Page 155 of The Defender

“She’s cheating on you!” Seth shouted. Spike had pinned him to the ground, and based on the earlier crunch and his grimace of pain, the guard must’ve broken at least one of his bones in the process. “I saw—she was—Vincent, you can’t let her fool you. She’ll ruin your life. I’m your best friend. You have to trust me!”

“We arenotbest friends.” The abrupt shift in Vincent’s voice chilled me to the bone. It was low and venomous, filled with raw, cold fury. “You’re nothing but a parasite. And if you ever fucking come near Brooklyn again—if you even look at orthinkabout her—I’ll kill you myself.”

Seth’s eyes widened. He gaped at Vincent as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m trying tohelpyou.”

“I don’t need you to help me. I need you behind bars for the rest of your fucking life.”

The boy’s face turned a mottled red. His body trembled, but instead of yelling or lashing out, he retreated into a shell of glassy-eyed silence. He didn’t speak or move again until the police arrived minutes later.

Detective Smith was the first on the scene. He handcuffed Seth, who let Smith yank him to the police car without protest. Vincent’s harshness seemed to have broken something inside him. He passed by us, his head down and his shoulders hunched.

Even though he’d literally tried to kill me, I felt a twinge of empathy. Seth was deranged, but how lonely and neglected must he have been for him to take the small kindnesses Vincent had shown him and blow them so out of proportion?

Nevertheless, I was glad we’d caught him. The nightmare was finally over—well, almost.

The police had plenty of questions for Vincent, Spike, and me. I told them what happened so many times I got sick of hearing my own voice, but eventually, they were satisfied and left us alone. The paramedics also examined me. Thankfully, I was fine except for some cuts and bruises.

“Just so you know, this wasn’t the reunion I’d imagined,” I said when the EMT left to fill out some paperwork. “I’m dramatic, but notthisdramatic.”

Vincent let out a strangled laugh, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He hadn’t let me go once since he found me, not even for the paramedic’s checkup. “We heard the noise as soon as we came in, but when I got to the kitchen and saw you, I thought he—I couldn’t—if anything happened to you—” His voice broke.

He rarely lost his cool, and the sight of his undisguised fear made my heart squeeze.

“It didn’t. I’m fine.” I cupped his face with my hands, my chest swelling with so much love and relief, it almost hurt. “I also think I broke his nose during our little scuffle, so I’m very proud.”

Another laugh, this one more genuine. “‘Little’ scuffle, huh?”

“Yep. I’ve been through worse. You weren’t there for the Black Friday brawl of 2010. Pre-teen me was vicious.”

Vincent shook his head. “You’re something else.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is.” He kissed me softly, and when he spoke again, my breath caught in my throat. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

CHAPTER 45

VINCENT

Brooklyn and I sat on the sofa, my arm around her shoulder and her head on my chest.

The police left hours ago. The crime scene had been cleaned up, and I’d sent Spike home for some well-deserved rest. He’d argued vehemently, but when I told him I wanted a proper reunion with my girlfriend, he’d relented.

We’d also called her dad and told him what happened. We downplayed it because we didn’t want Coach to have a complete meltdown before we explained the situation in person, but that hadn’t stopped him from flying off the handle. The only reason he hadn’t marched straight to my house was because Brooklyn insisted she needed time to rest first, but he was coming over first thing in the morning.

Meanwhile, Seth was in police custody, and Detective Smith had assured us he faced criminal charges that could put him behind bars for life. Even so, I refused to let Brooklyn out of my sight, afraid that I would blink and she’d vanish.

“That’s the last time I surprise anyone,” she said. “From now on, I’m letting you know exactly when and where I’ll be.Preferably with a pin on Google Maps and a body cam, if necessary.”

I smiled at her attempt to make light of the situation, but I couldn’t shake the bone-deep cold stealing through me. That afternoon’s memories sank their claws into my brain and refused to let go—Brooklyn lying on the floor while Seth tried to strangle her. Her tears and his screams. The deranged expression on his face and the overwhelming, gut-wrenching moment when I thought I’d been too late, and the earth crumbled beneath my feet.

For a split second, I’d lived in a world where she no longer existed, and that was enough to make me wish I were dust too.

My lungs tightened, and I kissed the top of Brooklyn’s head again to reassure myself she was still there. Her scent was so familiar and comforting, it was like she’d never left.

There were still unanswered questions regarding Seth, like how he’d gotten the key to my house and what his motivation for harassing me had been. According to Smith, it was likely Seth didn’t see his actions as harassment at all. He probably viewed them as some form of sick celebrity worship that I should be grateful for.

We wouldn’t get answers until the police questioned him properly, but for all intents and purposes, the intruder situation was resolved. Brooklyn was back by my side, if only temporarily, and this should’ve been a happy moment, not a melancholic one.