Theirs to Keep (Tangled Hearts Trilogy #1)(58)

Not waiting to hear anything more, Cade broke and ran for the garage. What he saw made his stomach bottom out.

Elle was hunched in a protective posture, her legs drawn up as close to her body as she could get them. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs, and her head was buried between her knees.

A female police officer and one of the paramedics were a short distance away trying to talk her down. The police officer reached out to touch her arm, and Elle reacted violently, jerking away and sliding back in panic.

Cade pushed his way through and dropped to his knees beside her. He gathered her tightly in his arms, ignoring the way she went tense from head to toe.

“Elle, it’s me, Cade. It’s me, honey. I’ve got you.”

For a long moment, he thought he hadn’t been able to penetrate her consciousness, but then she went utterly limp and wrapped herself around his much bigger body so there wasn’t a breath between them.

He kissed her head, his mind a whirl of confusion. What the hell had happened?

“Make them go away,” she whispered. “Please, Cade, just make them all go away.”

Cade stared at the sea of police officers and medical personnel. His heart sank. He knew how terrified she was of policemen, but he couldn’t make them go away. Not even for her. “I can’t do that, honey, I’m sorry.”

She buried her face in his neck and clung like a burr to him. He shifted his weight so he could push up from the hard concrete. It couldn’t be comfortable for her to be on the ground, and he needed to see the extent of her injuries.

“Talk to me, Elle,” he gently coaxed. “How bad is it? Can you stand? Where are you hurt? Hold onto me, honey. I won’t let you fall.”

He rose, taking her with him before he allowed her to put her feet down. His arm stayed firmly around her because she was wobbly as a newborn colt, and he worried if he let go, she’d face plant right in front of him.

He was about to motion to the paramedic to bring the damn stretcher because she wasn’t going to make it, when Merrick and Dakota shoved their way into the garage, their brows drawn in confusion and concern.

Dakota paled and rubbed his hands uneasily down his pants when he got a look at Elle.

Merrick promptly lost his mind. “What the f**k happened here? What the hell happened to Elle?” There was rage and fear in the big man’s eyes. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides, but Cade knew that look. Merrick was about to kick some serious ass, and if Cade didn’t get a handle on this quickly, they’d all end up in jail.

Cade held up his free hand to stop the flow of Merrick’s tirade.

“I don’t know yet, man. I just got here. I don’t know what the hell is going on. I’m hoping the police will fill me in, but first I need to make sure Elle is taken care of.”

“Why the hell did you leave the gym?” Merrick demanded. “You should have never left on your own. We’ve been over this, Elle!”

Cade could hear the worry in Merrick’s voice and knew he was reacting to the same gut-wrenching fear that had gripped Cade when he’d first arrived. But Elle went stiff next to him and then pushed away from his body. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at Merrick and Dakota with so much hurt in her gaze that it took Cade’s breath away. What the ever-loving f**k was going on here? Then she simply turned and slowly and painfully walked away, pushing into the house and slamming the door behind her.

He turned on Merrick. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? What the hell were you yelling at her for?”

Merrick was pale, and his fists still curled tight at his sides. “I didn’t mean to yell at her, for God’s sake. She scared the piss out of me. I just don’t understand why she left the gym and came here alone. She’s never supposed to go anywhere alone!”

Dakota looked like he was going to puke, but Cade didn’t have time to figure out what the hell his problem was.

Two of the police officers stepped forward, and one spoke up. “We’re going to need a statement from her, and she really needs to be looked at. When we arrived on scene, there was a lot of blood on her, and she was having a hard time breathing.”

“Just give me a minute,” Cade said holding out his hand. “I’ll go in after her.”

The officer put his hand out over Cade’s. “With all due respect, sir, this is a crime scene. I’ll be coming with you inside.”

Cade looked at him like he was crazy. “You don’t think she’s committed a crime. Are you insane? Did you see her?”

The officer sighed. “I have to take her statement, and I’d like to do it as soon as possible. If she’s well enough not to be transported to the hospital, then we can do it here. Otherwise we’ll swing by the ER and talk to her there.”

Cade blew out his breath, called back the torrent of curses and then stalked toward the door, determined to get to Elle and sort out this nightmare.

Merrick was on his heels, and the two burst through the kitchen and into the living room. Finding it empty, Cade headed to the bedroom they shared only to find it empty as well. He walked down the hall to the room Elle had first stayed in, and when he opened the door, he couldn’t control his reaction to the sight before him.

Elle was sitting on the bed, her shirt pulled up to bare her ribcage which was already purple with bruising. One hand was pressed to her side and it was obvious she was struggling for breaths. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, mixing with the blood from her nose and mouth.