Shadows of You (Lost & Found #4)(86)

I wanted to laugh because I knew it was what Aspen was going for. But I couldn’t quite get myself there.

As she recounted every moment of the encounter to Lawson, my body strung tighter. Oren Randal was clearly unstable and obviously fixated on Aspen. It was a recipe for disaster.

Lawson moved to the back door and motioned to an evidence tech. “Grab a photo of this and see if you can get any prints. Someone tampered with the lock.”

I glared at the door. “We’re getting you better locks and an alarm system here.”

“Roan—”

“Don’t,” I snapped. “I’m doing everything I can not to lose it right now. Please just let me do what I can to make you safe.”

Aspen pressed a hand to my chest and stretched up onto her tiptoes. Her mouth took mine in a long, slow kiss. “Okay. Just promise me you won’t get lost in the woods. That you’ll stay with me.”

The woods of my mind could be a dangerous place. It was easy to spiral there. But I had Aspen and Cady to fight for, so I’d always come back.

“Not going anywhere,” I promised.

“Good,” she said with a pat to my chest.

Lawson cleared his throat. “Gonna need to take a few pictures of your face now, and then again after the bruises develop.”

“Not now,” I gritted out.

Aspen squeezed my arm. “It’s okay. I can do it.”

But I didn’t miss the tremor in her hand as it dropped from my arm. She’d likely been photographed after John’s attack and now battled with her memories.

The evidence tech, who didn’t look older than twenty-one at most, held up his camera. “Just look into the lens.”

The camera flashed, and Aspen jerked.

I let out a curse.

Lawson squeezed my shoulder hard. “Keep it together.”

The tech eyed me skeptically. “Look to the left.”

Another flash and jerk.

“To the right.”

Bright light and twitch.

“That’s enough,” I barked. “I’m taking her home.”

“That’s all I need,” the tech said softly.

Aspen turned to face me, worry etched into her expression. “The worst is over.”

“You don’t need to comfort me,” I growled. “I should be taking care of you.”

Her lips twitched. “You are kind of like a grizzly bear with a thorn in his paw right now.”

Lawson snorted, pulling out his phone as it rang. “She’s not wrong there.” He tapped the screen. “Hartley.” His entire demeanor changed as he listened. Then his gaze shot to mine. “There’s another body.”





43





ROAN





“Stop snarling,” Lawson said as he turned onto the back road.

“I’m not snarling,” I snapped.

He shot a look in my direction. “You’re practically spitting and muttering things under your breath.”

I turned to look out the window. “I didn’t want to leave her.”

Lawson was quiet for a moment. “I get it, man. But she’s going to be fine. Mom’s clucking over her like a mother hen, and Dad’s keeping an eye out—not that he needs to because Oren’s locked up.”

“Don’t say his name,” I growled. The asshole’s face filled my mind, stirring a fresh wave of rage. I knew he wouldn’t be in lockup forever. He’d make bail and be free to come after Aspen again.

“I’ve already got Clint on the restraining order. Oren’ll be served before he gets out. He comes close, we’ll get him.”

I just grunted. It wasn’t good enough. Nothing would be.

“If you can’t get your head in the game, it’s better if you’re home,” Lawson said low.

I glared at him. “Name one time my head hasn’t been in the game. We’re not at the crime scene yet. Get off my back.”

Lawson snapped his mouth closed, his hands tightening on the wheel. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Because I’ve never cared about anyone like this before,” I muttered.

He glanced at me before returning his focus to the road. “You’re going to have to figure out how to deal with all the stuff coming up. I don’t know if it’s about what happened around the shooting or—”

“Don’t,” I said quietly. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” Lawson argued. “I can see you winding tighter and tighter. I know it’s new for you, having feelings like this, but I don’t want it setting you back.”

“How would you feel if you were in my shoes? Your person being attacked. People spreading vicious lies about her that could lead to anyone acting out. Would you just shrug and turn it off?”

It killed that they’d seen me do that before. When shit hit the fan for all my siblings, I’d been able to keep going. But Aspen had unlocked something in me, and I couldn’t put things back in the bottle.

A muscle under Lawson’s eye fluttered. “Well, I don’t have a person, do I?”

Shit.

“That’s not how I meant it.”

He huffed out a breath, his fingers stretching around the wheel. “I know you didn’t. But if I’m honest, it’s one of the reasons I don’t. Having three kids I love more than life is hard enough—knowing what’s out there, all the things that could hurt them. I can’t add more to that plate.”