Page 91 of Hero Mine

She was safe. And she wasn’t frozen in fear, wasn’t curled in a corner—she was taking inventory.

“Joy,” he called, slightly breathless as he reached her.

She turned, relief washing over her face. “Thank God. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Lost him in the woods.” He gestured to her phone. “Callum coming?”

“Should be here any minute.” She swept the flashlight across a shelf of sorted parts. “It looks like they grabbed some copper wiring and aluminum scraps. That seems so odd. Why would someone take that?”

Joy seemed collected and calm. Obviously, some minor thefts weren’t going to throw her into a downward spiral as he’d been concerned about.

“Well, for the past couple of weeks?—”

His explanation about the burglaries was cut short by headlights sweeping across the yard as Callum’s sheriff’s vehicle pulled up, red and blue lights flashing once before going dark. Callum stepped out, his expression all business as he approached.

“What happened?” he asked, flashlight already in hand.

Bear quickly laid out the details—the interrupted break-in, the chase, the second suspect he didn’t pursue.

“Description?” Callum asked.

“Tall. Maybe six feet. Wearing a dark hoodie. Fast on rough terrain, knew these woods.” Bear shook his head. “Couldn’t get close enough for more details.”

Callum nodded, then turned to Joy. “You okay?”

“Fine.” Her voice was steady. “Bear took off like Superman, I don’t think they even saw me.”

“What did they take this time?” Callum asked, sweeping his light around the yard.

“Some aluminum scrap, looks like a few lengths of chain.” Bear frowned. “Same pattern as before. Only took from the junk pile. Nothing from inside the garage itself.”

Joy’s head snapped toward him, eyes tight. “Before? This has happened before?”

“Small thefts over the past couple weeks,” Bear explained, trying to keep his tone casual. “Nothing major. Just scrap and old equipment.”

“From multiple places around town,” Callum added. “Small stuff. Nothing worth filing a full report over.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this?” Joy’s question was directed at Bear, her voice deliberately even.

“I didn’t want to freak you out,” he replied, knowing immediately it was the wrong answer.

Joy’s eyes flashed with something that looked like anger mixed with hurt. The temperature between them seemed to drop several degrees.

Callum nodded. “Bear, I need a complete list of what’s missing. And a statement from you both about what you saw.” He was already backing toward his vehicle. “I’ll swing by tomorrow for the details. I’m going into town to see if we get lucky with the second guy.”

With a quick nod to them both, he was gone, leaving Bear and Joy standing in the scrapyard, the sudden silence thick with tension.

“You didn’t tell me this was happening.” Her voice was quiet but held a dangerous edge.

“I didn’t want to give you more weight to carry,” Bear said, aware of how hollow that sounded even to his own ears. “It was just junk. Petty theft.”

“You kept this from me because you thought I couldn’t handle it.”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“No,” she cut him off, stepping back when he reached for her. “You were treating me like I’m broken. Like I’d fall apart at the first sign of trouble.”

“That’s not true,” Bear insisted, frustration building in his chest. “I just didn’t want to pile something else on when you’ve been doing so well. Didn’t want you to end up back in the playhouse.”