“Actually, she did agree to a date with me,” Levi said, but didn’t elaborate, not when there were more pressing matters to discuss. Instead, he filled Nick in on what had happened after the date, when he’d taken Sarah back to the motel, and her confession tonight about being stalked by a controlling, possessive ex who was a member of a cult.
“You know we don’t have any authority if he’s living in Fairdale,” Nick replied once he had all the facts. “That’s out of our jurisdiction.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his fingers across his forehead, trying to ease the tension settling there. “What I need is as much information about this guy as you can get for me. His name is Dylan Harper, and all I know is that he’s currently living at the Sacrosanct compound. I want to pay him a friendly visit as a civilian to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, if you know what I mean.” There wouldn’t be a physical confrontation that jeopardized his job as a cop, but verbally, Levi planned to be very persuasive.
“Oh, yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” Nick said, a smirk in his voice. “I’ll see what I can find out about him this week and get back to you.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Levi disconnected the call, feeling marginally better. Now that he had Nick digging up whatever he could on Dylan, tomorrow Levi planned to make sure that both Clay and Mason were apprised of the situation before Sarah started her shift at Kincaid’s later that night. He wanted protective eyes on her at all times. If for some reason Levi couldn’t be there, then he knew his brothers would provide backup until the issue with Dylan was resolved and Sarah no longer had a reason to run. At least, that’s what Levi was hoping.
Hearing the familiar padding of footsteps on the wood flooring, he glanced up as Sarah walked into the kitchen, looking drowsy, a little disheveled, and sexy as hell in one of his navy blue Chicago PD T-shirts.
“What are you still doing up?” she asked, her voice husky as she walked straight to him and wrapped her arms around his waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I don’t like waking up alone.”
He didn’t know if it was her sleepy subconscious talking or an honest declaration, but he loved that she’d missed him enough to seek him out. “Just taking care of a few things.” Taking care of you.
“Come back to bed,” she whispered.
It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse, even if it was just to hold her while she slept.
Chapter Eleven
“What size jeans do you wear?”
Sarah followed Samantha through the women’s section of Target, with Katrina trailing behind. Levi had surprised her this morning with the announcement that the two of them were having lunch with Clay and his wi
fe, Samantha, and Mason and his fiancée, Katrina. While eating their meal at an Italian restaurant near Clay’s bar, Sarah mentioned to the women that she needed to buy jeans for her shift at Kincaid’s later that evening, and they’d both insisted on coming with her.
“Last time I bought a pair, they were a size five,” she said as they came to a wall with shelves that held folded pairs of jeans. Samantha went right for the darker pairs and started looking through the pile.
Katrina stopped at a rack of cute dresses and glanced through them while Sarah gravitated toward a nearby clearance rack to see if she could find anything there. The two women had been so nice to her, and right from the moment she’d met Samantha, she’d noticed that she was the nurturing type. She was also stunningly beautiful and well put together in a polished, sophisticated way. But she looked right at home in Target, and she seemed to know where everything was located.
Sarah had never had close girlfriends growing up because of being shuffled through so many foster homes and her fears of getting attached, only to leave people behind. Or them leaving her behind. Even as an adult, she didn’t have any close friends, so having this girl time with Samantha and Katrina was a nice change. And fun, too. She’d laughed so much during their lunch and already felt a friendship forming, even if it was just for a short while.
“The men over there look like they’re having such a deep, important conversation,” Katrina said, her tone amused. “But man, do they look damn hot all standing together.”
Sarah glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, Levi, Mason, and Clay were in a tight circle in the aisle that separated the women’s section from the men’s, and yeah, she agreed that all three men were good-looking in their own separate ways. Their arms were crossed over their chests, and all of their expressions were serious as the two older brothers listened to whatever Levi was saying to them.
“They’re either being serious about something or annoying one another. I’m not sure which,” Samantha said with a grin.
Sarah had a feeling they were talking about her. Levi told her that lunch today with his siblings and their significant others was so that she could meet everyone before starting her shift tonight, but she suspected that Levi was letting his brothers know about Dylan. Levi was determined to keep her safe—hence his insistence that he accompany her to Target, which then prompted Samantha and Katrina to join them. Sarah really did appreciate his efforts and knew he’d do his best. But she’d meant what she said when she’d told him that he wouldn’t be able to protect her forever from someone who was highly motivated to find her.
“You know, I have to say, I’ve never seen Levi so smitten with a woman as he seems to be with you,” Samantha said as she pulled a folded pair of jeans from a stack and straightened with the pants in her hands.
“To be honest, we’ve never seen him with a woman at all,” Katrina added with a grin. “So you must be very special to him.”
Sarah couldn’t stop the warm blush that crept up her neck and over her face. The fact that Levi had never brought a girlfriend around to meet his family and friends was surprising and shocking. But even knowing she was an exception—which she attributed directly to her situation with Dylan and not having a place to live—she refused to read too much into their comments.
“So, Mason and I are getting married next month in an outdoor ceremony at Clay and Samantha’s house,” Katrina said off-handedly. “Levi already RSVP’d just for himself before you started dating, but I hope you’ll come, too?”
Sarah really liked these two women. A lot. And she knew they were trying to make her feel welcome and a part of a group. But chances were that, in a month, she’d be gone. “Thank you for the invitation. I appreciate it,” she said, but didn’t give Katrina a firm response.
“Here’s a pair of jeans in your size,” Samantha said triumphantly, just as Sarah found one on clearance.
She pulled the denim from her rack as she reached for the pair Samantha held out to her. She’d try both of them on, but with her limited funds, Sarah was hoping the cheaper pair fit better, because there was no way she was letting Levi pay for anything.
While Katrina continued perusing other outfits, Samantha walked with Sarah to the dressing room. Before they reached the counter, she lightly touched Sarah’s arm and brought her to a stop. She glanced at the other woman curiously, not sure what she wanted or needed.