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But Reese wasn’t done. “Eckworth might have seized an opportunity to frighten off her competition. Even put me out of commission for a while.” She circled the table.

“That would account for the alteration I saw in McNulty. Like he was there for one purpose, and then when I fought back, his reason changed to something else entirely.” Hayes noted the shudder that worked down her spine as she spoke the words.

“How long did you talk to Kervin?”

“When I went inside, she was just leaving, like I said. He claimed he was going to be late, and didn’t have much time.

He paid the bill and we went to his car.

” Her gaze cut to his. “We spoke in the parking lot. Kervin was vaping again. Seemed to take a bit longer talking than he said he would. Fifteen minutes, maybe. No more than twenty. Then he left, and I walked to my vehicle. You know the rest.”

Hayes did. He’d imagined and reimagined the scene multiple times today. It still had the power to shoot his spine with ice. Reese put a tough face on things, but he couldn’t stop thinking how easily it could have ended very differently.

Because dwelling on what-ifs could divert him from his job, he tried to push it away. But the knowledge hovered at the edge of his consciousness, refusing to be banished. “Plenty of time to get there from Lorna’s. Her house is minutes away.”

“Kervin said she lived in the area. He goes to the diner most days and has seen her there before.”

Purposefully, he picked up his cell. Composed a text to Detective Sergeant Jennings inquiring about the most recent numbers on McNulty’s phone record.

“Let’s see what the detective has to say about McNulty’s cell contacts today.

If your prediction is correct, that’ll be information to share with Camry.

Either way, Eckworth’s relationship with the man who attacked you isn’t going to look good for her court petition. ”

Smiling wanly, Reese said, “Silver linings.”

“We may as well have dinner, then we can tackle whatever that is you carried out with you from the bedroom.” He nodded at the stack of documents she’d laid on the end table.

“I don’t have an appetite.” A glint of humor entered her voice. “But I’ve learned enough about the care and feeding of Hayes Moreland to be certain you’ll require refueling soon.”

Unperturbed, he went to the kitchen and took out the leftover sandwiches and soup to reheat.

When it was ready, he’d pressure her to eat something, even if she could just manage soup.

Traumatic experiences often led to physical side effects, aside from the expected soreness and stiffness that would set in.

And although Reese appeared to be holding up like a champ, it wasn’t a matter of if those effects would happen.

It was when.

Hayes wasn’t completely successful. Reese hadn’t eaten much before setting the rest of the meal aside.

There were faint smudges below her eyes, and bruises blooming along her face below the bandage.

They’d split up her brother’s medical reports between them, his pile substantially smaller than hers.

He’d jotted notes as he’d worked through the pages, sharing them as they went, explaining medication changes and therapies.

She’d said little except to ask him questions about a med or term she was reading.

If anything, she seemed to wilt as the hours passed, her face growing paler.

Long before he would have dared suggest it, Reese finally put down the report she was reading and announced she was turning in.

His phone dinged next to him, and he picked it up. A message from Adam.

Jocelyn Benson. Hewitt, Lovell, broken fingers from having a door slammed on them; a serious tumble down the stairs, causing a fractured wrist; several incidents of stitches from being struck by thrown objects; a fall from a bike, breaking her ulna; and culminating in a near-drowning in the bathtub.

Ben was the cause of these and a long series of other injuries.

Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Decody decided a residential setting for Ben would be in the best interests of both of their children.

Upon entering this facility, Ben maintains a steady and violent antipathy toward his sibling, blaming her for the loss of their parents’ love and expulsion from his home.

Years of therapy and medication prior to his admission have not mitigated these delusions, and indeed, Ben appears firmly entrenched in the idea that Reese is a demon sent to destroy their family.

Lowering the report, he stared into the room, working on stanching his savage, visceral response.

Good God, Reese had been lucky to survive her childhood.

By all accounts, her parents had done everything right.

Except for waiting until Ben had almost killed her before taking the final vital step of removing him from her life.

Driven to move, Hayes surged to his feet, going to the front window to widen two slats of the blind to look out at the street below.

He was well aware of what that sort of childhood abuse could do to a tender psyche.

Despite what she’d endured, she’d grown into a strong, gutsy woman.

Smart, talented, and independent to a fault.

After all she’d gone through, and then losing her parents as a teen, what sort of twisted, vengeful fate would have placed her in Stephen Thorne’s path?

He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, wishing he hadn’t happened upon the information. He’d feel empathy for anyone who’d suffered as she did, but he also recognized that emotion could cloud his judgment.

His mind jeered at the thought. After dealing with his father and Eden all his life, honesty was crucial to him as an adult.

And that included being honest with himself.

Reese had made an indelible impression on him at their tragic first meeting, forged in adrenaline, guilt, and fear.

Enough so that he’d volunteered for this assignment.

Adam usually contracted out personal protection details.

But when Hayes had heard Thorne had escaped—that he’d already been sighted near her apartment—he’d felt a compulsion to finish the job he’d started eighteen months ago.

The illusion of objectivity had never seemed further away. He rubbed a hand over his nape, where the muscles bunched tight. He couldn’t let it matter. Hayes had one purpose—to keep Reese safe. The fact that he could have lost her today was a grim reality check.

He straightened up the documents and started toward the laptop, intent on checking to see if there’d been a hit on the ViCAP submission. A sound halted him in his tracks. He went to the patio doors, but the noise wasn’t coming from outside. It came again, a low whimper. Followed by, “No! Get back!”

Reese. He reversed course and eased open her bedroom door. The blankets were crumpled around her waist, her body thrashing, arms flailing. “Stop! I won’t…”

“It’s okay. You’re dreaming. Wake up now.” He knew better than to touch her or get too close to her flailing arms. Reaching for the lamp on the table next to her, he switched it on. Hayes pitched his voice louder. “Reese. Wake up.”

She came upright with a surprising suddenness. If he hadn’t ducked, he would have taken a fist to the mouth. Blinking, confused, she stared at him blankly.

“You’re okay. You’re fine.” He sank onto the edge of the mattress next to her, his voice low and soothing. “It was a dream. You’re safe.”

She rubbed the base of her palms against her eyes. “I saw him again. McNulty. He dragged me into that building. I couldn’t get away.”

“But you did escape today.” Hayes stroked her back.

“Very capably, too. He’s still in a cell.

He can’t hurt you now.” He felt the shudders quaking her body.

And would have done anything to take away the terror she’d relived in her nightmare.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still nursing sore nuts. ”

A strangled laugh escaped her, but her body still trembled. Without a conscious decision, he reached over to turn the light off again. “Scooch over.” When she only looked at him uncomprehendingly, he moved her. “There you, go. Lie down. I’ve got you.”

Slowly, she obeyed, rolling to turn her back to him. Hayes disentangled the covers to pull them over her again. Stretching out next to her, he looped his arm over her waist. Pulled her close. “I’ve got you,” he murmured against her hair. “Sleep now.”

He lay awake long enough to feel her body relax against his. To see her snuggle deeper into her pillow. Long enough to realize when she slept again. That would have been the time to leave her. To go back to his room. Rebuild the emotional distance that was growing more and more elusive.

But he couldn’t help himself. Defying good sense, Hayes stayed put. With his cheek pressed against her hair, he followed her into a deep, dreamless sleep.