Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(75)

“Just do it.” I didn’t want to leave the ranch, and I wasn’t stepping away from Shiloh for a single second.

Kai pushed in closer to Shiloh and me. Hayes smiled down at him. “You’ve got some damn protective animals around here.” His gaze lifted to Onyx in the round pen. “Feel like I need to give that mare a medal.”

Shiloh stroked Kai’s head as she looked towards her protector. “She’d probably settle for some treats.” She lifted her gaze to mine. “Sure you don’t want the drugs?”

“I’m sure.”

“Here we go,” Beckett said.

Pain, hot and intense, tore through my arm as Hadley held my cut together. It only took a matter of minutes for the glue to dry, but by the time it did, my breathing was ragged.

Shiloh glared at me. “You should’ve taken the dang drugs.”

I leaned forward and kissed her softly. “It’s all done now.” As I straightened, I looked at Hayes. “What happens next?”

“Chambers’ bail has been revoked. He’ll go to trial for child abuse. Then he’ll be tried for what happened here today. I doubt he’ll see the outside of a cell before he leaves this Earth.”

I turned to Shiloh. So damn strong and beautiful, even though she’d been through hell. The punishment Kenny would get wasn’t nearly enough. But it was something.

Shiloh leaned forward, resting her forehead against mine. “We’re safe. That’s what matters. He’s going to rot while we get to live.”

And I was determined not to take a single moment with Shiloh for granted.





37





SHILOH





I pulled the fluffy, white robe tighter around myself as I leaned back on the couch pillows. Ramsey lifted my legs and deposited my feet on his lap. The fuzzy socks with their polka dots looked ridiculous, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. All I wanted was cozy comfort.

I’d been cold all day. Even as the sun had shone down on us while the deputies swarmed the property, I’d been freezing. It was the kind of cold that sank into your bones and was nearly impossible to get out.

The long bath had helped, and Ramsey had stayed by my side the whole time, running the bath and pouring the bubbles. He’d sat with me as I soaked, not saying a word, simply giving me the comfort of his presence.

His thumbs dug into the arch of my foot, and I let out a moan.

“Feel good?”

I nodded. “Heaven.”

“Want anything else to eat?” he asked hopefully.

My mouth curved. “If I have one more bite of anything, I’ll burst.”

Ramsey had made homemade macaroni and cheese for me, my parents, Beckett, Addie, and Ev. Hayes and Hadley would’ve stayed, too, but they were on duty. I think my mom had fallen a little in love with Ramsey tonight as they worked side by side in the kitchen.

“You didn’t eat that much,” Ramsey argued.

I arched a brow in his direction. “Do you need to get your eyes checked? That was a trough of mac and cheese, a plate of salad, and two brownies.”

His lips thinned. “Just make sure you have a full breakfast tomorrow.”

I sat up, leaning into him. “Ramsey, I’m not hungry, and I’m perfectly fine.” I wasn’t sure how many times I needed to say it before the shadows left his eyes.

He tipped his forehead against mine, resting it there.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. I let out a growl of frustration but straightened, plucking it up. Hayes’ name flashed across the screen. I hit accept.

“Hey, everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. You with Ramsey?”

“He’s sitting next to me.”

“Put me on speaker.”

I did as he asked but not without thinking about how much things had changed. Hayes and Ramsey trusted each other, and I would never take that for granted.

I shifted the phone so it was between us. “Okay, you’re on.”

“I got a visit from one of Kenny’s cronies tonight.”

“Who?” Ramsey demanded in a gruff tone.

“Al Johnson. I guess word of what he did already made it around town.”

“Great,” I mumbled.

“In this case, it is a good thing,” Hayes said. “When Al heard that Kenny attacked you, he decided to come forward with some additional information.”

“What kind of information?” Ramsey pressed.

A squeak sounded over the line, and I knew Hayes was leaning back in his desk chair. “The night Shiloh was attacked in town, Kenny and Al were at the Bar & Grill.”

“I didn’t see him there.”

“Probably because they were on the bar side. But Kenny got a good look at you and started spouting off about you and Ramsey ruining everything for him. Went on a real tear, I guess. Al bought him a beer and got him calmed down, but Kenny left right after you did, said he needed to get home to take care of some things.”

Ramsey’s knuckles bleached white as his hand clenched around the couch cushion. “He’s the one who jumped Shiloh.”

“I’d say it’s a pretty good guess. He’s not talking, so we don’t know for sure.” Hayes’ chair squeaked again as he moved. “I don’t think he’s responsible for the letters, though. My guess is it’s Ian trying to mess with you.”