Page 22 of Therefore

Chapter Nineteen

Trystan

“ A ll right. That should do it, Mr Wells.” Detective Rhodes smiled, putting away his phone and closing his notepad.

It had been a long night at the hospital, and an even longer morning as Rhodes took my statement on what happened. He’d offered to let me sleep some more first, but I wanted it over with. The sooner I could move on from this shit, the better.

“That’s it? I’m not like”—My eyes flicked to Emerson, then back to Rhodes—“in trouble for anything?”

The corner of Rhodes’s mouth quirked, and he tapped his chin with the notepad, choosing his words carefully.

“While the recording provided by your friend certainly shows intent to steal evidence, you technically didn’t commit any actual crime we can see.

Also, Emerson made a compelling argument that with everything you did to help bring in Fisher’s associate, as well as getting us enough evidence to arrest one of the city’s major crime lords, we can look the other way.

Provided, of course, you remain on the correct side of the law in the future. ”

Looks like I’m retiring early.

Emerson brought my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on my knuckles before saying, “Told you I’d sort everything out, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, yeah. You were right, I know,” I grumbled half-heartedly, squeezing his hand.

Since saving me in the cellar yesterday, Emerson had only left my side once, on the doctor’s orders, and even that had taken some convincing.

Throughout the night, part of him had always been touching me, whether it was him holding my hand, stroking my hair, or feeling the rise and fall of my chest as I slept.

I think he’d needed the reassurance that things were okay as much as I did.

“We shouldn’t need anything else from you, but I’ll call tomorrow just to check in.” Rhodes patted me on the shoulder gently before heading for the door.

“Oh, wait!” I called after him. “Have you heard anything from Pearl? How’s she doing?”

“She’s shaken and very dehydrated but doing well,” he said with a kind smile. “Francis and Norah have hardly left her side. I’ll check on her again before I leave and tell her you’re thinking of her.”

“Appreciate it. Let her know I’ll replace her house key as a thank you.”

Pretty sure she wasn’t interested in getting the key that the doctors had to remove from Harris’s eyeball.

The door clicked shut behind the detective, and I leaned back against the small mountain of pillows Emerson had found for me. It was comfortable, but not quite what I needed. Shuffling forwards on the bed, I tugged gently on Emerson’s hand.

“Can I help you?” he asked, trying and failing to hide a smile.

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Only because you were held at gunpoint less than twenty-four hours ago.” He climbed onto the bed behind me, legs on either side of my body, and wrapped his big arms around me.

Patchouli washed over me as he held me against his chest, his heartbeat thumping against my back soothingly. It amazed me to think that being in the arms of an alpha used to be my nightmare.

Right now, I couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

Still, a thought nagged in my head. “You really think they’ll be able to keep Roman behind bars?”

“I think he’ll do his damndest to get out, but I know a team of prosecutors who’ll make sure he stays put.” Emerson cupped my jaw, turning my head to face him over my shoulder. “He’s never getting near you again. Same for Harris, if he ever wakes up.”

His lips brushed mine, sealing a promise I fully trusted him to keep.

“Thank you. But how are you doing with the Harris stuff?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Sorry, I just mean you worked with him for a while, right?”

Emerson nodded solemnly. “Years. We started at the firm as interns together, fresh out of university. He never mentioned being in any relationship, let alone with someone like Fisher…”

“It’s possible he was hiding it as long as he knew you.”

“Exactly.” He sighed against me. “I don’t know if or when he changed, or whether he was always like that and I just didn’t care enough to see it.”

I curled into him, gently rubbing my cheek against the skin exposed by his open collar. Scenting him this way made my omega purr, and I hoped it soothed his alpha, too. It was a strange way to comfort someone, but it felt right instinctually.

“You couldn’t have changed his mind, Emerson. He was dedicated to her, no matter what.”

Eventually, the rhythmic sounds of Emerson’s breathing, along with the stress of the past day, sent me back to sleep. Turns out, I really did sleep better with him around, even in a hospital. It was like my body had finally come out of fight or flight after so many years, and I could simply exist.

By the time I came round again, someone else was in the room talking to Emerson. He wasn’t being unnecessarily hostile, so not a doctor here for more “just in case” tests. That left…

“Hey, Trys. Good to see you awake.” Bee grinned at me. “But damn, you look like shit.”

“Aww, that means we finally match.”

“Oh, so witty.” They rolled their eyes, then leaned down to grab a tote bag and held it up like Simba at Pride Rock. “Guess that means you’re not interested in a bag of clean clothes to go home in?”

“I take it all back, oh gracious bringer of pants.”

Bee’s arrival apparently made Emerson comfortable enough to go check in on Pearl and fetch us some decent coffees from across the street. It warmed my heart to see him so accepting of my best friend.

While we had a few minutes alone, I had something I needed to say to them. “I forgot to say it yesterday, but thanks for finding me, Bumble. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

Bee scratched the back of their neck, a crooked smile across their face. “Eh, alpha-man gets most of the credit. But he wouldn’t have known you were gone so quickly without me, so I’ll take that instead. I’m your unintentional number one stalker.”

A laugh burst out of me. Emerson would definitely have something to say about not being ranked first. “Ooh, there’re ranks amongst my stalkers now. How exciting. I should make you all t-shirts now that I’m out of a job.”

“Or you could shut up and get some rest, idiot,” Bee said, oddly seriously. “I need you out of here and ready to work so we can start that P.I. thing for real.”

I did a double take. “Wait, you really wanna do that?”

They shrugged their shoulders non-committedly, but their smile betrayed their excitement. “I kinda like the sound of legitimate income. Plus, with some of our new contacts, getting clients should be a breeze.”

They had a point. I’d initially dismissed the idea a few days ago as a manipulation from Emerson to get me out of thievery. Now that I understood his motivations, and my favourite partner seemed up for it, could it really be worth a shot?

Emerson came back in before I could give an answer. Bee just waved it off with, “Have a think about it.”

A doctor came by to discharge me not long after. It was a relief to change into some clean clothes and be heading somewhere familiar. Pearl had to stay another night, but the nightmare was over.

Emerson opened the passenger door for me, ever the gentleman. “Ready to go home?”

“Definitely. But we’re going to my home, right?”

“I just thought since the last time you were there…and, you know, because my place is bigger—”

“I really want to be back in my own bed for a bit,” I admitted. “Pretty sure if we went to yours, I’d never leave, and I can’t say I’m ready to move in just yet. But I’d really appreciate it if you stayed with me tonight.”

It would be tough going back to a flat where I was drugged and kidnapped, but it was also the place where my alpha had claimed me. It had as many good memories as it did terrible ones, and I knew which I wanted to focus on for a change.

Emerson’s hands circled my waist, his patchouli scent flaring as he caught my lips in a toe-curling kiss in the car park. I fisted the lapels of his jacket as I returned the kiss, half-tempted to ask if we could use the back seat before we left.

Instead, I let him pull away enough to speak against my lips. “Anything you want, love.”

“Mm, you’ll regret saying that.”

“No, I won’t,” he insisted. “Listen, you might drive me crazy with your reckless attitude sometimes, and I may make you want to run because I won’t leave you alone. But we’re mated, and I love you. Therefore, I will never, ever regret anything with you.”

My chest swelled with emotions. I could feel his love through the bond but hearing it aloud was so different. He truly accepted me—the omega, the thief, the broken man trying to make it through the day.

“Take me home, Alpha.”