“Are you okay?” His hand comes to my face as he looks me over. Before I can respond, the sound of a gun going off steals all my attention.
“Is everyone okay?” I hear Ryan ask.
“I told you to stay upstairs,” Miles grits out in a tone I’ve never heard from him before.
“Shit. I heard a gun. E?”
“I’m fine,” I say to reassure him. Miles pulls me into his chest, holding me close. I’m not sure he’s ever going to let me go again.
“The police will be here any second. I already called them.” I tilt my head back to look up at him. His eyes are on the door that leads into the coffee shop. I can tell it’s taking everything he has to maintain his self-control and not go after the man.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“Ryan called me. Thought he heard something. Thinking you were still out with me, he called to double-check. I knew you’d just gone in, but something told me to check so I came back. I told Ryan to stay upstairs.”
“Oh.” I melt into him a little more.
“I came in the back. When I saw the lock busted I texted Violet to get the cops here ASAP.” As if on cue, the sound of sirens fills the air. I rest my head on his chest, my heart rate finally starting to slow down. He came back. My eyes start to water, but I blink it away quickly, not wanting to be a total mess when the police get here.
“Clear,” I hear someone shout.
“We’re in the back. I’m Miles Monroe, and Eden is with me. It's clear back here too.” A moment later, the door is pushed open by a few uniformed cops.
“There was a shot,” I rush to say.
“Yeah. He shot the glass in the front door to make himself an exit.” I close my eyes for a moment. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
“Can I come down now?” Ryan shouts from the top of the stairs leading up to our place.
“Yes,” Miles tells him. He comes bolting down the stairs, pulling me from Miles’ arms into his own. I hug him back, so freaking thankful the man hadn't gone upstairs. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to him.
“She can’t breathe,” Miles informs Ryan. It’s true.
“Shit.” He releases his hold on me.
“I take it everyone is okay?” one of the police officers asks.
“I think so,” I answer. For the next hour, I give the officers my statement. They make me repeat it a few times, making sure they’ve got every detail down. When I mentioned the part about the man asking about my father, Miles pulled me into his lap. I rolled my eyes at him, but it felt good to have him there with me. So I relaxed into him, allowing him to give me the comfort I needed.
“I texted a friend of mine. He just got here. He’s going to board the door up for the night and make sure the back door is able to be locked. He’ll be back in the morning to do real fixes.”
“Thank you.” I don’t fight him on this. For once I’m going to lean on him and let him do things his way.
“Let me have a word with the cops for a moment before they leave.” He slips me off his lap, putting me back into the other chair before he steps out of my office. I can see him talking to a few of the officers.
They already knew who he was when they arrived earlier. I swear Miles knows everyone or always has someone who can handle something. He’s a man of many trades clearly.
I let out a yawn, exhaustion finally hitting me. I must be coming down from the adrenaline rush. I think about my bed upstairs, not wanting to be in it. I don’t want to be here and alone while we sleep. Even the thought has my heart speeding up again.
I was thinking Miles was going to ask me to come with him, but he hasn't yet. Stop being prideful and just ask, I tell myself. I know he wants me there. He wouldn't mind Ryan either. He gets we are a package deal. A few minutes later, Miles is back in my office.
“Are you ready? Everything here has been handled.” I take his hand, and he pulls me up from the chair.
“Do you think we can stay with you?” I ask.
“Of course,” he says instantly.
“Okay. I think I got everything E might need. She always wears the same shit.” Ryan walks in with two giant bags and his backpack.
I give Miles a look, but he only smiles. I can’t help but return it. This is temporary. We’re so not moving in with him. That’s the plan.