The Woman in the Wrong Place (Grassi Framily)

“It’s not your—“

“Yes,” he cut me off, shaking his head, giving me almost unnerving eye contact. “Yes, it is absolutely my fault. I am okay with you blaming me. You should.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said, shaking my head. It would be easier to blame him. But I just couldn’t find it in me to do it.

“I don’t deserve that much goodness, Josie. Don’t give it to me. This is my problem. And it is getting taken out on you. That is inexcusable.”

“I’m okay,” I told him, feeling my eyes get watery again, but this time because he was being nice. And when I was having any sort of feeling and someone was nice to me, it made me cry. No amount of therapy had managed to get that weird quirk to go away.

At the sight of them, Matteo leaned down over me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head, whispering how sorry he was again in this solemn voice that had my belly fluttering.

“I have no right to ask anything of you right now,” he started. “But you said you have no one. Can I be someone?” he asked. “Can I take care of you? You can’t be alone right now.”

“You don’t have—“

“I want to. I want to do it,” he insisted, looking down at me. “I mean it.”

It was a really, really bad idea.

I knew that rationally.

But it was just as rational to admit that I really wasn’t in the best shape to care for myself right then. I was a walking bruise.

On top of that, I wasn’t too prideful to admit that I was absolutely terrified to be alone right then. I knew, logically, that no one was going to come for me again. But I couldn’t shake the fear of it, either.

“Okay,” I said, voice so small I was surprised he heard it.

“Okay,” he repeated, eyes soft.

His mouth opened to say something else, but the door was suddenly pushing open.

And there was Detective Hart.

I swear he looked murderous.

“Shit,” he hissed when his gaze landed on me, his shoulders falling in much the same way that Matteo’s had. “I was hoping it was just a coincidence,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at me. “Grassi,” he added, voice a hiss as his gaze landed on Matteo.

“He didn’t do this,” I told the detective, shaking my head. “Not hypothetically. And not literally either,” I told him, wishing I could force a smile but I just didn’t have the energy to fake it. “Someone jumped me at work.”

“Work,” Detective Hart repeated, a brow raising. “His work?” he added, looking over at Matteo.

“I know,” Matteo said, nodding, taking all the blame like no man I’d ever seen before. “It never should have happened. It will be remedied by morning. But Josie is on paid leave for however long she needs to be.”

“Oh, no. My notes,” I hissed, thinking of the bag that I’d dropped and hadn’t picked up when the ambulance came.

“Don’t worry about your notes right now,” Matteo said, patting my knee under the blanket.

“We have two new parties in less than a month,” I insisted.

“Babe,” Matteo said, voice a little firmer. “Fuck the parties.”

Across the room, I saw a look I couldn’t quite place cross Detective Hart’s face. It seemed to be a mix of surprise and, I don’t know, being impressed maybe? If that made any sort of sense at all.

“I’ll just redo them,” I said, shaking my head.

“You need to rest and recover,” Matteo insisted.

“If I’m stuck in bed for a couple days, it is the perfect time to get some work done.”

“No, babe, it is the perfect time to sleep and watch crappy movies and eat a lot of food.”

“Says the man who is richer than God,” I said, sighing.

“You’re getting paid regardless. Plus hazard,” Matteo added.

“That’s not—“

“Grassi,” Detective Hart broke in, getting Matteo’s attention. “I’d like to speak to Miss Pearson alone for a moment.”

“Is that okay with you?” Matteo asked. And, again, that odd look crossed the detective’s face.

“It’s okay,” I said, nodding.

“Okay. I’ll go see about getting you an ice pack for your eye,” he said, giving my knee a squeeze that hurt a bit since I’d landed on them pretty hard, but I tried not to wince.

With that, he left, leaving me with the detective who was watching me with confused eyes.

“It’s a weird situation,” I said, nodding.

“Seems like it,” Detective Hart said, nodding. “You’re not dealing with him under duress?” he asked. “I know it seemed like I couldn’t help you before, but I know people who can help you disappear if that is necessary. They would never find you.”

“No. I actually… I called him,” I admitted. “I, ah, I didn’t have anyone else to call really.”

I mean, there was Marcie. Now that I was a little more level-headed, I realized she was someone I could have called. But at that moment of pain and fear and overwhelm, it wasn’t her that came to mind. For reasons I couldn’t even begin to understand, it was Matteo I wanted at my bedside.