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“Well, he chased me in here,” I admit, not wanting to relive the events of a few minutes ago. I’ll have to, though. If I want to file a police report — which I do — I’ll have to go through it all multiple times. “But that was after I called 911. All he had time to do before you got here was grab me.”

Noah nods, his jaw clenching as he processes the information. I hold my breath, waiting for him to say something else. He controls himself for me. I’m fairly certain he’s not the kind of man that usually does that. It’s not lost on me that he’s making a conscious effort for my comfort.

God, he’s an even better man than I thought he’d be.

“I wish I could have gotten here sooner,” Noah says, rolling his shoulders back. Then, he shakes his head like there’s no use in dwelling on that. “Iwillfind him, Riley.”

“I know you will,” I say, meaning it with every fiber of my being. Still, for some reason, my eyes start to water. My voice quivers as I continue to speak. “If anyone can do it, you can.”

He grabs me, pulling me against his chest, hugging me tightly again. I absorb his warmth, his strength. I try not to be embarrassed by how emotional I feel right now. I remind myself that it’s normal, that I’m probably handling what happened to me better than most people — and it’s all thanks to Noah.

“I’ll need to get you to the station,” he says, still holding me tightly, his hands rubbing comforting circles into my back.

“I have to finish closing the library,” I say, unsure of why I’m trying to find reasons to stay here. All I want to do is leave here and go wherever Noah’s going.

He pulls back, another one of those smiles that I’m starting to realize are just for me, gracing his lips. He murmurs, “I’m sure that your boss will understand if you don’t get everything done. I’ll even talk to her myself if she gives you any flack. Sophia still in charge?”

“She is,” I confirm.

“Then I’ll give her a call when we get to the station,” Noah says, his steadiness a huge comfort. “But, before we go, can you get the footage from the security cameras?”

I blink, remembering for the first time since all of this happened that the library is outfitted in cameras — something I thought was overkill at first. I smile and say, “Yeah, I can do that. Do you want it on a flash drive?”

“No,” he says, releasing me and stepping away. “I’ll have you send it to my personal email.”

That strikes me as odd, something that is decidedly not by the book. I don’t say anything about it, though. Actually, I find that I like the prospect of such a rigid man with a reputation for being a stickler for the rules breaking them for me. So, with Noah hot on my heels, I lead him into the office so I can forward him the videos.

Chapter Three

Noah

The station is empty when we get there. Our office is usually pretty empty, and right now, all of the officers on the clock are currently out looking for our perpetrator.

“I’ll take you back to get your car tomorrow,” I tell Riley as we settle into my office. “I don’t want you to be alone while this criminal is still on the loose.”

“I appreciate that,” she says, suddenly seeming very shy. It’s adorable.

I grab my notebook from my desk drawer and nod toward the chair in front of my desk. As she settles in, I take my own seat. It’s too far from her for my own taste, but I’m already breaking so many rules, both my own and the force’s, that I know I need to follow them while I take her statement.

“So, I’ll just need you to tell me everything that happened,” I say, flipping my notebook open to a blank page. “We can start before the incident occurred and work our way up to the harder details.”

Riley nods, her arms circling her torso. It’s a self-soothing mechanism I’ve seen people do hundreds of times before. My palms itch with the desire to be the one giving her comfort. I’ll have to try to guide her through this as quickly as possible.

“Tell me about the day,” I say, trying to ease her into this interview. “Was there anything strange or out of place?”

“Um,” she starts, focusing on a spot at the edge of my desk. “No, it was pretty normal. But… well, when I got in, Daisy, the girl who works day shifts, she told me they had to kick someone out for bothering patrons.”

“Interesting,” I say, jotting that down. “Did she mention what he looked like?”

“Maybe…” Riley says. Her bottom lip quivers. “I… I don’t remember, though. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” I say, setting my pen down. I long to reach out and grab her hand to offer her some semblance of comfort, but she’s holding herself even tighter than before, her eyes downcast. “Don’t worry about it. I can just talk to her later if I need to. I’ve already got someone looking at those videos. With any luck, I’ll hear back soon.”

My words don’t seem to reach her. She’s in her own head. Unsure of what else to do, I push myself back from the desk, and the sound of the legs scratching against the floor gets her attention.

“Come here,” I say, a hint of command underlying the statement, though I still sound much kinder than I usually do, to my own ears at least. I hope I sound kind to her, too.

As if under a spell, Riley stands and comes around to my side of the desk. She settles herself onto my lap. Her hands rest gently on my shoulders, and she perches on the edge of my knee.