Page 122 of Cautious Love

“I heard all kinds of crazy stories from people at the diner, and I didn’t know what to think, and I’m grateful you’re in one piece,” I say through the tears.

He frowns and drags his thumb under my eyes catching the tears. “You know I don’t like it when you cry.”

I punch him in the arm. “Tough, deal with it,” I mumble.

He doesn’t snap back, only continues to frown, and it almost makes me laugh, but then I sober again.

“What happened?”

He sighs and puffs out a breath. “Got a call that a man who appeared to be high, based off his responses, was waving a gun at TJ’s. We arrived on the scene. An officer was already there. Luke and I came at the man from either side to pin him in. He wouldn’t listen to my commands. He fired off the gun, and I shot him in the leg.”

I blink a few times.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks.

“I thought one of the guys got shot, and I wasn’t sure what to do because it might have been you. But that’s what I get for listening to Mrs. Inglewood.”

He snorts. “Mrs. Inglewood loves to talk.”

“I’m aware,” I mumble.

“No one other than the suspect was shot,” he says.

“Do you know who the man is?” I ask him.

He grimaces. “Ever since Kensington increased hisbusiness, it has brought some unsavory characters into town, and it keeps getting worse. So, no, I don’t know who the man was, but he was high as a kite when we arrested him. I’m not even sure he felt the bullet wound.”

“So he wasn’t … with the Kensingtons?” I ask him.

Ledger shrugs. “If anything he was there to buy, but the man wasn’t making any sense when I tried to ask him. So I can’t say for sure.”

I nod, my stomach settles a bit, and I’m finally able to take a deep breath. Maybe we’re in the clear.

“Why do you ask?” Ledger asks me.

“I wanted to know,” I rasp.

He searches my eyes and I nearly give in and tell him everything, but then he grabs my chin and kisses me briefly.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I am now,” I whisper and kiss him again.

He sweeps his mouth against mine and the rest of my body finally relaxes.

He’s here. He’s okay. He’s safe.

We’ve had too many borderline life and death situations and the stress is starting to get to me. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells when I go to work. It has nothing to do with who I work with and everything to do with Grey. He’s disappeared but I know him. He will come back, and not being able to prepare for the inevitablewhenis making me a bit paranoid.

“Hey, where did you go?” Ledger asks me.

I look away, unable to answer him because I don’t want to admit that I am scared. He struggled to tell me when Grey disappeared, and I don’t want to put anymore stress on him.

“Nowhere, I’m fine,” I whisper.

He lifts my chin, searching my eyes, and he doesn’t believe me.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I whisper and kiss him with all the feelings running through my body, and one of them I’m more scared of than I am of Grey.