Page 19 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)

Bailee’s room was blissfully quiet, except an occasional chirping from one of the monitors she was connected to.

The fluorescent lights had been dimmed to give her relief from the brightness.

The thin sheet and hospital blanket were tucked in around her, keeping her warm in the air-conditioned room.

She kept her eyes closed to the persistent pain in her head.

She didn’t hear a sound, didn’t hear the door open, didn’t hear a footfall on the tile floor.

But there was a shift in the room, subtle but palpable.

She sensed a presence that hadn’t always been there.

Slowly, she allowed her lids to flutter open, her pupils adjusting to the dim lighting until they focused on Easton.

He smiled. “Hey.”

She tried to return his smile, but her body felt too weak to comply. “Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

Bailee grimaced. “Like shit. I want to go home, but I don’t think I can move from this bed.”

He stepped closer to her bedside, his hands resting on the bed railing. “Then it’s probably good that the doctor wants to keep you overnight.”

“Good is not the word I would use.” She braced her hands against the mattress to adjust her position, but the pain and weakness invading her body made her give up instantly.

“Here. Let me help.”

Easton slid his strong hands under her arms, his touch gentle and warm. Delicious heat spread through her body as he pulled her up, propping a pillow behind her for support.

“Thanks.” She tried to ignore the feeling of loss that rose in her chest when he pulled his hands away. “Where’s Gran?”

Darby Anne had arrived at the hospital with Becky while Bailee was still in the Emergency Room.

Bailee had managed to fight unconsciousness during the ambulance ride, but once they moved her inside and onto a bed, the pain in her head and the nausea caused by the concussion overwhelmed her.

She’d felt the darkness encroaching, and then next thing she knew, Gran was waking her because the doctor had come in with a prognosis.

“She’s going with Becky to her house to rest. We convinced her you’d probably sleep through the night and that you’d need her at her best when you’re released tomorrow. I assured her I’d stay just in case anything changes.”

Bailee tilted her head as she regarded him. “You don’t have to stay. The nurses are keeping an eye on me, and the doctor only wanted to admit me as a precaution.”

“I thought we could talk if you’re up for it.”

“Sure, but I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep midsentence. I feel pretty weak right now.”

Easton smiled. “That’s to be expected because you lost a lot of blood from the head wound. It’ll pass the more you rest and your body heals.”

He pulled the one chair in the room closer to her bedside and settled his long frame on it. He leaned closer to her, and she absurdly expected him to reach for her hand. Instead he rested his arms on his knees and pierced her with the intense dark eyes that saw more than she was comfortable with.

“Chief Tatum wants to come by and get a statement from you. He’s taking charge of the investigation, and he wanted to talk to you while the attack was fresh on your mind.

I assured him though that with your background, you might remember more specific details if you had some time to collect your thoughts. ”

“Thanks. I wish I could write down everything. My head hurts too much, and my hand is a little shaky.”

“So talk it through with me, and let me write down anything you want to tell Tater.”

Bailee raised a brow. “I’m sorry. Tater?”

Easton chuckled. “Yeah. Chief Tatum’s nickname is Tater. He’s had it for longer than I’ve known him, and it kind of fits.”

“What’s he like?” Bailee shouldn’t care, but after her experiences, she needed to know the type of cop the Chief was if she had to trust him as an ally.

“Old school, but a good cop. Good investigator. Tough, but fair. Not ego driven. Not concerned with his image. You can trust him.”

She sighed. “Okay. That’s good to know. Let’s do this. Do you want to ask me something or what?”

His hand covered hers. “Relax, Bailee. Just start talking through what happened.”

Her eyes focused on their joined hands, and her mind took her back to the bar.

She’d been hesitant about joining Reagan and Melody for a girls’ night when she didn’t know them well, but Gran insisted she spend an evening out.

She shouldn’t have worried. The women were fun and easy to connect with.

She remembered dancing and laughing and feeling more carefree than she had in a while.

Then their significant others claimed dances with them, and though she found her own dance partner, something about the moment made her feel…lonely. She decided she’d had enough to drink and enough girl time for one night.

She could have just left without a word. She could have bid Reagan and Melody goodnight and headed home. But she’d gone to the bar. She could say it was because she didn’t want to interrupt her new friends’ moment with their men, but deep down, she knew she wanted to see Easton.

She wanted to hear his voice and have him smile at her in his familiar, charming way. And he’d done that. He’d even offered to walk her to her car, and part of her had wanted to say yes. Part of her now wished she had.

But in the moment it was more important to her to appear aloof and capable. She was a fool, setting herself up to be a victim.

“I stepped outside and looked around before walking to my car. I always do that, check out the parking lot to make sure no one’s waiting to jump the first person they find alone.

Everything was clear. I made it to my car before someone hit me from behind.

I fell against the car, but then someone jerked me back.

Everything got fuzzy at that point. I was dragged, I think.

Anyway, it took me a bit to shake off the dizziness.

I figured I’d go for broke, and I headbutted the guy.

Big mistake when you’ve already been hit on the head, but the guy let me go.

I lost my balance and fell hard. I guess that’s when my knees and hands got skinned up. ”

“Did you get a look at him?”

“Yeah. It was just a glance, but it was enough to know I’d seen him before.”

“The guy at the grocery store?” Easton guessed.

“How did you know?”

“I got a good look at him when we fought. He matched the description you gave me.”

She studied him for a moment and then continued.

“I was trying to stand up before he could come after me again, but it wasn’t easy when my head felt like it was splitting open.

You came out of nowhere and tackled him.

He fought you off. I hit his knee. Then…

I don’t know. Everything’s black after that. ”

Easton filled in the blanks. “He pulled a gun and took off. You collapsed before I could chase him. I called inside the bar and had my brothers come out to help. Luke called for an ambulance while I tried to stop the bleeding from your head wound. Fortunately, you were only unconscious for a few minutes.”

Her brow furrowed. “I don’t remember the ambulance. I only remember the doctor telling me I had a concussion, and because it was late and I’d experienced a trauma, he was keeping me overnight for observation. I remember Gran being there. That’s it.”

“Understandable. You’ll likely remember the rest once you heal. Don’t force it. What you do remember is enough to aid the investigation.”

She was quiet for several seconds, and Easton waited, holding her hand until she shared what was on her mind.

“I want to ask you something...or several things. I don’t know if I should.” Her voice was low and hypnotic.

“You can ask me anything.”

She sighed. “The way you talk about an investigation and the way you went after that guy. Where did you learn that?”

“I have three brothers. Learning to fight was a way of life. Any other training I have came from my tour in the Army.”

“I’m a detective, Easton. I know when someone isn’t telling me the whole story. Admit it. There’s more that you aren’t sharing.”

“I could say the same of you.”

She sighed. “I sort of conditioned myself to hold things back because I can never be sure who I can trust. I once considered myself a good judge of character, but…”

“But you've been through a lot that made you doubt yourself. It happens. It’s happened to me.”

“Do you ever move past it?”

“Don’t move past it. Use it to fine tune your judgment. It’s what I did.”

A yawn stretched her mouth wide. “Tell me. Just that part of your story.”

“You should rest. Get some sleep before Tater comes for your statement.”

“Please, Easton. I probably won’t even remember what you say. Just talk until I fall asleep.”

Her words were slower, more measured as she fought the effects of her medicine.

“Well, you know I’m a foster kid. I never knew my mom.

I grew up with my dad, who wasn’t an ideal father.

He was an alcoholic who really didn’t want me around.

He didn’t care what I did or what happened to me.

I enjoyed the freedom of doing what I wanted, but sometimes a concerned teacher or neighbor would report his neglect.

I would get placed in foster care. Some homes were good.

Some not. But none of them allowed me the independence that my dad did.

So I’d run away and go back to my dad. After a while, DHR stopped trying to place me with someone. ”

Bailee’s eyes started to drift close, but she squeezed his hand to encourage him to continue.

“Then one day, I came home from school and found the eviction notice on our apartment door. My dad had disappeared, so I had no choice but to go to a foster home. After that, I figured I was the only person I could count on. Then I met Gish. He had Jackson and Luke then. Ben came to us later. Gish gave me a job and a place to live on the condition that I would stop running. I promised I wouldn’t, but I never intended to stay.

I kept to myself, certain that eventually they’d kick me out or leave me on my own.

I couldn’t stop comparing Gish to my dad, and the differences between them made me realize Gish meant it when he said I’d always have a home with him and the others.

That’s what I mean. I used my experience to figure out that Gish, Jackson, and Luke didn’t intend to leave me, not like everyone else in my life. ”

A lazy smile curved her lips, crinkling her closed eyes at the corners. “So I don’t stand a chance of making the list.”

“What—?”

She forced her eyes open and pierced him with an intense stare. “You only trust those who don’t leave. Eventually, I’ll go back to my life in Louisville.”

He reached to push her hair back from her forehead. “I don’t know about that. You do have a reason to come back as long as Darby Anne stays in Fire Creek. And I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

Her eyes started to droop again, and she struggled to keep them open.

“Okay. You told me all I had to do was ask, and you would have my six. Well, I’m asking. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t be taken off guard again. Too much is at stake.”

His finger trailed down her cheek before he placed his palm over her eyes. “You got it, sweetheart. Sleep now. No one’s going to get to you or Darby Anne. I promise.”

Bailee drifted off to sleep with Easton’s promise resonating in her mind.