Page 57 of Love Like Ours

“What about you? Are you okay?” she asked Palmer as he picked up his dog.

“I’m fine,” Palmer said, though the small cuts on his arms and a deeper one across his cheek told a different story. “Just a couple of scratches. Did you call the police?”

“Yes, let’s get back to the house. They should be there.” Her voice shook as she tried to focus on the dog.

Palmer stood and helped her to her feet. He scooped Loki up in his arms, the dog letting out a soft whine but not resisting.

“What were you thinking, running off like that?”

“I thought I saw someone. Loki was onto something, but I lost sight of them and lost the trail near the rocks.” He gestured towards the jagged outcropping a few yards away. “They’re long gone by now.”

“And now you’re both hurt. What if something worse had happened?” she said as she helped him back over the dunes with Loki in his arms.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice cutting through her panic. “We’re okay. Loki will be fine. I’m fine. And the police are on their way.”

She looked at him, her chest heaving as the adrenaline began to wear off. The moonlight illuminated his face, and the concern in his eyes made her throat tighten.

“We should get back to the house,” she said again, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need to check your cuts, and Loki needs help.”

They made the rest of the way back to the house in silence. The shattered glass glittered ominously under the porch light as they stepped inside.

Sophia grabbed the first-aid kit from under the sink and set it on the kitchen counter. “Sit,” she ordered, pointing to a chair.

Palmer obeyed, setting Loki gently on a blanket on the sofa before sitting down.

Sophia worked quickly, cleaning the cuts on his arms and face. “You’re lucky these aren’t worse,” she muttered, her voice still tinged with frustration.

Palmer watched her, his gaze soft. “You’re mad.”

“Of course I’m mad,” she said, not looking at him. “You ran off into the darkness after…” She didn’t want to say that she thought it was his parents. Weren’t they were supposed to be in jail? But who else could it have been? “You rushed out into a dangerous situation without thinking. What if you hadn’t come back?” She wanted to ask him if he thought it was his parents again, but bit her tongue. She doubted they were out of jail this quickly.

“I couldn’t just stand there,” he said quietly. “I had to do something.” His eyes met hers as a knock sounded at their door.

“It’s Aiden,” they heard him call out.

“I’ll open the door for him,” she said, getting up.

While she showed Aiden inside, she updated him on what had happened.

“I’m having Nick check around the house,” he told them. “How’s Loki?”

“I think he just hurt his paw. We’ve wrapped it for now. I’ll take him to the vet in the morning,” Palmer said.

“What about you?” He motioned to the cuts.

“I fell running on the beach. Hit some driftwood.” He rolled his eyes. “It was dark.”

Aiden smiled and nodded. “I can help you with the door.” He motioned towards the opening.

“Tell me they’re still locked up,” Palmer said quietly.

Aiden sighed and shifted. “Posted bail about three hours ago. I sent a text to you and your brother.”

Palmer sighed. “I must have slept through it.”

“Do you really think they’d be stupid enough to do…” He waved towards the destruction.

“Yes,” Palmer broke in. “Yes, I do think they’re that stupid. Hopefully Loki scared them away.”