Page 109 of Hero Mine

“I remembered everything you taught me,” she managed. “I wasn’t scared this time. Not like before.”

He caught her before she could stumble, his powerful arms encircling her with protective warmth. “That’s because you’re strong. Always have been.”

She glanced down at Daniel, securely restrained on her kitchen floor, then back at the man holding her—her personal superhero who would move heaven and earth to protect her.

But she hadn’t needed him to. Tonight, she’d protected herself.

“Yeah,” Joy agreed, resting her head against Bear’s chest, drawing comfort from the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “I guess I am.”

Chapter31

Bear paced outside the interview room of the Oak Creek police department, the fluorescent lights buzzing faintly overhead. He checked his watch—Callum had been in there with Daniel for forty-five minutes.

Each step Bear took replayed those terrifying moments, hearing Joy’s voice change through the phone, knowing an intruder was in her house while he was miles away in his truck, useless.

He’d never driven so fast in his life, blowing through stop signs, taking corners with tires squealing. Police code be damned. Joy had been in danger, and he hadn’t been there.

Bear glanced through the glass partition to where Joy sat with Sloane on a small couch in the reception area. A paramedic had wrapped her wrist, confirming what Joy had already known—minor injuries, nothing serious. Unlike Daniel, who was lucky not to be in a coma right now.

The two women huddled close, Sloane’s protective arm around Joy’s shoulders as they spoke in low voices.

The interrogation room door opened, and Callum emerged, looking tired and grim. He nodded at Bear then his gaze found Joy immediately, and he crossed to where she sat with Sloane.

Bear followed and took a seat beside Joy, who immediately shifted closer to him. “Get anything?”

Callum nodded. “Daniel Fletcher, freelance reporter. Claims he’s working on an exposé about the Kozak brothers and their kidnapping operation.”

Both Joy and Sloane stiffened.

“Why all the cloak-and-dagger stuff?” Joy asked. “If he was investigating stuff about the Kozak brothers, why not just interview me like a normal person?”

“Because he needed more than just your statement,” Callum explained. “He thought if he could document yourrecovery process—” air quotes punctuated his words “—it would make for a more compelling narrative.”

“Document it?” Bear repeated, disgust twisting his features. “You mean spy on her. Plant cameras in her bedroom.”

Joy paled slightly. “Did he say how many cameras he put in my house?”

“Three. One in your bedroom, one in the living room, one outside aimed at the playhouse.” Callum’s jaw clenched. “We’ve already retrieved them all.”

Bear would be borrowing some equipment from Lincoln to make sure nothing had been missed.

“So, all those times I felt like someone was watching me…” Joy’s voice trailed off.

“You weren’t paranoid,” Callum confirmed. “He was watching.”

Joy let out a shaky breath, somewhere between relief and horror. “I knew it. I knew someone was there.”

Bear’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “He didn’t care what psychological damage he might cause you, as long as he got his story.”

“That’s pretty much it,” Callum agreed. “He saw you as his big break. Said something about theperfect setup—using your trauma as his stepping-stone to journalistic fame.”

A strange relief washed over Joy’s face. “I wasn’t imagining things.”

“No,” Bear said firmly. “You weren’t.”

She nodded, resolve hardening her features. “Good. I mean—not good that he was actually spying on me. But good that my paranoia had some sort of factual roots.”

Callum turned to Sloane. “I can’t help but think he would’ve been targeting you next since you were actually held by the Kozaks. Didn’t start with you because Joy was an easier target.”