heavily and stood. “What do you say I go get your little cutie so you two can get some rest?”

“Tell me that man of yours didn’t feed him sugar,” she said, voice turning wry.

“Man of mine?” I challenged, lifting my brow with a smirk. “I already told you he was a friend.”

“Oh, come on, Miss Nikki. You pretty much have drool dripping from the corner of your mouth every time you look his way.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh-huh. And every time he looks at you, I’m pretty sure he’s picturing ripping off your clothes with his teeth.” She grinned and wiggled her brows. “I have to say, with a man who looks like that? I wouldn’t mind all that much having him fantasizing about me, either.”